Adi Kumbeswarar Temple
Encyclopedia
Adi Kumbeswarar Temple is a Hindu
temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at the center of the Tamil Nadu
town of Kumbakonam
, India
. The Hindu festival of Mahamaham
is associated with this temple. The huge temple is built over an area of 30181 sq ft (2,803.9 m²) is reported to be more than 1300 years old.
The temple is revered by the Tevaram
hymns of 7th century Saiva nayanars
- Tamil
saint poets and is also classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam (temple revered by the nayanars).
in the garb of a hunter, shot an arrow at the pot held by Brahma
and broke it, making it contents spill resulting in the revival of life. Kumbham means the pot and Konam means crooked - the pot the broke when Shiva
's arrow hit it. The place where the nectar fell is the Mahamaham tank
. The name of the town Kumbakonam is thus derived from Kumbeswaran temple.
(gateway tower) 125 ft tall It is spread over 4 acres in the centre of the town. The temple has 3 concentric compounds, elongated along an east-west axis has triple set of gopurams.
Adi Kumbeswarar is the presiding deity of the temple and the shrine is located in the centre. Kumbeswarar is in the form a lingam
believed to have been made by Shiva himself when he mixed nectar of immortality and sand. Manthrapeeteswari Mangalambika is his consort and her shrine is present parallel to the left of Kumbeswarar shrine. The temple has a colonnaded hall and a good collection of silver vahanas (sacred vehicles used to carry deities during festival processions) Beyond the flagstaff, a hallway whose columns feature painted brackets representing yali (a mythological creature) leads to the gopuram. The Navarathiri Mandapam (Hall of Navrathri celebration) has 27 stars and 12 rasis (constellations) carved in a single block. The idol of Subramanya
habings six hands instead of 12, stone nagaswarams (pipe insrument) and Kiratamurti are main attractions of the temple.
s of pilgrims from various parts of India visit Kumbakonam to take a holy bath in the sacred Mahamaham tank which is located in the heart of the town. The festival has archaeological and epigrahical evidence. Tulapurushadaram, the practise of weighing oneself against gold and donating to the temple was effected by Govinda Dikshitar and the funds were utilised for fuding the construction of the 16 mandapas around the tank. Krishnadeva Raya (1509–1529 CE) is believed to have witnessed the Mahamaham festival during this time. He made donations to the temple on this occasion is found in another inscription.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at the center of the Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
town of Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam , also spelt as Coombaconum in the records of British India , is a town and a special grade municipality in the Thanjavur district in the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located 40 kilometres from Thanjavur and 272 kilometres from Chennai, it is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Hindu festival of Mahamaham
Mahamaham
Mahamaham is a Hindu Kumb Mela festival celebrated every 12 years in a town called Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, India. Hindus consider taking a holy dip at the Mahamaham tank on the day of Mahamaham as sacred...
is associated with this temple. The huge temple is built over an area of 30181 sq ft (2,803.9 m²) is reported to be more than 1300 years old.
The temple is revered by the Tevaram
Tevaram
The Tevaram denotes the first seven volumes of the Tirumurai, the twelve-volume collection of Tamil Saivite devotional poetry. All seven volumes are dedicated to the works of the three most prominent Tamil poets - Campantar , Appar and Cuntarar...
hymns of 7th century Saiva nayanars
Nayanars
The Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE...
- Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
saint poets and is also classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam (temple revered by the nayanars).
Legend
It is believed that after the deluge and just before the advent of Kaliyuga the celestial pot containing the nectar containing the seeds of life came to rest here.Ayyar 1991, p. 321 Lord ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
in the garb of a hunter, shot an arrow at the pot held by Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
and broke it, making it contents spill resulting in the revival of life. Kumbham means the pot and Konam means crooked - the pot the broke when Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
's arrow hit it. The place where the nectar fell is the Mahamaham tank
Mahamaham tank, Kumbakonam
Mahamaham Tank is a huge temple tank located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is considered to be the foremost and largest among temple tanks in Tamil Nadu.-History:...
. The name of the town Kumbakonam is thus derived from Kumbeswaran temple.
The Temple
The temple is in existence from Chola times of 7th century and has been widely expanded by Nayaks during the 15-17th century. The temple is the largest Shiva temple of Kumbakonam and has a 9-storeyed rajagopuramGopuram
A Gopuram or Gopura, is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial...
(gateway tower) 125 ft tall It is spread over 4 acres in the centre of the town. The temple has 3 concentric compounds, elongated along an east-west axis has triple set of gopurams.
Adi Kumbeswarar is the presiding deity of the temple and the shrine is located in the centre. Kumbeswarar is in the form a lingam
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
believed to have been made by Shiva himself when he mixed nectar of immortality and sand. Manthrapeeteswari Mangalambika is his consort and her shrine is present parallel to the left of Kumbeswarar shrine. The temple has a colonnaded hall and a good collection of silver vahanas (sacred vehicles used to carry deities during festival processions) Beyond the flagstaff, a hallway whose columns feature painted brackets representing yali (a mythological creature) leads to the gopuram. The Navarathiri Mandapam (Hall of Navrathri celebration) has 27 stars and 12 rasis (constellations) carved in a single block. The idol of Subramanya
Subramanya
Subramanya is a commonly used Indian name. It is also another name for the Hindu deity Murugan. Other common spellings are Subrahmanya, Subramania and Subramaniam. The name may refer to:People...
habings six hands instead of 12, stone nagaswarams (pipe insrument) and Kiratamurti are main attractions of the temple.
Festivals
The Mahamaham festival takes place once every twelve years during the Tamil Month of Masi (February - March), when lakhLakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s of pilgrims from various parts of India visit Kumbakonam to take a holy bath in the sacred Mahamaham tank which is located in the heart of the town. The festival has archaeological and epigrahical evidence. Tulapurushadaram, the practise of weighing oneself against gold and donating to the temple was effected by Govinda Dikshitar and the funds were utilised for fuding the construction of the 16 mandapas around the tank. Krishnadeva Raya (1509–1529 CE) is believed to have witnessed the Mahamaham festival during this time. He made donations to the temple on this occasion is found in another inscription.