Kumbakonam
Also spelt as Coombaconum in the records of British India, is a town and a special grade municipality in theThanjavur district in the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 km (25 mi) from Thanjavur and 273 km (170 mi) from Chennai and is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district. The town is bounded by two rivers, the Kaveri River to the north and Arasalar River to the south. According to the 2011 census, Kumbakonam has a population of 140,156 and has a strong Hindu majority; but it also has sizeable Muslim and Christian populations. Kumbakonam is known as a "temple town" due to the prevalence of a number of temples here and is noted for its Mahamaham festival which attracts people from all over the globe.
Kumbakonam dates back to the Sangam period and was ruled by the Early Cholas, Pallavas, Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas,Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Thanjavur Nayaks and the Thanjavur Marathas. It rose to be a prominent city between the 7th and 9th centuries AD, when it served as a capital of the Medieval Cholas. The town reached the zenith of its prosperity during the British Raj when it was a prominent centre of European education and Hindu culture; and it acquired the cultural name, the "Cambridge of South India". In 1866, Kumbakonam was officially constituted as a municipality, which today comprises 45 wards, making it the second largest municipality in Thanjavur district.
| Mahamaham Festival | Temples in and around Kumbakonam | Navagraha Temples | List of Temples |
| PLACE | LOCATION | PRINCIPAL DEITY |
| AADANOOR | 9 Kms. from Kumbakonam on the Thiruvaiyaru Road | ANDALUKKUMAYYAN |
| AMMANKUDI | 20 Kms from Kumbakonam | KAILASANADAR |
| AVOOR | 10 Kms from Kumbakonam to Thanjavur via Melatur | PASUPATHEESWARAR |
| AZHAGA PUTHUR (ARISIRKARAI PPUTHUR) | 5 Kms from Kumbakonam on the Thiruvarur Road | SORNAPUREESWARAR |
| DARASURAM | 4 Kms from Kumbakonam on the Thanjavur Road | AIRAVADESWARAR |
| ENKAN | 32 Kms from Kumbakonam on the road to Thiruvarur(Near Kudavasal) | LORD SUBRAMANYA |
| GANAPATHIAGRAHARAM | 25 Kms from Kumbakonam on the road to Thiruvaiyyaru. | LORD VINAYAKA |
| HARIDWARAMANGALAM | 28 Kms from Kumbakonam | PADALESWARAN |
| INNAMBOOR | 3 Kms from north from Puliyanchery which is on the Kumbakonam - Swamimalai road | EZHUTHARINATHAR |
| KAPISTHALAM | Near Swamimalai on the Kumbakonam- Thiruvayyaru Road | GAJENDRA VARADAN |
| KONERI RAJAPURAM(THIRUNALLAM) | 4 Kms from pudur, a stop on theKumbakonam- karaikkal road | UMA MAHESWARAR (BOOMI NATHAR) |
| KOTTAIYOOR (KOTEESWARAM) | 6 Kms on the Kumbakonam-Swamimalai Road | KOTEESWARAR |
| KUDAVASAL(KUDAVAYIL) | 20 Kms from Kumbakonam on the road to Tiruvarur | KONESWARAR |
| ADHI KUMBESWARA SWAMI TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | ADHI KUMBESWARAR |
| NAGESWARASWAMI TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | NAGESWARA |
| SOMESWARAR TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | SOMESWARA |
| KASI VISWANATHAR TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | KASI VISWANATHA |
| BANA PUREESWARA TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | BANA PUREESWARA |
| SARANGAPANI TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | SARANGAPANI |
| CHAKRAPANI TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | CHAKRAPANI |
| RAMASWAMY TEMPLE | IN Kumbakonam Town | LORD RAMA |
| KUTTALAM | 26 Kms from Kumbakonam on Mayiladuthurai Road | UKTHA VEETHEESWARAR |
| MANNARGUDI | 36 Kms from Kumbakonam Via Needamangalam | SRI RAJA GOPALA |
| MAYILADUTHURAI | 35 Kms from Kumbakonam | MAYURANATHAR |
| NANNILAM(MADHUVANAM) | 30 Kms from Kumbakonam on the road to Nagore | MADUVANESWARAR |
