The Naganatha Swamy temple or Kethu temple or Kethu sthalam is a hindu temple in Keelaperumpallam near Thiruvengadu. In this temple, lord Kethu is being worshiped and the main deity here is lord Shiva in the name of Naganatha swamy.
The temple has a flat rajagopuram surrounded by two prakarams. Every day four rituals will be held and four festivals Mahashivarathri, Margazhi Thiruvadirai, Panguni Uthiram and Thirukartigai are major festivals celebrated in the temple.
The temple is one of the nine Navagraha temples of TamilNadu and is a part of the popular Navagraha pilgrimage in the state.
As per Hindu legend, to get Amrita(Amrutham) of immortal life, the Ocean of milk was blended. At the suggestion of Vishnu, the deities and asuras churn or whisk the ocean in order to obtain Amrutham.
For that, they used the Serpent(snake) Vasuki as a whisking string and for churning pole they used Mount Mandara which was placed on the back of a great tortoise-the Kurma avatar of lord Vishnu. First the poison Halahala was issued from its depths.
The devas prayed Shiva to rescue who drank the poison by neutralizing it. Vasuki was upset about her mistake in this issue and prayed to Shiva to relieve her sins. Lord Shiva was pleased with her devotion and appeared as Naganathar in this place.
Dharmakulam bus stop is the nearest bus stop with a distance of around 1.9 KM from the temple. You can take a local auto or taxi to reach the temple from there.
