திங்களூர் கைலாசநாதர் கோயில்Kailasanathar Temple, Thingalur

Sthala Mahātmyam

The Kailasanathar Temple at Thingalur, on the Kumbakonam–Thiruvaiyaru road in Thanjavur district, is the Navagraha sthalam of Chandra, the Moon. Although the planet Chandra is enshrined here in black granite and usually draped in white cloth, the presiding deity is Shiva worshipped as Kailasanathar, with his consort Parvati as Periyanayaki (Brihannayaki). According to legend, Chandra married the twenty-eight daughters of Daksha but showed favour to only one, angering the others; their father Daksha then cursed the Moon to lose all his radiance and powers. Chandra worshipped Kailasanathar at this place and had his lustre and strength restored, making the shrine especially sacred for those seeking relief from afflictions of the Moon in their horoscope. The image of Chandra stands in the first precinct, and there are additional shrines for Ambal, Subramanya, Gajalakshmi and Bhairava. A remarkable phenomenon occurs during the Tamil months of Purattasi and Panguni, when moonlight falls directly upon the presiding deity. Chief festivals include Maha Shivaratri, Margazhi Thiruvadirai, Panguni Uthiram and Thirukarthigai.