Surya, the Sun, is reckoned the chief of the Navagraha — the other eight planetary deities are traditionally described as revolving around him, much as the planets orbit the sun itself. He's the son of the sage Kashyapa and Aditi, ranked in the old texts close to Indra in the hierarchy of the gods, usually shown four-armed on a chariot driven by Aruna, the god of dawn.
Suryanar Kovil is built around that seniority. Where most Navagraha temples enshrine their graha as a smaller shrine alongside a Shiva sanctum, this one is structured as a complete map of the whole pantheon: all nine planetary deities sit in their own individual shrines, each facing its own cardinal direction, rather than the usual circular grouping found everywhere else in the circuit. It's the one temple where you can, in a single visit, actually see the Navagraha as a system rather than meet one graha at a time.
Open 6 AM to 8 PM, with a break from 12:30 to 4 PM. The visit takes about an hour.
Sunday is Surya's own day and draws the largest crowds; Ratha Saptami, usually in January or February, is the temple's major annual festival. For a quieter visit, any other weekday works well.
Suryanar Kovil sits about 30 km from Kumbakonam and pairs naturally with Kanjanur and Thingalur on a single-day loop through the western cluster of temples — see the West Cluster guide for the full route.
Unofficial priests sometimes approach outside offering puja services at inflated rates — these aren't affiliated with the temple; official rates are posted on the notice board inside.
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