Kumbakonam Attractions - Tourist Places To Visit In Kumbakonam

Sarangapani Temple in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is only 2.4 km from the railway station at Kumbakonam and you can take autos or buses to reach the temple from the station.

This temple is considered as one of the 108 Divya Desams in the Hindu culture and the 12 saints, also known as alwars, have sung many praises of the temple in their works. The temple is very ancient and is the only temple of Maha Vishnu in the whole of South India.

Sarangapani Temple has been majestically built in keeping with its religious significance. The temple has a grand gopuram that stands at a height of 147 ft. The idol of Lord Vishnu installed in the shrine of the temple is in the Ananta Sayanam posture and is in a chariot with Adi Seshan overhead. Goddesses Komalavalli is also worshipped in the temple.

Patteswaram Durga Temple is located in Patteswaram town that is only 10 km from Kumbakonam. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Durga, and is very famous among the devotees of the goddess. Each year, thousands of worshippers come to the temple to offer their prayers and to seek the blessings of Durga.

There is also a Shivalingam installed by Lord Rama in the temple, who was doing penance for having killed Ravana—a great patron of fine arts and an ardent follower of Lord Shiva.

The temple is big and is maintained well by the temple authorities. There are five gopurams or towers in the temple that are majestically built. In fact, the temple has seen many renovations and reconstructions in the last century. Various new additions have also been done in the temple. The architecture of the temple is reminiscent of the style of the Cholas, the Pallavas and the Nayaks, suggesting that these royal dynasties played an important role in the renovations done in the temple.

Adi Kumbeswarar Temple in Kumbakonam is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it is in this temple that the annual festival of Mahamaham is held. The temple is believed to be at least 1300 years old. The temple has been in existence since the 7th century when the Cholas were reigning over the town. The temple is mentioned in the hymns written by Saiva Nayanars, who were 7th century poet saints of Tamil Nadu.

The temple was greatly worked upon and expanded by the Nayaks between the 15th and 17th centuries. Today, the temple is the largest Shiva temple in the town, boasting of a tall rajagopuram or gateway tower that is 9 storeys high and stands at a height of 125 ft. Within the premises of the temple are three large concentric compounds.

Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Adi Kumbeswarar and the idol of the god is located right in the centre of the temple in a shrine.

Venkatachalapathy Swamy Temple is located just 7 km from the town of Kumbakonam and is a very famous temple of Lord Vishnu and his consort, Goddess Lakshmi.

In the temple, the god is venerated in the form of Venkatachalapathy, also known as Uppiliappan, Uppiliappan and Thiruvinnagar Appan; all these are different names of Lord Vishnu. Devi Lakshmi is also worshipped here in the form of Bhoomidevi.

The style and architecture of the temple spells grandeur; there are large prakarams along with sky-high gopurams. Various characters and episodes from the different Vedas are inscribed and sculpted on the ceilings, walls and the gopurams of the temple. One can learn a lot about Hindu rituals and mythology by simply looking at these and reading them. A lot of devotees throng to the temple simply to read the Hindu scripts and scriptures to attain spiritual empowerment.

Like most of the temples of Lord Vishnu, offerings prepared using salt are not allowed inside the temple.

The Bhagavatha Padithurai Ghat is a bathing ghat located in Kumbakonam, that lies in the river Kaveri. The place is hustling and bustling with activity during the festival of Mahamaham, when a lot of pilgrims come here to take a dip in the holy waters of Kaveri. The dip is considered auspicious and a must for those participating in the festival. This holy bath is believed to purge one of the earthly sins so that the devotees can worship god with purity of both body and soul.

The river Kaveri holds a lot of religious significance for the Hindus and is considered a holy river. Water from the river is used in plenty of Hindu rituals and ceremonies. The ghat built on this river is situated right in the centre of the Kumbakonam town and hence, plays a prominent role in the religious practices.

Efforts are made by the Kumbakonam municipality to maintain the cleanliness of the ghat and the areas surrounding it.

