Ekambareswarar Shiva 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 Ekambareswarar Shiva Temple Kanchipuram while admiring the city’s skyline all along. It is adorned with majestic gopurams, towering over the temple gateways of the numerous Shiva temples that Kanchipuram is famous for.
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.
Ekambareswarar Shiva Temple Kanchipuram
Ekambareswarar Shiva Temple Kanchipuram
With barely two days in hand to tour the city (that includes time for silk shopping there), I targeted just five temples in Kancheepuram.
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.
Ekambarnatha Temple Gopuram
Ekambareswarar Temple History
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 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 Ekambareswarar Shiva Temple Kanchipuram
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.
Ekambareswarar Shiva Temple Kanchipuram
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 mango 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
Ekambareswarar 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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Beautifully written 🙏
Just fyi please correct the AM – PM
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 very interesting to know about this beautiful place . I always feel that there is a great difference between North India Temple and South India Temples . We would have to study a lot to know about these structures !!
It’s Very interesting place
Loved that shot of cloister!
Beautiful Blog
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Oh, what a surprise: I like very much the gigantic Nandi and the hallway with a thousand pillars but also the other pictures are fantastic!!!
A wonderful and interesting post as always!
🙂
Thanks for sharing!
A wonderful temple, indeed . Loved your photo of the row of Lingams.
But the monument in Kanch that never fails to mesmerise me time and again is The Kailasanathar Temple.
Kanchi is an artlover's delight, but the only irritation is the relentless pestering by "Guides" from Silk shops, who offer to show you around only to drag you to their saree shops and try to force a sale on you.
Very beautiful temple with nice architecture. Very well written with lovely photos.
Beautiful! I am curious about the Shiva Lingams, must google what they are for. They look amazing.
Excellent shots…it exactly brings out Indian tradition. Thanks for sharing…
Simply brilliant.
Hi Indrani! Another wonderful place shown here; my list is growing… 😉 Wonderful shots as ever!
Blogtrotter 2 has moved to the Cayman Islands. Enjoy and have a great weekend!!
The Nandi looks really special. I guess the barricade is to prevent vandalism. Love the corridor of pillars too.
You have such an interesting and historic culture.
Great shots !! Very beautiful !!Unseen Rajasthan
Hi there,
I love these pictures, especially the one of the hallway and bull. Well done.
Been there minus the camera. Lovely place. A temple every 100 yards it seems over here. And do they allow you to take pictures?
Been there minus the camera. Lovely place. A temple every 100 yards it seems over here. And do they allow you to take pictures?
Been there minus the camera. Lovely place. A temple every 100 yards it seems over here. And do they allow you to take pictures?
gorgeous. i'd love to see the real thing some day.
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Been there. Its such a lovely place.. And your pics bring out the essence so well…
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India seems to have temples, more temples and still more temples. Love the Shiva Lingam photo, but don't know what it is – actually all the photos are great.
Truly an interesting world.
Thank you for sharing.
amazing!!!
I always learn something new here. Very interesting post and lovely photos!
Absolutely fantastic – especially the hall of a hundred pillars! Fabulous shots!
A fascinating look at your wonderful country and culture. Your photos are amazing. It is my hope that I will be able to travel to India one day and see some of these incredible sights for myself. Thank you for this view into your world Indrani.
Beautiful shots of the temples. Even I visited around 5 temples for the city with dotted temples.
kancheepuram is a city of temples.. impossible to see all of them in a lifetime…. the ekabaranathar temple is certainly amongst the most important… and its really beautiful! but i am surprised they allowed cameras inside… thanks to you,next time i shall take mine too 🙂
Look at the architecture (and carvings??) They are so exquisite.
Amazing. India has such a rich culture.
Wonderful post. Your land is filled with interesting archetecture and history. Every posts brings new revelations.
What an incredible place!
Thank you for Sharing…Do you live around this place?
another fascinating post. love the corridor image.
Always such marvelous photos and such interesting information! And it is always a real pleasure to visit your blog to see and learn about your world! Thanks for sharing with us, Indrani!
Sylvia
That's amazing how old the tree is. I love the towers and the whole tour for that matter. Your part of the world has so many beautiful and historical places.
Great monument.
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