The Soundareswararswamy Temple or Sountharyanathar temple is a Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 temple dedicated to the god Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

. It is situated in the village of Thiruppanaiyur, three and a half kilometres from Nannilam

Nannilam

Nannilam is a panchayat town in Thiruvarur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This panchayat union includes many villages.Nannilam and the surrounding area is home to many temples, including Madhuvaneshwarar Temple, an old Shiva temple which is located center of the town. The town is a...

. The temple is centred around a palmyra

Palmyra

Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria. In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 180 km southwest of the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor. It had long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert...

 tree which is the sthalavriksha. The palmyra tree gives its name to the village itself ("Thiru" (holy) + "Panai" (palm) + "Ur" (city) or the "city of the holy palm")

The temple is popular due to its association with the Early Chola king Karikala. It is believed that Karikala was standing under the palmyra tree when the royal elephant of the Cholas identified him as the king. Karikala was then taken to the capital on elephant back to be crowned Emperor.