Uppiliappan Temple is located in Kumbakonam and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu who is worshipped here in the form of Lord Uppiliappan Perumal. His wife, Bhumi Devi, along with her father, Rishi Markandeya, is also worshipped in the temple. The temple is famous as one among the 108 Divya Desams.

The temple is situated near Thirunageswaram, a village in the district of Thanjavur and is only 7 km from Kumbakonam making it easily accessible via road. The temple is a famous destination amongst the pilgrims and is regarded as the South Tirupathi.

Legend has it that no food cooked with salt is allowed inside the temple; anyone does this knowingly has to suffer the wrath of god. In fact, all offerings to Lord Vishnu are prepared without salt because of this legend attached to the temple.

The main festivals that are held in the temple each year are the Brahmotsavam and the Kalyana.

Someswara Temple, situated in Kumbakonam, is dedicated to Lord Someshwar (form of Lord Shiva), Chikkesswar and Goddess Somasundari. The temple is easily accessible via the eastern side of the Potramarai Tank. One can also access it from the southern road of the Sarangapani Temple.

According to Hindu legends, when the pot containing amrita was broken, a string, shaped in the form of a hoop, was thrown outside the pot. This hooped string formed a Shivalinga in the place where the Someswara Temple now stands.

Looking at the architecture of the temple one is instantly reminded of the Dravidian style of the 13th century. This was the time when the later Cholas were ruling over the town of Kumbakonam. In fact, the construction of the temple is dedicated to the Chola kings who were great worshippers of Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati. The later kings added to the temple, but the style predominantly is that of the Chola kings.

Kampaheswarar Temple is located in a small village, Thirubuvanam, near Kumbakonam. The village is visited every year by many pilgrims who come to pray at the Kampaheswarar Temple. There are several temples in the village, but the Kampaheswarar Temple is the most revered one.

The construction of the temple was started by King Kulothunga sometime in the 13th century. The later kings of the Cheran, Chola and the Pandiyan dynasties completed the work of the temple. It is believed that the temple was the last holy place to have been renovated by the Chola kings. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva.

The frontal part of the temple has been built to resemble a chariot that stands at least 120 ft high. The walls of the chariot as well as the temple depict scenes from the Hindu mythological book, the Ramayana. Every year thousands of devotees and tourists visit the temple to experience visibly the sheer size of the stones that have gone into the building of this majestic temple.

Sri Vittal Rukmini Samsthan was founded in 1998 in Kumbakonam under the tutelage of Brahmashri Vittaldas Jayakrishna Deekshithar. The main aim of establishing this samsthan is to proliferate awareness of bhakti and its importance using Namasankeerthanam, which is considered the best way to attain salvation.

To attain this objective, Sri Vittaldas Maharaj opened the Sri Vittal Rukmini Samsthan in the divine place of Govindapuram. This place is around six kilometres from Kumbakonam and is situated on the Kumbakonam Aduthurai Highway.

Govindapuram was chosen for establishing this samsthan because the place is considered holy as it is where Sri Bhagavan Nama Bodhendra Saraswathi Swamigal attained samadhi. People who throng to the samadhi of the saint can feel his holy presence around them. Legend has it that if you listen carefully, you can still hear the saint chanting Rama Nama. His voice starts with a whisper and then builds into a crescendo to fall silent again.

The Ramaswamy Temple is dedicated to one of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations, Lord Rama and is a famous temple located in Kumbakonam, in the district of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

The temple was built under the able instructorship of Govinda Dikshitar who was the prime minister of the Nayakkar kings. The Nayak kings were great worshippers of Lord Vishnu and wanted to construct a temple dedicated to him. Some of the pieces of architecture that adorn the temple are very much in keeping with the style that existed during the times of the Nayaks and have been beautifully handcrafted. Govinda Dikshitar took the liberty of adding a corridor for commercial purposes between this new temple and the Chakrapani Temple that was constructed many years before the Ramaswamy Temple.

The entire Ramayana is represented in the form of pictures on the walls of the temple, but this pictorial representation is in three different sections.