Ekambareswarar Temple is located in the holy town of Kancheepuram, also called the “City of Temples”. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Devotees worship the Lord as Prithvi Lingam.

This temple is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams that depict the five elements of fire (Tiruvannamalai), wind (Kalahasti), water (Tiruvanaikkaval), earth (Kancheepuram), and space (Chidambaram). This temple is the first of the 32 Tevara Stalams present in the Tondai area of India.

Legend

According to the legend, once Parvati playfully closed the eyes of Lord Shiva, who was, at that time, concentrating in the task of protecting, creating and destroying the Universe. This led to a delay in the task and a disruption in the laws of Nature. This was a serious issue. It made the Lord furious and he cursed Parvati to descent to Earth.

Parvati arrived at the banks of Kampa River in Kanchi. A mango tree stood there. Parvati made a Shiva Lingam from sand and worshipped it. To test her faith, Lord Shiva threw several obstacles in Parvati’s worship. However, with Lord Vishnu’s help, she overcame them all. In a last attempt, Lord Shiva hurled River Ganga from his matted hair towards the sand Lingam to wash it away. Parvati clasped the Lingam to her chest and averted this disaster. Lord Shiva was pleased by her and took her as his consort once again.

History

This is an ancient temple. Reports date back its existence to 600 AD. Chola, Pallava and Vijanagara kings contributed to the construction of this temple.

Architecture

Ekambareswarar Temple is the biggest temple of Kanchipuram. It is situated in the north of the city. The gateway tower or Gopuram of this temple stands 59 meter tall. This is one of the tallest towers in India.

Soaring high Gopurams of Ekambareswarar Temple is one of the attractions of this structure. The temple is sprawled in 40 acres. The entrance tower or Raja Gopuram stands 172 feet tall. A corridor consisting of idols of 63 Nayanmars surround the principal shrine. The temple has two tanks: Shivaganga and Kampa Nadi. A Vishnu shrine exists in the Shiva temple under the name Nilatingal Tundattan. The temple features gold and silver plated vahanams.

A striking feature of Ekambareswarar Temple is Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, which means “Hallway with a Thousand Pillars”. The Vijayanagar kings built this. The inner walls of the temple are adorned a string of 1008 Shiva Lingams.

Tourists can find a sacred mango tree in the premises of the temple. This is an interesting tree, which is said to be over 3000 years old. The tree is Temple Tree or Sthala Vruksham. Its four branches symbolize the four Vedas. The tree bears four types of mango fruits in four seasons. This is believed to be the same tree under which Parvati did her penance.

Temple Festivals

Ekambareswarar Temple witnesses a series of festivals being celebrated throughout the year. The most important one is the Phalguni Festival, which lasts 13 days. During this festival, the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati takes place.

When to Visit

Almost all months are favorable for tourists to visit Ekambareswarar Temple.

How to Reach

The nearest international airport is Chennai, at a distance of about 75 km from Kancheepuram. This place is also well connected with railways. A few trains run through Kancheepuram. The city of Kancheepuram is only a few kilometers away from the Quadrilateral National Highway. Tourists can find frequent bus service from Chennai from where it takes 2-3 hours to reach the temple.