Located 13kms north of Thanjavur is the PanchaNatheeswarar temple in Thiruvaiyaru, a temple that in its current form and structure dates back to the Pallava period with further improvements and renovation during the Chola and Nayak rule. There are 4 Rajagopurams to go along with the 5prakarams each of which has interesting features to watch out for.
Adi Kumbeswarar Temple, Kumbakonam is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in the town of Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshiped as Adi Kumbeswarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Mangalambigai Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical, greatest work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.
It is one the six abodes (Arupaid Veedu) dedicated to Lord Subramanian. The temple is beautiful. The handicrafts of Swamimalai are much sought after for their beauty and artistic value, particularly bronze idols.
There are many temples in Tamil Nadu where one of the deities is Vinayakar who is worshipped specially, such as the Vellai Pillaiyar at Tiruvalanchuzhi. There are also several temples in virtually every street that is dedicated to Vinayakar – the ubiquitous Pillaiyar Koil – and many of these are of recent origins. However, this temple on the route from Kumbakonam to Tiruvaiyaru, is one of the very few ancient temples in Tamil Nadu dedicated to Vinayakar as the principal deity.
A Temple dedicated to Goddess Mariamman was built by Maratha ruler Tuljaji 1677 AD. It is sixkms east of Thanjavur.
Oppiliappan Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located near Thirunageswaram and also known by its old toponym Thiruvinnagar, a village in the outskirts of the Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is counted as the 60th of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu is worshiped as Oppiliappan and his consort Lakshmi as Bhudevi.
This Govindapuram Panduranga-Vittal Rukmani Temple fascinated me in more than one reason. It is built mainly by a single untiring devotee Sri Sri Vittal Maharaj-Grandson of famous Namasankkethana Samrat Sri Anantharama Deekshethar. Sri Vittal Maharaj built this grand structure through donations he collected during his Namasankeethanams through out India. He is also a great follower of Sri Haridas Giri Gurji. The temple is situated in around 15 acres of land on main Mailaduthurai-Kumbakonam route near Thiruvidaimaruthur.
This Basicla in Poondi village is a Roman Catholic pilgrim centre like Velankanni. It attracts pilgrims from all over India. Accommodation is provided to the pilgrims by the Church Authorities.
In her thesis, ‘Agrarian economy of the Carnatic in the 17th and 18th centuries,’ Parvathi Menon, whose research supervisor was Dr. Irfan Habib, writes that Vijayanagar inscriptions put villages under three categories, one of which was “bandaravada or crown villages, the revenues of which often went to the upkeep of the nearest fort.” We find this categorisation in Srirangapatnam, Udayagiri and Penukonda. Parvathi Menon writes that bandaravada became pandaravadai in Tamil. Interestingly, there is a village by the name of Pandaravadai in Papanasam taluk, Thanjavur district.
Suryanar Kovil is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Hindu Sun-God, located in Suryanar Kovil, a village near the South Indian town of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, India. The presiding deity is Suriyanar, the Sun and his consorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi.
The Chandiranaar Temple is a Hindu temple in the village of Thingalur, 33 kilometres from Kumbakonam on the Kumbakonam – Thiruvayyar road in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The presiding deity is Soma. However, the main idol in the temple is that of Kailasanathar or Shiva.
It is one of the nine Navagraha Temples and the planet Mars (Angaraka) is also worshipped here. This is believed to be the site of the leprosy curing, this site is known for its Naadi astrologers. The deities of the temple are Shiva,Parvati and Murugan.
The temple covering an area of ten acres has four Rajagopurams. There are two Dhwajastambhas on the western entrance – one in gold and the other in silver. The temple holds many inscriptions revealing the old Pallava architecture and also the stone inscriptions of Chola and Maratha Kings. It is believed that a bath in the holy waters of the Siddhamirtham tank within the temple complex will cure all diseases. The auspicious days of the temple are all Tuesdays and on the Karthika star of every month.
The Thiruvenkadu Swetharanyeswarar temple is a very ancient temple where the presiding deity is called Swetharanyewarar and His consort is called Brahma Vidhyambigai. It is believed that the God of Creation Lord Brahma, Lord Indhra and His White Elephant had visited this temple and worshipped the Deity.
The Alangudi Guru Sthalam or Apatsahayeswarar Temple is located in the village of Alangudi in Tiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva who is worshipped as Apatsahayeswarar (Moolavar) and represented by the Lingam. Goddess Parvathi (Thayaar) is worshipped as Elavarkuzhali. The historical name of the temple is Tiru Irum Poolai. The place is famous for being the Holy Sthala and is surrounded by three holy rivers – Cauvery, Kolidam and Vennaru.
The Agniswarar Temple is a Hindu temple in the village of Kanjanur, 18 kilometres north-east of Kumbakonam. The presiding deity is Sukra. However, the main idol in the temple is that of “Agniswarar” or Shiva.
Legends says that the legendary King Nala was relieved of his afflictions caused by the malefic influence of Planet Saturn or due to Shani Dosha, after worshipping at Thirunallar Saniswaran Temple and taking a holy dip in the temple tank.
Tirunageswaram Naganathar Temple also known as Rahu Stalam is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Tirunageswaram, a village in the outskirts of Kumbakonam.
The Naganatha Swamy Temple or Kethu Sthalam is a Hindu temple in the village of Keelaperumpallam, 2 kilometres from Poompuhar. The presiding deity is Ketu, a shadow planet. However, the main idol in the temple is that of Naganatha Swamy or Shiva. The temple has a flat rajagopuram surrounded by two prakaram.
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