Varuna Lingam, is dedicated to Varuna, the God of the Western direction. The shrine of Varuna Lingam is situated on the outer girivalam path about 1 kilometre before the village of Adi Annamalai.

Varuna, according to Hindu mythology, is the Guardian of Cosmic Justice and the Lord of the Sky. In the days of yore, He may have been one of the most revered and powerful deities of Vedic India. Varuna is a dual god known as Mitra-Varuna, the former ruling the day and the latter the night, but slowly the names became synonymous. Scholars agree that Varuna was a sky god like Ouranos; in fact the two names are derived from the same linguistic root.  Legend has it that it was Varuna who found the sun, hidden in the cosmic waters and set it in the sky. He is praised as the king of kings, the one responsible for making rain. It is believed that repentance and service to Varuna washes away your accumulated sins (sanchita karma). In later myths, Varuna is described as the Lord of the Waters. This is a focus on his powers of inducing dropsy, as well as the Vedic description of him as the god who satisfies the thirst of his followers. Varuna’s power over the water as well as the geographical conjunction of ocean waters with the sky at the horizon made sure that his water aspect would remain, even when his people cast him down from the sky. His names like Jalapati, ‘Ruler of Waters’ and Yadapti, ‘Lord of Aquatic Animals’ reflect this changed reality. He rides a makara, a fabulous animal with the head and front legs of an antelope and the body and tail of a fish. Best of all, he is supposed to live in a house with a thousand doors, as he is always accessible to man.

Today the Varuna lingam shrine attracts very few people and ranges among the less popular ashtalingams. An unfortunate attempt at renovation has resulted in the destruction of the old stone paving and ancient facade and led to the complete concretization of the floor with the cement façade, all of which give the temple an unattractive modern appearance although the lingam dates back to the 12^th century…

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