Ekambareswarar Temple
Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
- Deities
- Ekambareswarar (Shiva)
- Traditions
- shaiva
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 12.8397, 79.7006
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/devasthanam for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- October to March; Panguni Uthiram and Shivaratri are major festival occasions.
- How to reach
- Kanchipuram has a railway station and is about 75 km from Chennai, reachable easily by road.
- Festivals
- Panguni Uthiram (March/April), Maha Shivaratri (February/March)
Location
Open in Google MapsOne of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams representing the five elements (here, earth, worshipped as the Prithvi Lingam), Ekambareswarar is among Kanchipuram’s oldest and largest temples, originally built under the Pallavas and later rebuilt under the Cholas. Its 11-storey southern gopuram, built by the Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya (1509-29), rises some 57 metres (187 ft), and the main tower reaches about 59 metres (194 ft), among the tallest in South India. Tamil Shaiva tradition venerates the temple in ten Tevaram verses by the 7th-century Nayanar poet Tirugnana Sambandar, alongside Appar and Sundarar, earning it status as a Paadal Petra Sthalam; the same tradition glorifies this temple alongside its neighboring Kamakshi Amman and Vaishnava Varadaraja Perumal temples, making Kanchipuram a rare city sacred to Shaiva, Shakta, and Vaishnava traditions alike.
Sources
- scripture: Tevaram — Glorified by the Nayanar saints in the Tevaram hymns
- historical record: Temple substantially expanded under Pallava and later Vijayanagara-era patronage, documented via inscriptions.
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's account of Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram, accessed during verification pass: confirms the Prithvi (earth) Pancha Bhoota Sthalam status, Pallava-era construction later rebuilt under the Cholas, the 11-storey southern gopuram (57 m/187 ft) built by Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya (1509-29), an overall main tower height of about 59 m (194 ft), and veneration in ten Tevaram verses by the 7th-century Nayanar poet Tirugnana Sambandar (alongside Appar and Sundarar), earning it Paadal Petra Sthalam status.