STORY OF KUMBAKONAM IN PICTURES; ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,487

Date uploaded in Kumbakonam, India –  11 March 2026

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx  

I was fortunate to have good darshan at Kumbesshwar Shiva temple and Nageswara Shiva temple in Kumbakonam. I visited Kumbeshwar temple for the fourth time in the past four years. This time I went there specifically to thank the Lord and the priest for retrieving my lost passport. During my visit in 2025, my British passport was pickpocketed by someone. Finding no money in the passport bag, he threw it into the temple flower heap. The priest saw that while clearing the flowers and gave it to his wife to find the owner. She found me after a great effort and spending much time. After a few hours of phoning people, she googled swaminathan from London, and all my books appeared in google and amazon. Then she found the publisher Pustaka.co.in and phoned the proprietor. He is a good friend of my brother in Bengaluru. When my brother phoned me the good news, I booked a taxi to and from Chennai and reached Kumbakonam just before midnight. I thanked the priest and his wife and travelled back to Chennai to catch my flight to London. When I gave some money as a token of thanks, they refused to take it and asked me to donate it to the temple. It was almost midnight and the temple was closed. This time on 5-3-2026, I went to Kumbeshwar  temple and put the money in the temple Hundi thanking both lord Shiva and the priest family.

Kumbheswar is the God who gave the name to the town. Here are the salient features:

The Adi Kumbeswarar Temple in Kumbakonam is at least  1400-year-old Shiva temple ;it is the site for the Mahamakam Festival held every 12 years. The big Mahamakam tank is near the temple.

Temple features a unique, sand-mixed lingam created by Lord Shiva and houses a rare, ancient stone Nagaswaram

• Deity: Lord Shiva as Adi Kumbeswarar and Parvati as Mangalambigai Amman.
• Significance: It is the primary temple in Kumbakonam, linked to the pot of nectar in Hindu mythology.
• Features: It showcases Chola and Nayak architecture, including a 1400-year-old legacy.
• Cultural Reference: it has rare statue of Jvaradeva/Jurakareśvara and a stone Nagaswaram.
• The Siva Linga is slightly tilted at the top towards left.
• It has four towers in four directions; The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11 stories and a height of 128 feet (39 m) .
• The sixteen-pillared hall built during the Vijayanagara period has all the 27 stars and 12 zodiacs sculpted in a single stone.
• During cosmic dissolution, a pot containing nectar (Amirta) was floating and lord Siva came in the disguise of a hunter and pierced the pot with an arrow, thereby making the nectar to flow through it’s nostril on all sides. Hence this place is named Kudamooku (kuda – pot; mooku – nostril or tip). Kudam in Sanskrit is Kumbham. The Kumbeswarar (Linga) is on the form of conical lingam. That gave the name Kumbha konam.

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Special Features of Nageshwar Shiva Temple

The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Tevaram. The temple is one of the earliest of all Chola temples. Shiva in the guise of Nagaraja, the serpent king.

Sun rays fall directly on the deity during April-May. 

WHITE FIGURE- PADAKACHERI SWAMI WHO RENOVATED THE TEMPLE IN 1920S.

 

Key Details of Nageshwar Temple, Kumbakonam:

• Deity: Lord Shiva is worshipped as Nageswaran, Naganathar, or Koothandavar.
• Architecture: Known as Kudandai Keezhkkottam, the temple is a masterpiece of Chola engineering, with the main sanctum constructed in the shape of a chariot.
• Astronomy & Light: The temple is designed so that sun rays fall on the central lingam for three days in the Tamil month of Chithirai (April/May).
• Significance: It is one of the 12 temples associated with the Mahamaham festival.
• Legend: It is believed that the serpent king Adisesha worshipped Shiva here. Another legend features kings and sages worshipping here to overcome obstacles.
• Specialty: It is a major spot for relieving Rahu dosham, with special prayers held on Mondays and Thursdays. 

The temple complex is famous for its intricate carvings and its role as a key historical site representing the Chola dynasty’s architectural prowess.

The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Nageswarar, Pralayamkathanathar and Periyanayagi being the most prominent..

This place has been referredto  in Tevaram written by Saint Tamil poet of 7th Century CE, Thirugnana Sambanthar. So it is older than 1400 years.

The temple had been a centre of learning as seen from the inscriptions in the temple. The inscriptions indicate specific subjects like Purvamimansa styled as Pravahakarma. There were also provisions made for feeding and maintaining for teachers and students

–subham—

Tags-  Famous Shiva Temples in Kumbakonam, Kumbeshwar, Nageshwar, Stone Nadaswara, Stone Chariot, Mahamakam Tank, Festival, Adishesan, Snake worship, PICTURES BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN