PILGRIMAGE CIRCUIT · TAMIL NADU & PUDUCHERRY

The Navagraha Temple Circuit: all nine temples in one or two days

The nine Navagraha temples — one for each planetary deity — sit within a compact stretch of the Cauvery delta around Kumbakonam, with Thirunallar in Puducherry at its edge. That closeness is what makes the whole circuit possible in a single long day by car, and comfortable across two.

This page has the route in the order a driver actually takes it, which graha belongs to which temple, the days each one is busiest, and live fares for a car from Karaikal. Everything here is the same itinerary you book — not a brochure version of it.

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Temples
9
Distance
~265 km
Duration
1 or 2 days
Base town
Karaikal

The nine temples and their grahas

Listed in the order a one-day circuit drives them, which is chosen for distance rather than for the order of the grahas.

  1. Dharbaranyeswarar Temple (Saneeswarar Sthalam), Thirunallar

    Sani (Saturn)

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Busiest:
    Saturdays are the busiest. Sani Peyarchi days draw very large crowds — book rooms 2–3 weeks early.
    Worth knowing:
    Take the holy dip at Nala Theertham before darshan. One of the nine Navagraha temples — Saturn (Sani) sthalam.

  2. Vaitheeswaran Koil, Sirkazhi taluk

    Angaraka (Mars)

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM
    Busiest:
    Tuesdays are busiest. Angaraka-related transits draw large crowds.
    Worth knowing:
    Known as the temple of the healing deity; pilgrims bathe in the Siddhamirtham tank before darshan. Close to Mayiladuthurai.

  3. Swetharanyeswarar Temple, Thiruvenkadu

    Budha (Mercury)

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Busiest:
    Wednesdays are busiest.
    Worth knowing:
    Near Poompuhar on the coast; often combined with Keezhaperumpallam in the same run.

  4. Naganathaswamy Temple, Keezhaperumpallam

    Ketu

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Busiest:
    Ketu-related transit days.
    Worth knowing:
    Near Poompuhar, the last stop on most circuits — usually paired with Thiruvenkadu.

  5. Naganathaswamy Temple, Thirunageswaram

    Rahu

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM
    Busiest:
    Rahu Kalam daily — the milk abhishekam during that window is the main draw and is crowded every day, not just at weekends.
    Worth knowing:
    About 6 km from Kumbakonam. Time your visit for the Rahu Kalam abhishekam if that is the reason for the trip.

  6. Suryanar Kovil, near Aduthurai

    Surya (Sun)

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Busiest:
    Sundays, and Rathasapthami. Thai month draws additional pilgrims.
    Worth knowing:
    The only temple on the circuit where all nine grahas have their own shrines. About 15 km from Kumbakonam.

  7. Agneeswarar Temple, Kanjanur

    Sukra (Venus)

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Busiest:
    Fridays are busiest.
    Worth knowing:
    Very close to Suryanar Kovil — the two are almost always visited together.

  8. Apatsahayesvarar Temple, Alangudi

    Guru (Jupiter)

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM
    Busiest:
    Thursdays, and Guru Peyarchi — Guru Peyarchi is one of the heaviest crowd days anywhere on the circuit. Book rooms well ahead.
    Worth knowing:
    About 17 km from Kumbakonam. The Guru shrine is the draw; expect long queues on Thursdays.

  9. Kailasanathar Temple, Thingalur

    Chandra (Moon)

    Usual timings:
    6:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Busiest:
    Mondays and full-moon days are busiest.
    Worth knowing:
    Near Thiruvaiyaru, roughly 30 km from Kumbakonam — usually paired with Suryanar Kovil on a two-day circuit.

Timings are the usual pattern, not confirmed hours. Every temple on this list closes in the afternoon and reopens in the evening, and individual temples vary — especially on festival days. Please confirm locally before planning a long drive around one particular darshan, and ask your driver: they check these routinely.

Day-wise itinerary

Both versions start at Thirunallar. It is the temple most pilgrims come for, and the queue is shortest before 7 AM.

Navagraha 9-Temple Circuit — one day

~265 km~14 hours of travelfrom Karaikal

Day 1 · starts 05:00

  1. Dharbaranyeswarar Temple (Saneeswarar Sthalam), Thirunallar

    Sani (Saturn)

    First darshan of the day — the queue is shortest before 7 AM.

  2. Vaitheeswaran Koil, Sirkazhi taluk

    Angaraka (Mars)

  3. Swetharanyeswarar Temple, Thiruvenkadu

    Budha (Mercury)

  4. Naganathaswamy Temple, Keezhaperumpallam

    Ketu

  5. Naganathaswamy Temple, Thirunageswaram

    Rahu

    Timed for the Rahu Kalam abhishekam where the schedule allows.

  6. Suryanar Kovil, near Aduthurai

    Surya (Sun)

  7. Agneeswarar Temple, Kanjanur

    Sukra (Venus)

  8. Apatsahayesvarar Temple, Alangudi

    Guru (Jupiter)

  9. Kailasanathar Temple, Thingalur

    Chandra (Moon)

    Last stop; return to Karaikal by about 7 PM.