| NALLOOR | 2 kms from Vazhapazhasalai, which is on Kumbakonam- Thanjavur Road | KALYANA SUNDARESWARAR |
| NATCHIAR KOIL | 12 Kms from Kumbakonam on the Tiruvarur Road | SRINIVASA |
| OOTHUKADU | 20 Kms from Kumbakonam on the Thanjavur Road via Melatur | VEDA NARAYANAR |
| PASUPATHI KOIL | Around 30 Kms from Kumbakonam on the Thanjavur Road | BRAHMA PUREESWARAR |
| PATTEESWARAM | 10 Kms from Kumbakonam on the road to Thanjavur Via Melattur | DHENUPUREESWARAR |
| PAZHAYARAI | Near Patteswaram | SOMESWARAR |
| POOVANOOR | It is in between Needamangalam and Mannargudi on Kumbakonam-Mannargudi road | PUSHPAVANESWARAR |
| SENGANOOR | Near Thirupanandal on Kumbakonam- Madras Road | SATHYAGIRINATHAR |
| SIRUGUDI(SOOTCHUMAPURI) | 3 Kms from Katakambadi on the Kumbakonam - Natchiar Koil Road | SOOTCHUMA PUREESWARAR |
| SWAMIMALAI | 8 Kms from Kumbakonam on Thiruvayyaru Road | SWAMINATHA SWAMI |
| THERAZHUNDOOR | 10 Kms from Mayiladuthurai on Kumbakonam-Mayiladuthutrai Road | KOSAGAR |
| THIRUCHERAI | 15 Kms from Kumbakonam on Kumbakonam - Tiruvarur Road | SARANATHATPERUMAL |
| THIRUKKANNAMANGAI | 36 Kms from Kumbakonam on Kumbakonam-Tiruvarur Road Via Kudavasal | BAKTHAVATSALAR |
| THIRUKKARUGAVOOR | 7 Kms from Papanasam, which is on the Kumbakonam- Thanjavur Road | GARBAPUREESWARAR |
| THIRUKKODIKKAVAL | Situated in the Kumbakonam-Kadiramangalam Road | KOTEESWARAR |
| THIRUMANANCHERI | 8 Kms from Kuttalam, which is 10 kms from Mayiladuthurai on Kumbakonam-Mayiladuthurai road | KALYANA SUNDARAR |
| THIRUMANGALAKKUDI | 2 Kms from Aduthurai, which is 15 kms from Kumbakonam on Kumbakonam- Mayiladuthurai Road | PRANAVARADESWARAR |
| THIRUMARUGAL | About 9 Kms from Nannilam on the Road to Nagore | MANIKKAVANNAR |
| THIRUNARAIYOOR | On the Kumbakonam- Tiruvarur Road | SIDDHANADESWARAR |
| THIRUNEELAKKUDI | On the Kumbakonam-karaikkal Road near Thirunageswaram | NEELAKANDESWARAR |
| THIRUPPAMPURAM | 2 kms from Karkathi which is on the Kumbakonam- Karaikkal Road | SESHAPUREESWARAR |
| THIRUPANANDAL | 19 Kms from Kumbakonam on Madras Road | SADAIYAPPAR |
| THIRUPURAMBIYAM | 4.5 Kms from Innambar, which is 3 Kms from north from Puliyanchery which is on the Kumbakonam - Swamimalai road. | SATCHINATHAR |
| THIRUBUVANAM | 5 Kms from Kumbakonam on Kumbakonam - Mayiladuthurai Road | KAMBAHARESWARAR |
| THIRUVAIGAVOOR | 4.5 Kms from Thirupurambiyam | VILVAVANESWARAR |
| THIRUVALANCHUZHI | 6 Kms from Kumbakonam on Kumbakonam - Swami malai Road via Dharasuram | KARPAGA NATHESWARAR |
| THIRUVANCHIYAM (SRIVANCHIYAM) | On the Kumbakonam - Nagoor Road, near Nannilam | VANCHIHINGESWARAR |
| THIRUVAVADUTHURAI | 2 Kms from Narasingampettai, which is at 16 kms from Kumbakonam-Mayiladuthurai Road | MASILAMANEESWARAR |
| THIRUVEEZHIMAZHAI | Near Eravancheri on the Kumbakonam-Peralam Road | NETHARAR PARESWARAR |
| THIRUVIDAI MARUDOOR | 6 Kms from Kumbakonam on Kumbakonam -Mayiladuthurai Road | MAHALINGESWARAR |
| THIRUVISANALOOR | 8 kms from Kumbakonam | YAGANANDESWARAR |
| UPPILIPPAN KOIL | 10 Kms from Kumbakonam-Karaikkal Road | OPPILIYAPAN |
| VALANGAIMAN | 12 Kms from Kumbakonam on Manargudi Road | MARIAMMAN |
Following the decline of the Chola kingdom, Kumbakonam was conquered by the Pandyas in 1290. Following the demise of the Pandya kingdom in the 14th century, Kumbakonam was conquered by the Vijayanagar Empire. Krishnadevaraya (1509–29), the emperor of Vijayanagara visited the town in 1524 and is believed to have bathed in the famous Mahamaham tank during the Mahamaham festival. Kumbakonam was ruled by the Madurai Nayaks and the Thanjavur Nayaks from 1535 to 1673 when it fell to the Marathas. Each of these foreign dynasties had a considerable impact on the demographics and culture of the region. When the Vijayanagar Empire fell in 1565, there was a mass influx of poets, musicians and cultural artists from the kingdom.
