Temple Guide

Navagraha Temples: The Nine Planet Temples of India

Reading time: 6 minutes

Navagraha means "nine grahas" or nine celestial bodies — the planetary deities that form the backbone of Vedic astrology. Across India, temples dedicated to these nine planets serve as pilgrimage sites for devotees seeking to balance a difficult planetary placement in their chart.

The nine grahas

The most famous Navagraha temple circuit

Tamil Nadu is home to India's most well-known Navagraha temple circuit — nine separate temples near Kumbakonam, each dedicated to one planetary deity, traditionally visited together in a single pilgrimage sequence:

• Suryanar Kovil — dedicated to Surya (Sun)
• Thingalur — dedicated to Chandra (Moon)
• Vaitheeswaran Koil — dedicated to Mangal (Mars)
• Thiruvenkadu — dedicated to Budha (Mercury)
• Alangudi — dedicated to Guru (Jupiter)
• Kanjanur — dedicated to Shukra (Venus)
• Thirunallar — dedicated to Shani (Saturn)
• Thirunageswaram — dedicated to Rahu
• Keezhaperumpallam — dedicated to Ketu

Devotees often complete this circuit in sequence over several days, particularly when multiple planets in their chart need strengthening or pacifying.

Other significant Navagraha temples

Beyond Tamil Nadu, notable Navagraha temples exist in Guwahati (Assam), Bangalore (Karnataka), and several other regions — each maintaining its own version of the nine-shrine layout, adapted to local tradition.

Do you need to visit all nine?

Not necessarily. In practice, most people benefit most from focusing on the specific graha causing difficulty in their chart — determined by which planets are weak, afflicted, or currently active in your dasha — rather than performing all nine rituals generically.