Ekambareswarar Temple timings, Photos, Mango Tree, History, Longitude, Pooja and other details are available here. Our country India is rich in culture. There are various ancient temples, sacred places and shrines in the country, with each one having its own unique history.
Contents
Ekambareswarar Temple
These temples symbolize intricate sculptures, carvings and ancient paintings. We here in our article will specifically talk about the Ekambareswarar Temple, an important Shiva pilgrimage site which has its own importance and significance. People from all over the world came here to seek blessings. So be ready to learn the interesting facts about Ekambareswarar Temple.
The Hindu temple Ekambareswarar is dedicated to the divine god, Shiva and is one among the five temples associated with the five elements known as “Pancha Bhoota Stalas”. The word ‘Panch Bhuta Sthalam’ refers to five temples symbolising the five elements of nature: Earth, water, air, fire, and sky. In the name Pancha stands for five, Bhuta indicates elements, and Sthala means place.
People from all over the world come here to worship the deity Shiva, who is said to be manifested himself in the form of Prithvi Lingam(representing Earth). The other four incarnations are Agni Lingam (symbolizes fire) at Annamalaiyar Temple, Appu Lingam (symbolizes water) at Jambukeswarar Temple, Vayu Lingam(symbolizes air) at Srikalahasti Temple and Akaya Lingam(symbolizes the sky) at Thillai Nataraja Temple.
Ekambareswarar Temple Location
Ekambareswarar Temple is located in the small town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. It glorifies the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. It is among the most ancient temples in India, with its existence being said to be since 600 CE. Initially, the temple was constructed by the Pallava dynasty, and Kachiyapper, the Tamil temple priest, served as the preacher of the temple.
Later the temple was rebuilt by the Chalo kings. During the 15th century, Vijayanagar kings also made their contribution to the renovation of the temple. He spent a massive amount of money on the renovation of the temple, which amazed the British, and visited the temple on a daily basis from Chennai. Presently Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Tamil Nadu government look at the affairs and maintains the temple.
Lesser known facts about Ekambareswarar Temple
Ekambareswarar Temple, also known by the names Ekambaranathar or Rajlingeswaram, is said to be built in the early Chola dynasty, specifically during King Karikal Cholan’s period in the 9th century. However, the dating of the temple is disputed as there is no physical or epigraphical proof of it. There is also evidence of rebuilding and restoration of the temple over a period of time. The inscriptions in scripts also changed over the centuries.
The temple is famous for its intricate carvings and paintings on its 1000-pillar mandapam. Tamil saint poets known as nayanars written Tevaram is the evidence of the poetic heritage of this temple. The temple also celebrates multiple festivals.
The most celebrated of all is the Panguni Brahmotsavam which lasts for 10 ten days in the mid of March and April. During the ten days, the festive images of the deities are carried around the streets of the temple, and on the last day, Kalyanotsavam is performed. On this day, unmarried people from various castes marry, and the event is witnessed by millions of people every year.
Ekambaranathar Temple Longitude
The longitude of the Ekambaranathar Temple is 70.700272, while the latitude is 12.847217. The holy place category with the GPS coordinates of 12° 50′ 49.9812” N and 79° 42′ 0.9792” E.
Covering an area of more than 25 acres, Rajlingeswaram temple is one of the largest temples in India. The temple has four gateway entrance towers known as Gopurams. Among all four, the southern tower is the tallest tower with a height of 58.5216 meters with 11 stories, making it among the tallest towers in India.
Ekambareswarar Temple Timings
Ekambareswarar Temple pooja is performed six times a day. The timings for all six rituals with their name are:
- Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m
- Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m
- Ucchikalam at 10:00 a.m
- Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m
- Irandamkalam at 8:00 p.m
- Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p.m
Performing each pooja comprises four steps abhishekam, alankaram, naivedyam, and deepa aradhanai. As the Lingam is made of sand mould, all the rituals are performed on the base or foot of a statue. To perform deepa aradhanai, no music is allowed; instead, the pooja is performed with instruments like nagaswaram and tavil. Other than the daily rituals, the temple also performed various weekly and monthly rituals like somavaram, shukravaram, pournami, amavasai, and chaturthi.
Ekambareswarar Temple Mango Tree
The temple features a mango tree, considered a sign of fertility and festivity. It is believed that the mango tree yields four different types of mangoes from its four branches.
The mango tree, named as Sthala-Virutcham, is said to be 3500 years old, and the god who came here is referred to as ‘Lord of the Mango Tree’ since the Shivlinga is made under the mango tree. According to traditional beliefs, Parvati has performed penance under the mango tree near the Vegavathi River.
Ekambaranathar Temple’s Religious Story
According to the rituals and historical beliefs, Parvati wanted to do reparation for her sin by doing Penance( a self-imposed punishment for wrongdoing) under the ancient mango tree in the temple. Lord Shiva wanted to test her devotion and sent fire on her. Maa Parvati then prayed to her brother lord Vishnu to help her. God Vishnu then took the moon from Shiva’s head and showed down the rays, which cooled both Parvati and the mango tree.
Shiva then again tries to disrupt her by sending river Ganga. Goddess Parvati then requested Ganga to let her perform the penance. She finally convinced her by saying that they both are sisters and she should not harm her. Finally, Parvati, made from sand, made a Shiva Linga to unite with lord Shiva.
Another religious story said by the legends is that Parvati built a Shivlinga under the mango tree, and while worshipping it, the Negavathi river near it started overflowing. She threatened that the river had submerged the Shivlinga, and hence in order to protect it, goddess Parvati embraced the Shivlinga, and her touch made Shiva materialise in person and marry her. Due to this context, lord Shiva is referred to as Tazhuva kuzhainthaar in Tamil, which means ‘He who melted in her embrace’.
Ekambareswarar Temple Architecture
The temple covers an area of 93000 square meters. The Raja Gopuram entrance tower is one of the tallest entrance towers in South India, which is about 195 feet high. Entering from the Raja Gopuram, there are two halls, ‘Vahana mandapam’ and ‘Sarabesa mandapam’, which means vehicle hall and Navaratri hall. After the gateway tower, the Aayiram Kall Mandapam or the hallway of thousand pillars, is found constructed by Vijayanagar Kings. It is said that there is an underground holy river.
In the fourth courtyard, there is a pond and the lord Ganesh temple, where a lot of shrines, including those of Vinayaga and Murugan, can be seen. Inside the temple, the Shivlinga is placed along with the image of Shiva. In the inward area, there is a ‘Sahasralinga’, which has 1008 lingas carved on it.
I hope the information and facts provided here have increased your knowledge. If you want to know more interesting facts about the Ekambareswarar Temple, do comment us in the space provided below on our web page.