Jambukeshvara / Tiruvanaikkaval

The Pancha Bhuta Sthalam representing the water element (appu), at Thiruvanaikaval near Trichy, built by the Chola king Kochengannan around the 2nd century CE. Shiva as Jambukeshvara is a self-manifest linga over a perennial spring that constantly seeps into the sanctum from below. The paired Akhilandeshwari goddess shrine faces east, and the midday Ucchikala Puja features a priest dressed as a Brahmin woman — a ritual inversion recalling the goddess's taming by Shiva. The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams of the Shaiva Tevaram.