Ekambaranathar temple is the famous temple which is situated in this holy town of Kancheepuram, one of the Panch Bootha Sthalangal of God Shiva. Well known as the “City of Temples”, Kancheepuram which is one of the seven great holy centers of ancient India. It was a royal capital once, a flourishing Buddhist and Jain center mentioned in the Tamil Epic Manimekalai, it was being intimately associated with Pallava and Chola Kings and was connected with the lives of saints. During the Chola period it was a seat of art, religion, education and trade. The Chola kings built several temples in and around Kancheepuram, also known as Kanchi.
This vast temple covers an area roughly of about 40 acres and is one of ancient temple reported to be in existence from the year 600 AD. Pallava, Chola and Vijanagara Kings have contributed to the building of the 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. All the 4 famous Saivite Saints, Appar, Sambandar, Manickavasgar and Sundarar have sung the glory of this temple. There is also a sacred mango tree inside the temple which is supposed to be more than 3000 years old. This tree is the Sthala Vruksham (Temple Tree) of this temple. There are four branches of this tree representing the 4 Vedhas and the tree bears 4 different types of mango fruits in 4 different seasons vacation planning. Goddess Parvathi, was once seperated from her husband, came to Kancheepuram and made a Sivalingam out of sand and installed it under a mango tree on the banks of a river and worshipped it and got Shiva’s hand in marriage. Tiruvacakam, Tirukkovaiyaar, Kanchipuranam, Manimekalai etc., speak of the glory of Kanchi, the city.The existing structure then, was pulled down and rebuilt by the Pallava Kings. The Cholas who came in later also made several contributions to the temple.
Architecture of Ekambareswarar Temple
Ekambareswarar temple has high rising gopurams dominating the skyline. The temple covers an area of 40 acres. The Raja Gopuram or the entrance tower is 172 feet high and was built by Krishnadevaraya. He also built the pillared hall in front of the sanctum. A corridor surrounds the principal shrine which represents a sequence of receding piers. There are idols of the 63 Nayanmars. There are two tanks in the temple, Kampa Nadi and Shivaganga. There is a Vishnu shrine in the Shiva temple and the name of the Vishnu is Nilatingal Tundattan. The temple has silver and gold-plated vahanams of very much considerable value.
Festivals and Services
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.
Legend of Ekambareswarar temple
The Sthala Purana says that when Lord Shiva was deeply immersed in the task of creating, protecting and destroying the Universe, Parvati, his consort, in a jocular mood, closed his eyes. This resulted in staying the process of creation and destruction as well as obstruction to the natural law of things. It was a serious matter and Shiva became angry and cursed Parvati to go to the Earth and expiate her misdeed. Accordingly Parvati came to the banks of the river Kampa under a single mango tree at Kanchi and made a Shivalinga out of sand and worshipped it. To test her sincerity Shiva placed various obstacles and hindrances in the way of Parvati`s penance. But with the help of Lord Vishnu she could tide over all the difficulties. At last Shiva hurled a deluge by taking out the River Ganges from his matted hair, to wash away the Linga worshipped by Parvati. She clasped it with all veneration to her breasts and this pleased Shiva who took her again as his consort. Ekambareswarar Temple is a Awesome Place For Vacations.
Time to Visit
Several festivals throng the calendar of the temple throughout the year. 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.
How to Reach the Temple
1. Through Airways -Chennai, the nearest international airport, is situated around 75 km away from Kanchipuram.Both public and private transport facilites are available at the airprot.
2. Through Railways -Kanchipuram is connected with the southern part of the rail network and few trains are running through Kanchipuram. Suburban trains are running between Kanchipuram and Chennai beach on specified intervals.
3. Through Roadways -the city of Kanchipuram is well connected with the other part of the states and it is few kms from the Quadrilateral National Highway. There are frequent bus services from Chennai and it takes 2- 3 hours. The Chennai Metropolitian and the state express transport operate the services.