Ekambareswarar Temple

Ekambareswarar Temple is one of the famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Kanchipuram in the state of Tamilnadu.The temple is the largest temple in the town of Kanchipuram and is located in the northern part of the town.It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams. Kanchipuram is one of the seven great holy centers of ancient India.

It is one of the five major Shiva temples or Pancha Bootha Sthalams (each representing a natural element) representing the element - Earth.The other four temples are Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara (water), Chidambaram Natarajar (Sky), Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara (fire) and Kalahasti Nathar (wind).It is also one of the 108 Divya desam for Vaishnavites.

History :

This vast temple is one of the most ancient in India having been in existence since at least 600 AD.Initially temple was built by Pallavas.  The existing structure then, was pulled down and rebuilt by the later Chola Kings. Adi Sankara, the 10th-century saint got Kanchipuram remodelled along with expansion of this temple along with Kamakshi Amman temple and Varadaraja Perumal Temple with the help of local rulers.The Vijayanagar kings, during the 15th century, also made lot of contributions to the temple.

Legends :

According to legend, Parvati devi the consort of Shiva was doing penance under the temple's ancient Mango tree near Vegavathi river. In order to test her devotion Shiva sent fire on her. Goddess Parvati prayed to her brother, Vishnu, for help. In order to save her, he took the Moon from Shiva's head and showed the rays which then cooled down the tree as well as Parvati. Shiva again sent the river Ganga (Ganges) to disrupt Parvati's penance. Parvati prayed to Ganga and convinced her that both of them were sisters and so should not harm her. Subsequently, Ganga did not disturb her penance and Parvati made a Shiva Linga out of sand to get united with Shiva. 

According to another legend, it is believed that Parvati worshipped Shiva in the form of a Prithivi Lingam  under a mango tree. Legend has it that the neighboring Vegavati river overflowed and threatened to engulf the Shiva Lingam and that Parvati or Kamakshi embraced the Lingam. Shiva touched by the gesture materialized in person and married her.

Architecture :

The temple covers an area of over 40 acres. Reaching a height of 57 meters, the temple’s Raja gopuram (the entrance tower to the temple) is one of the tallest in South India and was built by the Vijayanagar King, Krishnadevaraya.One notable feature of the temple is the Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, or the “hallway with a thousand pillars”, which was built by the Vijayanagar Kings. The temple’s inner walls are decorated with an array of 1,008 Siva lingams.The sthala-virutcham is a 3,500 year old mango tree whose branches are said to yield four different types of mangoes.

Temple :

The presiding deity Lord Shiva is worshipped here as Prithvi Lingam (Lingam of Earth). There is no particular seperate shrine for the Female deity as is customary in all the Shiva Temples found in Kancheepuram.This is the 1st of the 32 Tevara Stalams in the Tondai region of South India. 

There is another shrine of Shiva and Kamakshi under the Stala Vruksham or the Temple tree, which is a mango tree said to be 3500 years old. The mango tree is said to be the embodiment of the four Vedas and the tree is said to bear fruits of four different tastes each season here. 

Nilaathungal Tunda Perumaal - Vishnu is worshipped in a small shrine in one of the corridors.The works of the Alwars refer to the Vishnu shrine here and it is revered as one of the 108 Divya Desams as well.

Festivals :

Six worship services are offered each day in this temple - namely UshadKalam, Kaalasanthi, Uchi Kaalam, Pradosham and Sayarakshai and Ardhajamam. Colorful festivals are being celebrated such as Ani Tirumanjanam (June-July), Adi Kritikai (July-Aug), Avani Moolam (Aug - Sep), Navaratri (Sep-October), Kartikai Deepam (Nov-Dec), Thai Poosam (Jan-Feb), Panguni Uthiram (Mar-Apr), Chitra Pournami (Apr-May) and Vaikashi Vishakam (May-June) marking the temple's annual calendar. The Panguni festival lasts for 13 days and it is during this festival that the wedding of the presiding deity is celebrated, and the venerated Tamil poems of the Nayanmars (Tirumurais) are sung in great splendor.

Best Time To Visit :

The Phalguni Festival is the most important temple festival of Lord Ekambareswar. It is celebrated for a period of 13 days and it is during this festival that the wedding of Shiva and Parvati are performed. 

Temple Timings : 

6.00 AM to 12.30 PM  from 4.00 PM to 8.30 PM

How to Get Here :

By air : Chennai, the nearest international airport, is situated around 75 km away from Kanchipuram.

By Train :  Nagercoil is nearest railway station.

By Road :  There are frequent bus services from Chennai and it takes 2- 3 hours.