Kumarakottam Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Chennai International Airport (MAA) is the nearest airport.

• By train

  Kanchipuram Railway Station (CJ) is the nearest railway station.

• By road

  Tamil Nadu State Transport buses run from Kanchipuram to Chennai, Bangalore and other cities.

Why devotees come here

Kumarakottam Temple stands on Raja Street in Kanchipuram, between the Ekambareswarar and Kamakshi Amman temples. It is dedicated to Murugan, the warrior son of Shiva and Parvati. Its central image shows Murugan as Brahma-Shastha, holding a water pot and prayer beads.

The temple is one of the 21 major temples in Kanchipuram and an important pilgrimage centre. The government tourism page calls it the Sri Subramaniya Swami Temple. The Kandha Purana is the Tamil version of the Skanda Purana, which is mainly devoted to Murugan. Legend says the Kandha Purana tells how Murugan imprisoned the creator Brahma here for not knowing Om, the sacred single-syllable mantra, and took the role of creator in this place himself.

The ancient temple was rebuilt in its present form in 1915. The sanctum tower is a granite dome called the chakra vimanam, a structure from the Chola period. The temple has two circumambulatory passages.

Many family deities are installed in subshrines around the temple. The central image of Murugan is shown holding a kamandalu, or water pot, and Rudraksha prayer beads.

Festivals

• April-MayVaikasi Visakam

  The big festival of the year, according to the government tourism page.

• October-NovemberSkanda Sashti

  Held at the temple in October to November, according to the government tourism page.

Tips for your visit

• The Ekambareswarar and Kamakshi Amman temples stand close by, so you can visit all three on one trip.
• Look up at the sanctum tower, a granite dome called the chakra vimanam, which dates from the Chola period.

Questions people ask