Śrīmushṇam

The Varaha temple at Srimushnam in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu — one of the eight Svayam-Vyakta Kshetras (self-manifest Vishnu temples) and the only one dedicated specifically to the Varaha avatar. The temple's foundation is 11th-12th-century Chola with major 16th-century Vijayanagara additions by Krishnadevaraya. The deity Bhu Varaha Swamy is worshipped as a composite with the goddess Ambujavalli Thayar on his left thigh. The annual Avani Moolam festival each August-September celebrates the Varaha's rescue of Bhu Devi from the cosmic waters. The temple's hundred-pillar mandapa and the thousand-petal lotus ceiling are the architectural highlights.