காசி விசுவநாதர் திருக்கோயில் - தென்காசி
Thenkasi or Tenkasi - the Southern Kashi - is a small town about 60 kms or 1.5 hours northwest of Thirunelveli. Historically it was the Pandian Royal family's last stand before they disappeared in the 1500s with the establishment of the Madurai Nayakkan Kingdom. Long after they lost control of much of their territories including their capital Madurai as a consequence of the Pandian Civil War in the early 1300s, the raids by the Delhi Sultanate, the establishment of the Sultanate of Madurai or Ma'bar, the expansion of Vijayanagar power etc. they ruled here for some decades. Tenkasi gets its name from the massive and ancient temple to Siva built here by the Pandians and later patronized by the Nayakkan kings.
The temple has numerous inscriptions from many dynasties and the exact dating of its origin is unclear. Some sources date it to the mid 1400s, long after the zenith of Pandian power was gone. At 180 feet, the huge Rajagopuram is the 7th tallest in Tamil Nadu. The style is more Vijayanagar. It was initially completed in 1505, but burnt down in a fire in 1824 and was in ruins until 1966. Beginning in 1967, it was painstakingly restored using the original techniques over two decades and was completed in 1990. It is a grand sight today and a must visit.
Many legends exist here and it is a much revered temple.
It is situated about 2 hours by car or 65 km north west of Thirunelveli. We visited in August 2019. We were based in Thirunelveli.
Credits: Google Maps
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