Navagraha 9-Temple Circuit — two days

~310 km~20 hours of travelfrom Karaikal

Day 1 · starts 06:00

  1. Dharbaranyeswarar Temple (Saneeswarar Sthalam), Thirunallar

    Sani (Saturn)

  2. Vaitheeswaran Koil, Sirkazhi taluk

    Angaraka (Mars)

  3. Swetharanyeswarar Temple, Thiruvenkadu

    Budha (Mercury)

  4. Naganathaswamy Temple, Keezhaperumpallam

    Ketu

    Overnight at Kumbakonam or Karaikal.

Day 2 · starts 06:00

  1. Suryanar Kovil, near Aduthurai

    Surya (Sun)

  2. Agneeswarar Temple, Kanjanur

    Sukra (Venus)

  3. Apatsahayesvarar Temple, Alangudi

    Guru (Jupiter)

    Expect long queues on Thursdays.

  4. Naganathaswamy Temple, Thirunageswaram

    Rahu

  5. Kailasanathar Temple, Thingalur

    Chandra (Moon)

What a car costs

Per vehicle for the whole trip — not per person, not per kilometre.

Navagraha 9-Temple Circuit — one day

  • SEDANup to 4 seats₹5,500
  • SUVup to 6 seats₹7,500
  • TEMPOup to 12 seats₹10,500

Navagraha 9-Temple Circuit — two days

  • SEDANup to 4 seats₹10,500
  • SUVup to 6 seats₹14,000
  • TEMPOup to 12 seats₹19,500

Fares are indicative — the operator's standard rate for this route and vehicle — and we are still building out this operator network for the Karaikal and Nagapattinam circuit. Tolls, parking, temple entry and the driver's allowance are settled with the driver where they apply, and the operator confirms the final figure when they call you back. Nothing is charged online.

See availability for your date

Planning the trip

One day or two. The one-day circuit is roughly 265 km and about 14 hours door to door, leaving Karaikal around 5 AM. It works well for a fit group. Two days turns it into two relaxed mornings with a night at Kumbakonam or Karaikal, which is the better choice with elderly parents or young children.

Where to stay. Karaikal suits a start at Thirunallar and a return the same evening; Kumbakonam sits in the middle of the other six and is the natural overnight on a two-day run. On Sani Peyarchi and Guru Peyarchi, book rooms two to three weeks ahead — the whole district fills.

Peyarchi and crowd days. Each temple has its own weekly heavy day, listed against the temple above. Thirunageswaram is busy every day during Rahu Kalam rather than on one weekday, because the milk abhishekam in that window is the reason most people go.

Adding Velankanni or Nagore. Neither is part of the Navagraha circuit. The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health at Velankanni and the Nagore Dargah — a Sufi shrine, not a temple — are on the coast and pair naturally with a separate day trip, which we run from Karaikal. It is on the taxi page.

Questions people ask

Can all nine Navagraha temples be covered in one day?

Yes, and it is the usual way it is done. It is a long day — roughly 265 km and about 14 hours, starting around 5 AM from Karaikal — but the nine temples sit within a compact area around Kumbakonam, so the driving between them is short. Families with elderly members or small children are usually more comfortable splitting it across two days.

Where should the circuit start?

Most pilgrims start at Thirunallar, the Sani (Saturn) sthalam, because it is the temple people travel furthest for and the queue is shortest early in the morning. Karaikal is the practical base for that start; Kumbakonam is the alternative if you are approaching from Thanjavur or Trichy.

Which temple belongs to which graha?

Thirunallar is Sani (Saturn), Suryanar Kovil is Surya (Sun), Thingalur is Chandra (Moon), Vaitheeswaran Koil is Angaraka (Mars), Thiruvenkadu is Budha (Mercury), Alangudi is Guru (Jupiter), Kanjanur is Sukra (Venus), Thirunageswaram is Rahu and Keezhaperumpallam is Ketu.

What are the darshan timings?

Most of the nine temples follow the usual South Indian pattern of roughly 6 AM to midday and 4 PM to 8 PM, with the afternoon closure in between. We have not confirmed these with the temples themselves, so treat them as the usual timings and check locally before you plan a long drive around one of them.

Which days are busiest?

Each temple has its own heavy day: Saturdays at Thirunallar, Sundays at Suryanar Kovil, Mondays at Thingalur, Tuesdays at Vaitheeswaran Koil, Wednesdays at Thiruvenkadu, Thursdays at Alangudi and Fridays at Kanjanur. Thirunageswaram is busy every day during Rahu Kalam. Sani Peyarchi and Guru Peyarchi draw the largest crowds of the year — book a car and a room two to three weeks ahead for those.

How much does a car for the circuit cost?

Fares are per vehicle for the whole trip, not per person. Live prices for each vehicle class are shown on this page and on our taxi page; the operator confirms the final figure, including tolls, parking and the driver's allowance, when they call you back.

Is Nagore Dargah part of the Navagraha circuit?

No. Nagore Dargah is a Sufi shrine near Nagapattinam and is not one of the nine Navagraha temples. It is a common and easy add-on to a Velankanni trip, which we run as a separate coastal day trip.

Book the circuit

Pick your date to see which vehicles are actually free, or ask our concierge to plan the stay and the car together.

Book a carAsk the concierge

Planning from Kumbakonam instead?

Our complete guide covers all nine temples from a Kumbakonam base — the driving order that avoids doubling back, the midday closures, and one-, two- and three-day itineraries.

Read the complete Navagraha guide →