Papanasam is a panchayat town in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is 25 km from Tanjore and 15 km from Kumbakonam. There are 4 rivers named Cauvery, Thirumalairajan, Arasalaru and KudaMurutti.The name of the town literally means "Destruction of Sins" in the Tamil language.