Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam, a temple town in the Delta region of Tamil Nadu, bounded by two holy rivers, Kaveri to the North and Arasalar to the South, has a rich history of Dravidian architecture and religious monuments. The town dates back to the Sangam period (6th century BCE to 3rd century CE), and was ruled by the Early Cholas to the Pallavas, Pandiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, Nayaks and Marathas, offering a one of a kind mix of architectural marvel from each of the kingdoms.

 

Our tour packages are tailored for different kind of travellers to the region, from staunch devotees, to lovers of heritage, history and ancient architecture. Come and enjoy a sacred journey to the most important Hindu religious spots in India. Fall in love with the architectural marvel of temples and monuments that date back to over a 1,000 years.

​

Temples of Kumbakonam

​

Kumbakonam is known for its temples and mathas (monasteries). There are around 188 Hindu temples within the municipal limits of Kumbakonam. Apart from these, there several thousand temples around the town thereby giving the town the sobriquets "Temple Town" and "City of temples".

​

AdiKumbeswarar Temple is considered to be the oldest Shaiva (the sect of the god Shiva) shrine in the town, believed to be constructed by the Cholas in the 7th century. The Nageswaraswamy Temple has a separate shrine for the Sun god Surya who is believed to have worshipped Shiva at this place. AdiKumbeswarar temple, Nageswaraswamy temple and KasiViswanathar temple are Shiva temples in the town revered in the Tevaram, a Tamil Shaiva canonical work of the 7th–8th century. Kumbakonam has one of the few temples dedicated to the god Brahma.

​

Sarangapani temple is the largest Vaishnava (the sect of the god Vishnu) shrine present in Kumbakonam. The present structure of the temple having a twelve storey high tower was constructed by Nayak kings in the 15th century. It is one of the "DivyaDesams", the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the 12 Alvar saint-poets.

​

The Ramaswamy temple, which has scenes from the Hindu epic Ramayana depicted on its walls, was constructed by GovindaDikshitar, the minister of successive Nayak rulers, AchuthappaNayak (1560–1614) and RaghunathaNayak (1600–34). He added a commercial corridor between the temple and the older Chakrapani temple, which in modern times is called ChinnaKadaiVeethi, a commercial street in the town.

 

Pilgrims from all parts of India take a holy dip once every 12 years during the Mahamaham festival in the Mahamaham tank. Over 40 lakh pilgrims participated in the festival during the 2016 event which is also known as the Southern Kumbhamela. GovindaDikshitar constructed the sixteen mandapams (shrines) and stone steps around this tank.

​

Kumbakonam also has a number of mathas. The Sri Sankaramatha of Kanchipuram was moved to Kumbakonam during the reign of Pratap Singh (1739–63) and remained in Kumbakonam until the 1960s. There are also two Vellalar mathas in the nearby towns of Dharmapuram and Thiruppanandal and a Raghavendramatha in Kumbakonam. There is also a branch of the Vaishnava Ahobila mutt in Kumbakonam.

​

The Thenupuriswarar Temple at Patteeswaram, the OppiliappanKovil, the SwamimalaiMurugan temple and the Airavateswarar temple at Darasuram are located in the vicinity of Kumbakonam. The Airavatesvara Temple built by RajarajaChola II (1146–73) during 12th century is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at GangaikondaCholapuram that are referred as the Great Living Chola Temples.