According to the chronicles of the Hindu monastic institution, the Kanchi matha, the matha was temporarily transferred to Kumbakonam in the 1780s following an invasion of Kanchipuram by Hyder Ali of Mysore. When Tipu Sultan invaded the east coast of South India in 1784, Kumbakonam bore the brunt of his invasion. The produce fell sharply and the economy collapsed. Kumbakonam did not recover from the calamity till the beginning of the 19th century.
Kumbakonam was eventually ceded to the British East India Company in 1799 by the Thanjavur Maratha ruler Serfoji II (1777 -1832) and reached the zenith of its prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th century when it emerged as an important center of Brahminism, Hindu religion and European education in the Madras Presidency. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 fostered trade contacts with the United Kingdom. In 1877, railway lines were completed linking Kumbakonam with the ports of Madras, Tuticorin and Nagapattinam. The Tanjore district court was established in Kumbakonam in 1806 and functioned from 1806 to 1863.
Kumbakonam continued to grow even after India's independence though it fell behind the nearby town of Thanjavur in terms of population and administrative importance. The population growth rate began to fall sharply after 1981. This decline has been attributed to limited land area and lack of industrial potential. During the Mahamaham festival of 1992, there was a major stampede in which 48 people were killed and 74 were injured. On July 16, 2004, a devastating fire in the Sri Krishna school killed 94 children
Geography
Kumbakonam is located at 10.97°N 79.42°E. It is situated 273 km (170 mi) south of Chennai, 96 km (60 mi) east of Tiruchirappalli, and about 40 km (25 mi) north-east of Thanjavur. It lies in the region called the "Old delta" which comprises the north-western taluks of Thanjavur district that have been naturally irrigated by the waters of the Cauvery and its tributaries for centuries in contrast to the "New Delta" comprising the southern taluks that were brought under irrigation by the construction of the Grand Anicut canal and the Vadavar canal in 1934. It has an average elevation of 26 metres (85 ft). The town is bounded by two rivers, the Cauvery River on the north and Arasalar River on the south.
Although the Cauvery delta is usually hot, the climate of Kumbakonam and other surrounding towns is generally healthy and moderate. Kumbakonam is cooler than Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. The maximum temperature in summer is about 40 °C (104 °F) while the minimum temperature is about 20 °C (68 °F). Kumbakonam receives an annual rainfall of 114.78 cm (45.19 in) every year. The region is covered with mainly alluvial or black soil which is conducive for rice cultivation. Other crops grown in Kumbakonam include mulberry,cereals and sugarcane.
The town of Kumbakonam is surrounded by extensive paddy fields. Methods of irrigation were considerably improved following the opening of the Mettur Dam in 1934.The fauna of the Cauvery Delta is limited to cattle and goats. The town is situated at the western flank of the Kumbakonam-Shiyali ridge which runs along the Kollidam river basin separating the Ariyalur-Puducherry depression from the Nagapattinam depression. This granular ridge projects further eastwards penetrating the Puducherry depression and forms a hard layer of cretaceous rock underneath the sedimentary top soil.
Temples
Kumbakonam is known for its temples and mathas (monasteries). There are around 188 Hindu temples within the municipal limits of Kumbakonam. Apart from these, there several thousand temples around the town thereby giving the town the sobriquets "Temple Town" and "City of temples".
Adi Kumbeswarar Temple is considered to be the oldest Shaiva (the sect of the god Shiva) shrine in the town, believed to be constructed by the Cholas in the 7th century. The Nageswaraswamy Temple has a separate shrine for the Sun god Surya who is believed to have worshipped Shiva at this place. Adi Kumbeswarar temple, Nageswaraswamy temple and Kasi Viswanathar temple are Shiva temples in the town revered in the Tevaram, a Tamil Shaiva canonical work of the 7th–8th century. Kumbakonam has one of the few temples dedicated to the god Brahma.
