Tiruvadanai or Thiruvadanai is a town and a taluk headquarters of the Ramanathapuram district, in Tamil Nadu, India.

Legend has it that Vaaruni, the son of Varuna, the God of rain who was cursed by a Sage to have an elephant's body and a goat's head, regained his normal form after worshiping Shiva at this temple.

The name of the town is believed to have been derived from this mythological incident(Thiru- sacred; Adu- goat; Aanai- elephant; Thiru Adanai- the sacred place, where the goat-headed-elephant regained his original form).

Sages Agasthya, Markandeya and the holy cow Kamadenu were believed to have worshiped Lord Shiva at this temple.

The temple is also mentioned in the Thirupugal and Thevara Pathigam works of Tamil poets Arunagirinathar and Sambandar respectively.