• Jan 25 2016
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Avinasiappar Temple, Tiruppukoliyur (Avinasi)

The temple belongs to 10th century CE. The present structure of the temple was originally built by the Kings of Chola, Hoysala and the Mysore dynasties. The main tower was first built during the period of King Sundarapandian and later reconstructed by the King of Mysore.This is one of the 276 DevaraPaadal Petra Shiva Sthalams and 1st Shiva Sthalam in KonguNadu.TheMoolavar is Swayambumurthy (self-manifested) .Vinasam in Sanskrit and Tamil means perishable. Avinashi means imperishable (eternal) .The colloquial name of this temple is Karunaiyaathaal Temple.Avinashi is referred to as Dakshin Kashi (South Varanasi).The historical name of the place is Tirupukkoliyur. Thiru meaning grace of God and Pukkoliyur meaning a place of refuge. It is said that once Devas took shelter in this temple in fear of Asuras.The main tower (Rajagopuram) is 7-tiered and is more than 100 feet in height.The temple is a protected monument under the Archaeological survey of India.