Last year I visited the temple city of Kumbakonam for attending my relative's marriage. It presented a unique opportunity for me and my wife to take time off and visit the beautiful and brilliant temples in and around Kumbakonam.
Kumbakonam is a unique city with lots of temples and each temple foretells its history of thousands of years. The city is a must visit for people who are religious, people who love architecture, archaeology and history. More often India is distorted by specific tourist destinations like the Taj Mahal (which of course is a must see) but if you really want see what India looked like in its golden age and 1000s of years before recorded history then you must visit the temples of south India and places like Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Madurai and host of other temple destinations in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
In this multi part blog let's take a look at Kumbakonam a beautiful temple city in Tamil Nadu and its temples.
For more information on the city visit the wiki site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbakonam
One of the great things I love about cities like these is that you can relive the history of such places by visiting the temples where tradition of thousands of years are still kept alive through the temple customs, deities and ambience. The experience is just out of the world, in this era where we are always rushing from one thing to another and do not take the time to experience or feel anything, this kind of experience somewhere grounds you when you look at the history and the architectural marvel of these temples. The icing on the cake is the peace and eternal bliss that is experienced in such places, places of worship which are still not shrouded by commercialism and places where you can take your own time to explore and experience.
I found a very good guide map and legend of temple locations in and around Kumbakonam in the hotel where we were staying. We took a cab to go around and I think the cost was a INR 1,500 for a day with the driver who was very knowledgeable about the locations and conversant with the temple timings.
So first we were on our way to cover the temples in the direction of Tanjore.
We visited Thirukarukavoor temple first (# 5 in the Kumbakonam to Tanjore list).
The ganesha idol in the temple is made from froth and the temple has immense history associated with it. For more information visit the link below:
http://templesoftamilnadu.co.in/2010/02/thiruvalanchuzhi-vellai-pillayar/
The ganesha idol in the temple has so much history that it saved the world at one point in time... :). It is said that the Ganesha idol was created by the devas and asuras during the process of the nectar (churning) in order to pray and remove the obstacles that were hampering the nectar creation process. After the devas successfully had their share of the nectar, lord Indra prayed and kept the idol with himself until a point in time when the idol could not be moved from the location of Thiruvalanchuzhi where Indra had placed it on the banks of river cauvery in order to take bath. Realizing that the idol could not be moved from its location Indra left the idol at this location that is called Thiruvalanchuzhi today.
Part 2 of this series will include more tid bits and photos of the other temples in and around Kumbakonam as listed below:
Kumbakonam is a unique city with lots of temples and each temple foretells its history of thousands of years. The city is a must visit for people who are religious, people who love architecture, archaeology and history. More often India is distorted by specific tourist destinations like the Taj Mahal (which of course is a must see) but if you really want see what India looked like in its golden age and 1000s of years before recorded history then you must visit the temples of south India and places like Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Madurai and host of other temple destinations in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
In this multi part blog let's take a look at Kumbakonam a beautiful temple city in Tamil Nadu and its temples.
For more information on the city visit the wiki site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbakonam
One of the great things I love about cities like these is that you can relive the history of such places by visiting the temples where tradition of thousands of years are still kept alive through the temple customs, deities and ambience. The experience is just out of the world, in this era where we are always rushing from one thing to another and do not take the time to experience or feel anything, this kind of experience somewhere grounds you when you look at the history and the architectural marvel of these temples. The icing on the cake is the peace and eternal bliss that is experienced in such places, places of worship which are still not shrouded by commercialism and places where you can take your own time to explore and experience.
I found a very good guide map and legend of temple locations in and around Kumbakonam in the hotel where we were staying. We took a cab to go around and I think the cost was a INR 1,500 for a day with the driver who was very knowledgeable about the locations and conversant with the temple timings.
So first we were on our way to cover the temples in the direction of Tanjore.
We visited Thirukarukavoor temple first (# 5 in the Kumbakonam to Tanjore list).
- Thirukarukavoor temple (Garbharakshambhigai)
The temple of Garbharakshambhigai (Goddess who protects the womb) is a beautiful temple on the outskirts of Kumbakkonam. Ghee offerings to the deity are supposed to be very special. Devotees visit the temple in to pray for a future child or to pray for the well being of the mother and child when child is in the womb or for the wellbeing of the child when born. The Sivalingam here is a self manifested lingam.
For more information visit the website below:
2.Thiruvalanchuzhi (Valampuri Pillaiyar)
The ganesha idol in the temple is made from froth and the temple has immense history associated with it. For more information visit the link below:
http://templesoftamilnadu.co.in/2010/02/thiruvalanchuzhi-vellai-pillayar/
The ganesha idol in the temple has so much history that it saved the world at one point in time... :). It is said that the Ganesha idol was created by the devas and asuras during the process of the nectar (churning) in order to pray and remove the obstacles that were hampering the nectar creation process. After the devas successfully had their share of the nectar, lord Indra prayed and kept the idol with himself until a point in time when the idol could not be moved from the location of Thiruvalanchuzhi where Indra had placed it on the banks of river cauvery in order to take bath. Realizing that the idol could not be moved from its location Indra left the idol at this location that is called Thiruvalanchuzhi today.
(The painting below is a depiction of Ashtabhuja Mahakali or Kali with eight arms within the temple in a dilapidated state. The painting seemed priceless... is the archaeological department or the state government listening? I'm not too sure but seems like a painting from the Raja Raja Cholan Era could not verify this. )
Part 2 of this series will include more tid bits and photos of the other temples in and around Kumbakonam as listed below:
3. Thiruvidaimardhur (Lord Shiva Temple)
4.Thirubhuvanam (Sarabeeshwarar Temple)
5. Sarangapani Temple
6. Thirunageswaram (Raghu Temple)
7. Kumbeshwarar
7. Kumbeshwarar
To be continued.
