Suryanar Kovil and the Navagraha Temples of Kumbakonam
Suryanar Kovil village near Aduthurai, and around Kumbakonam (Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai and Thiruvarur districts, plus Karaikal) · Surya (the Sun) with consorts Usha and Pratyusha (Chhaya) at Suryanar Kovil; Shiva temples with shrines for each of the nine planets elsewhere
Nine temples for the nine planets, centred on the only Tamil temple where the Sun himself is the main deity.
Around Kumbakonam, in the Kaveri delta, nine temples are each linked with one of the Navagrahas, the nine 'planets' of Hindu astrology: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu. Pilgrims visit all nine to ease troubles blamed on unfavourable planetary positions (graha dosha). The circuit is centred on Suryanar Kovil, about 15 km east of Kumbakonam near Aduthurai, built under Kulottunga Chola I (1060–1118) and the only temple in the group where the planet (Surya) is the presiding deity; there each of the other eight planets also has its own shrine facing the Sun. The other eight are Shiva temples with a special shrine for their planet.
Timings
- Suryanar Kovil (Sun): approx. 6:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 4:00 – 8:00 PM (rituals 5:30 AM – 10 PM). Check locally.
- Thingalur (Moon) – HR&CE: 6:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 4:00 – 9:00 PM
- Vaitheeswaran Koil (Mars): approx. 6:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 4:00 – 8:00 PM. Check locally.
- Thiruvenkadu (Mercury) – HR&CE: 6:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 4:00 – 8:30 PM
- Alangudi (Jupiter) – HR&CE: 6:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 4:00 – 9:00 PM; Thursdays open 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM without a break
- Kanjanur (Venus): Not published officially; like the others it closes around midday and reopens about 4 PM. Check locally.
- Thirunallar (Saturn): Six daily rituals from about 5:30–6:00 AM to 9:00 PM (Wikipedia). Check locally.
- Thirunageswaram (Rahu) – HR&CE: 6:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 4:00 – 9:00 PM; open during Rahu Kalam. In Margazhi: 5:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 4:00 – 8:30 PM.
- Keezhperumpallam (Ketu) – HR&CE: 5:30 AM – 12:30 PM and 3:30 – 8:30 PM
Darshan types and costs
- General darshan at all nine temples – Free
- Archanai tickets – From ₹5 (Thiruvenkadu, HR&CE)
Sevas and costs
- Rahu Milk Abhishekam – Thirunageswaram – ₹150 or ₹250 (two milk abhishekam tickets listed by HR&CE) (Daily during Rahu Kalam; the temple also does Rahu abhishekams around 11:30 AM and 5:30 PM)
- Swami–Ambal Abhishekam – Thirunageswaram – ₹3,000 (By arrangement)
- Homam – Thirunageswaram – ₹3,000 (homam kattanam) (By arrangement)
- Kattalai Archanai / Abhishekam with prasadam – Thirunageswaram – Archanai ₹600; Abhishekam ₹1,200 (Recurring (kattalai) scheme)
- Moolavar Guru Bhagavan Abhishekam – Alangudi – ₹1,500 (On request; Thursdays are popular)
- Kattalai / Weekly Archana – Alangudi – Kattalai Archana ₹500; Weekly Archana ₹1,500 (foreign devotees: monthly ₹1,000, weekly ₹3,000) (Recurring)
- Pradosham sponsorship – Alangudi – ₹1,000 (foreign ₹2,000) (Pradosham (13th lunar day, twice a month))
- Annadhanam – Alangudi – ₹3,500; Thursday annadhanam for 200 people ₹7,000 (Any day / Thursdays)
- Budhan Abhishekam / Milk Abhishekam – Thiruvenkadu – Budhan Abhishekam ₹1,500; Budhan Milk Abhishekam ₹500 (During temple hours)
- Budhan Homam – Thiruvenkadu – ₹3,500 (By arrangement)
- Aghora Murthy Abhishekam – Thiruvenkadu – ₹2,500 (By arrangement)
- Archanai – Thiruvenkadu – ₹5 (During temple hours)
- Navagraha archanai at Suryanar Kovil – Check at counter (During darshan hours)
- Nala Theertham bath and sesame lamp – Thirunallar – Bath free; archanai/lamps – check at counter (Any day; Saturdays and Shani Peyarchi are busiest)
- Rahu Kala pooja – Keezhperumpallam (Ketu) – Check at counter (Daily during Rahu Kalam (HR&CE timetable: Sun 4:30–6 PM, Mon 7:30–9 AM, Tue 3–4:30 PM,…)
How to book darshan
No central booking. Darshan is free; archanai and parihara tickets are bought at each temple's counter. HR&CE publishes fees for Thirunageswaram, Alangudi and Thiruvenkadu. TNSTC has run Navagraha special buses from Kumbakonam (check tnstc.in).
HR&CE – Thirunageswaram temple page
Dress code
Traditional dress: dhoti or trousers with shirt for men; saree or churidar with dupatta for women. Some temples ask men to remove shirts before entering the inner shrine.
Best time to visit
October to March. Avoid Saturdays at Thirunallar and planetary transit days unless you want the festival atmosphere.
How to reach
- air: Tiruchirappalli airport (TRZ) is about 90 km from Kumbakonam.
- rail: Kumbakonam railway station has trains from Chennai, Trichy and Thanjavur. Aduthurai station is close to Suryanar Kovil; Mayiladuthurai junction is near the Mars, Mercury and Ketu temples.
- road: Kumbakonam is about 40 km from Thanjavur and 290 km from Chennai. Taxis for the full circuit are widely available.
Festivals
- Shani Peyarchi (Thirunallar) – Last: 6 Mar 2026, 8:24 AM (Kumbha to Meena); next in about 2.5 years
- Karthigai Brahmotsavam (Thirunageswaram) – Karthigai (Nov–Dec)
- Ratha Saptami – Thai/Magha (Jan–Feb)
- Guru Peyarchi (Alangudi) – When Jupiter changes sign (about yearly) – check the temple's announcement
- Rahu–Ketu Peyarchi – About every 18 months – check locally
- Maha Shivaratri – 6 Mar 2027