Mayiladuturai Temple is a huge temple with a tank, several gopurams and mandapams. This is the 39th in the series of Tevara Stalams located south of the river Kaveri.

Legend: Dakshayani (Parvati) took the form of a peacock after her father`s Daksha Yagnam. She worshipped Shiva here and he also took the form of a peacock and performed the Gowri Tandavam and united with her here. Mayuranathar quelled the Kaveri floods to make way for Sambandar and four Vallalar shrines here are regareded as the manifestations of Mayuranathar. The Sapta Matas worshipped Shiva at seven of the temples in the vicinity including Vallalaar Kovil.

Temple: Spread over 350000 sq feet, it has five prakarams. The nine-tiered gopuram is 165 feet high. The temple has pillared halls with sculptures, 14 vimanas with stucco images. Inscriptions from the Imperial Chola period are found here. This temple was reconstructed in stone, during the 10th century. Renovations from the 19th century have destroyed the older structures and the inscriptions. The fine stone sculptures of Vinayakar, Natarajar, Siva-Uma-Alinganamurthy, Dakshimamurthy, Lingodbhavar, Bhrama, Ganga Visarjanamurthi, Durga and Bhikshatanar from the period of Sembiyan Mahadevi are still preserved in their niches. A Bhogasakthi bronze image is seen in the sanctum of Mayuranathar, which was the practice till separate Ambal shrines were introduced during the reign of Kulottunga Chola I (1075-1120).

Festivals: Thousands of pilgrims converge during the Thulaa (Libra) festival. A daily procession to the banks of the Kaveri is taken out throughout the monsoon month of Libra. Shiva`s dance is enacted at Aadi Sabhai on the 7th day of the grand festival in the month of Libra. The annual festival Bhrammotsavam is observed in the Tamil month of Vaikasi.