Ekambaranathar Temple Kanchipuram UNESCO site

I recently had the divine luck of visiting Kanchipuram, one of the seven sacred cities of India. I was heading to Ekambaranathar Temple of Kanchipuram while admiring the city’s skyline all along. It is adorned with majestic gopurams, towering over the temple gateways of the numerous temples that Kanchipuram is famous for. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder at the rich cultural and religious heritage that it embodies.

Kanchipuram has a long and illustrious history. It was the capital of the early Cholas during the 2nd century BC, and later served as the Pallava capital between the 6th and 8th centuries. Today, it is known as the “City of 1000 Temples”, and it’s not hard to see why. Everywhere I looked, I saw temples, each very old yet with its divine aura intact.

Ekambaranathar Temple Kanchipuram

Ekambareswarar Temple in Kanchipuram

Ekambaranathar Temple

With barely two days in hand to tour the city (that includes time for silk shopping there), I targeted just five temples there.

The first one was the Ekambareswarar temple in Kanchipuram, the largest (25 acres) in Kanchipuram dedicated to God Shiva. It also signifies Shiva’s forms in one of the five elements of Universe viz. earth. Ekambareswarar or Shiva, worshipped as the Prithivi Lingam. The idol of God Shiva in the temple is swayambumurthi (self manifested).

The tallest Gopuram is the southern tower, with 11 stories and a height of 58.5216m (192 ft.). It is covered with delicate sculptures, each with a story. I prefer to get lost in the beauty of the sculptures rather than try and find out their stories. Most of them are evocative in their own style.

This temple was added to tentative list of UNESCO Heritage Sites in 2021.

Ekambaranathar Temple Gopuram

Ekambarnatha Temple Gopuram

Legend and Stories of Ekambareswarar Temple

During my visit to the temple I learned there are some fascinating legends associated with the temple.

Legend 1. It is said that Parvati, the consort of Shiva, was once doing penance under Mango tree near the Vedavathi River when Shiva decided to test her devotion by sending fire upon her. Parvati prayed to her brother Vishnu for help, and he came to her rescue by taking the Moon from Shiva’s head and using its rays to cool down the tree as well as Parvati.

But Shiva was not done testing Parvati yet. He then sent the mighty river Ganga to disrupt her penance. Undeterred, Parvati prayed to Ganga and convinced her that they were sisters who should not harm one another. And so, Ganga did not disturb her penance any further.

In the end, Parvati made a Shiva Linga out of sand in order to unite with Shiva. And it is said that the god who appeared before her came to be known as Ekambareswarar, or the “Lord of Mango Tree”, in honor of the sacred tree under which Parvati had meditated.

Legend 2. Yet another captivating legend of Ekambareswarar Temple I came to know is as follows: It is said that Parvati worshipped Shiva in the form of a Prithivi Lingam, a Lingam made from sand, beneath a mango tree.

According to the tale, the nearby Vedavati River overflowed and posed a threat to the Shiva Lingam. In response, Parvati, also known as Kamakshi, embraced the Lingam to protect it. Touched by her loving gesture, Shiva materialized in person and married her on the spot. This earned him the Tamil moniker Tazhuva kuzhainthaar, which roughly translates to “He who melted in Her embrace”.

Legend 3. During my exploration of the temple, I came across another interesting legend, which revolves around Tiurkuripputhonda Nayanar, one of the 63 Shaivite saints known as nayanars. Tiurkuripputhonda Nayanar worked as a washer man in the vicinity of the temple, and was responsible for cleaning the clothes of all the Shaivites.

As the story goes, God Shiva appeared before him disguised as an aged Brahmin and asked him to wash the clothes before dawn. Unbeknownst to the washer man, Shiva made it cloudy and it appeared to be evening instead. Disappointed by the approach of evening, Tiurkuripputhonda Nayanar banged his head against a stone. At that moment, Shiva revealed his true form and blessed his devoted follower.

Door in Ekambaranathar Temple, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Door in Ekambaranathar Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Timings of Ekambareswarar Temple

If you are spiritually inclined visit the temple to see and participate in the various rituals in the daily pooja conducted 6 times that go on through the day, check out the timings well ahead of your visit.

The open timings are: 5.30 AM to 12 PM and 4.30 PM to 8 PM.

Rituals in Ekambareswar Temple

Temple pujari conducts several prayer rituals throughout the day in the temple starting from early in the morning. You can time your visit to the temple to witness the rituals and listen to the prayer chanting by the pujari.

  • Ushathkalam at 5.30 AM
  • Kalasanthi at 8 AM
  • Ucchikalam at 10 AM
  • Sayarakshai at 6 AM
  • Irandamkalam at 8 AM
  • Ardha Jamam at 10 AM

It is interesting to watch the various steps in prayers offered to Lord Shiva here. First the abhishekam (sacred bath) is given to the idol. The purohit then does alankaram (decoration with sandalwood paste and flowers). After this, God is offered naivedyam (food). Finally deepa aradhanai (waving of lamps) is done amidst music with music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument).

Shrine in Ekambaranathar Temple

In addition to the above daily rituals other functions too are conducted periodically. Two weekly rituals are: somavaram (on Mondays) and shukravaram (on Fridays). Fortnightly ritual pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai (on krittika nakshatram according to lunar calendar), pournami (full moon day) and chaturthi too are held.

Main attractions in Ekambaranathar temple are:

Aayiram Kaal Mandapam or the hallway with a thousand pillars.

Then there’s this corridor with an array of 1008 Shiva Lingams

The gigantic Nandi, the bull just outside the temple but within the temple complex.

Inside the courtyard is a 3500 year old tree, nothing much is left of it, a small tree growing in its place. The tree is revered as God, and some believe it as a site of marriage of Shiva and Parvati.

Today this site is chosen as marriage site of many couples. Interestingly the common belief is that each of its four main branches is said to bear fruit with a different taste, representing the four Hindu Vedas (sacred texts).

Ekambaranathar Temple sacred tree

49th Divya Desam inside the temple – Nilathingal Thundam Perumal Temple

Ekambaranathar Temple Information

Address: Arulmigu Ekambaranathar Temple, Car St, Periya Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India, Pin 631502.

Tour time: Half an hour to 2 hours if you wish to see in detail.

Nearby Temples: Vaikuntha Perumal Temple, Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple

How to reach Kanchipuram Ekambareswarar Temple?

There are various modes of transportation available to reach the Ekambareswarar Temple in Kanchipuram. The nearest international airport is in Chennai, which is around 75 km away from Kanchipuram. From the airport, both public and private transport facilities are available to reach the temple.

The city is well connected with the other states through roads. We drove down from Bangalore, a distance of 285 km. It is a few kilometers from the Quadrilateral National Highway.

Frequent bus services are available from Chennai, and it takes around 2-3 hours to reach the temple. The Chennai Metropolitan and the State Express Transport operate the services.

Kanchipuram is also well connected by rail with the southern part of the rail network, and there are a few trains running through Kanchipuram. Suburban trains also run between Kanchipuram and Chennai beach on specified intervals.

Conclusion

If you ever find yourself in Kanchipuram, I highly recommend taking a bicycle tour along the city streets. It’s a great way to soak in the religious and cultural ambiance of the city and get up close to the stunning temples. As you ride along, you’ll see that almost every street is lined with at least one temple, if not more.

Aside from its temples, Kanchipuram is also famous for its silk weaves. The city has a rich tradition of silk weaving, and the Kanchipuram silk sarees are renowned for their exquisite craftsmanship and beauty.

More about that in another post here: Kanchipuram Silk Sarees.

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