Kailasanathar Temple, Saendha Poomangalam
Saendha Poomangalam, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India
Also known as: Arulmigu Kailasa Nathar Temple · Sendamaram Poomangalam
- Deities
- Kailasanathar (Shiva)
- Traditions
- shaiva
- Worship status
- active
- Address
- Arulmigu Kailasanathar Temple, Serndhapoomangalam, about 2 km east of Authoor and over 20 km from Thoothukudi on the route toward Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district, Tamil Nadu 628 151.
- Darshan hours
- Morning 7:30 AM-10:00 AM, Evening 5:00 PM-7:30 PM, per the Tirunelveli district government website; confirm locally before a visit.
- Best time to visit
- October to March for cooler weather; Maha Shivrathri (February-March) and Aipasi Annabishekam (October-November) are especially significant occasions, along with monthly Pradosham.
- How to reach
- Located about 2 km east of Authoor, over 20 km from Thoothukudi on the route toward Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu; bus services run from Thoothukudi and Tiruchendur, with the nearest railway stations at Tiruchendur and Thoothukudi, and the nearest airport at Thoothukudi. Accommodation is available in Tiruchendur and Thoothukudi.
Location
Open in Google MapsSerndhapoomangalam (recorded elsewhere, including in the Wikipedia Nava Kailasam group table, as Saendha Poomangalam), a village about 2 km east of Authoor in Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district, is the ninth and final temple of the Nava Kailasam group and is associated with Venus (Sukran) among the Navagrahas in that group’s tradition — a distinct tradition from the separate Navagraha temple circuit near Kumbakonam further north in Tamil Nadu.
The presiding deity is worshipped here as Kailasanathar (Arulmigu Kailasanathar), with his consort worshipped as Arulmigu Soundhara Nayaki; the temple’s sacred tank is Thamira Pushkarani and its sacred tree Vilvam (bael). Local devotional belief holds that worship here is equivalent in merit to worshipping Shiva at Kanchanoor near Thanjavur. Tradition holds that the nine Nava Kailasam sites trace to the sage Agastya’s disciple Uromacha Munivar, instructed to set nine flowers afloat on the Thamirabarani river and to install a Shiva lingam wherever each one came to rest; the disciple is said to have attained liberation only after venerating all nine of these shrines and bathing where the river meets the sea, making this ninth and final temple the traditional completion of the pilgrimage circuit.
Festivals
The temple’s festival calendar includes monthly Pradosham, Maha Shivrathri (February-March), and Aipasi Annabishekam (October-November).
Location & Access
The temple stands about 2 km east of Authoor, over 20 km from Thoothukudi on the route toward Tiruchendur, in Thoothukudi district. Bus services run from Thoothukudi and Tiruchendur, with the nearest railway stations at Tiruchendur and Thoothukudi, and the nearest airport at Thoothukudi; accommodation is available in both towns. The temple observes darshan from about 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM. It is administered by an Executive Officer registered at Serndhapoomangalam - 628 151, Tuticorin district. Verify current darshan timings and travel details with the temple or official sources before visiting.
Sources
- historical record: Wikipedia, 'Nava Kailasam' article: lists 'Saendha Poomangalam, Tuticorin' as the Sukran (Venus)-associated temple of the nine-temple Nava Kailasam group, naming the presiding deity as Kailasa Nathar and citing the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department (Tirunelveli district) and an archived shaivam.org page as its sources.
- historical record: Tirunelveli district government website page for this temple (https://tirunelveli.nic.in/arulmigu-kailasanathar-temple-serndhapoomangalam/), consulted 2026-09-23, spells the village 'Serndhapoomangalam' (confirming this as the standard official spelling over 'Sendamaram'/'Sendhan Poomangalam'): gives the consort as Arulmigu Soundhara Nayaki, the sacred tank as Thamira Pushkarani and sacred tree as Vilvam, darshan hours, festivals (monthly Pradosham, Maha Shivrathri, Aipasi Annabishekam), an Executive Officer's registered address (Serndhapoomangalam - 628 151, Tuticorin district), and access/accommodation details; the page states that worship here is held to be equivalent to worshipping Shiva at Kanchanoor near Thanjavur.
For review
- This entry's dataset city/address fields use the spelling 'Saendha Poomangalam' (from the Wikipedia Nava Kailasam group table), while the Tirunelveli district government's own temple page spells the village 'Serndhapoomangalam' -- now treated as the more authoritative official spelling and used in the prose and updated address/how_to_reach fields, with 'Saendha Poomangalam' retained as an alt_name.