Sarangapani temple is the largest Vaishnava (the sect of the god Vishnu) shrine present in Kumbakonam. The present structure of the temple having a twelve storey high tower was constructed by Nayak kings in the 15th century. It is one of the "Divya Desams", the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the 12 Alvarsaint-poets. The Ramaswamy temple, which has scenes from the Hindu epic Ramayana depicted on its walls, was constructed by Govinda Dikshitar, the minister of successive Nayak rulers, Achuthappa Nayak (1560–1614) and Raghunatha Nayak (1600–34). He added a commercial corridor between the temple and the older Chakrapani temple, which in modern times is called Chinna Kadai Veethi, a commercial street in the town.
Pilgrims from all parts of India take a holy dip once every 12 years during the Mahamaham festival in the Mahamaham tank. An estimated 2 million pilgrims participated in the festival during the 2004 event. Govinda Dikshitar constructed the sixteen mandapams (shrines) and stone steps around this tank.
Kumbakonam also has a number of mathas. The Sri Sankara matha of Kanchipuram was moved to Kumbakonam during the reign of Pratap Singh (1739–63) and remained in Kumbakonam until the 1960s. There are also two Vellalar mathas in the nearby towns of Dharmapuram and Thiruppanandal and a Raghavendra matha in Kumbakonam. There is also a branch of the Vaishnava Ahobila mutt in Kumbakonam.
The Thenupuriswarar Temple at Patteeswaram, the Oppiliappan Kovil, the Swamimalai Murugan temple and the Airavateswarar temple at Darasuram are located in the vicinity of Kumbakonam. The Airavatesvara Temple built by Rajaraja Chola II (1146–73) during 12th century is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram that are referred as the Great Living Chola Temples.
Transport and utility services
Kumbakonam is well-connected by road and rail with the rest of India. The nearest international airport is at Tiruchirapalli, which is 91 km (57 mi) from Kumbakonam. The nearest seaport is located at Nagapattinam which is about 50 km (31 mi) away. The town has around 141 km (88 mi) of roads, 544 municipal roads making up 122.29 km (75.99 mi). There are also around 18.71 km (11.63 mi) of state highways running through Kumbakonam. Over 87% of the municipal roads are paved. There are regular government and private bus services to Chennai, Thanjavur, Mannargudi, Tiruchirapalli, Chidambaram, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore, Madurai, Pondicherry, and Tirunelveli. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates daily services from Bangalore and mysore to Kumbakonam. On March 1, 1972, the Cholan Roadways Corporation was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu with its headquarters in Kumbakonam in order to improve transportation facilities in the districts of central Tamil Nadu. The organisation acquired the fleets of buses earlier owned by private operators – Sri Ramavilas Service, Raman and Raman Limited and Sathi Vilas. On July 1, 1997, the organization was renamed Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, Kumbakonam and presently forms division no. 1 of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation. The corporation runs a reconditioning unit and a tyre re-threading unit in Kumbakonam. Kumbakonam is connected by rail with most important towns and cities in South India. The Mysore- Mayiladuthurai Express connects Kumbakonam with Mysore and Bangalore. There are regular express trains that connect Kumbakonam with major cities in the state like Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirapalli. There are passenger trains that connect Kumbakonam with Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Chidambaram and Mayiladuthurai.
The traditional modes of transportation are bullock carts. It is recorded that as late as the 1950s, landlords and rich farmers travelled mostly by bullock carts with the exception of rare long journeys which they undertook by buses or motor vehicles. Kumbakonam has an efficient local bus transportation system. The mofussil bus stand is located in the south-east of Kumbakonam and is situated just opposite to the Arignar Anna Bus Stand where the long-distance buses are stationed. There are occasional ferries that transport people and goods across the Cauvery. Till the beginning of the 20th century, students of the Government Arts College used to cross the Cauvery on coracle ferries in order to attend college. Since the construction of a bridge in 1944, the practice of transporting men and goods by coracles has greatly diminished.
Electricity supply to Kumbakonam is regulated and distributed by the Kumbakonam circle of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). Water supply is provided by the Kumbakonam municipality from Cauvery river and Coleroon river; the distribution is managed through head works located at Valayapettai and Kudithangi, supplying 3,265 kl (863,000 US gal) of water to the town. About 18 t (40,000 lb) of solid waste is collected from the town everyday; 53% domestic wastes and 32% commercial wastes.The collected wastes are dumped in yards outside the town and segregated to produce organic manure. Kumbakonam municipality has partial underground drainage connectivity and the municipality is implementing the underground drainage to the uncovered areas. The major sewerage system for disposal of sullage is through septic tanks and public conveniences. Roadside drains carry untreated sewage out of the town to let out raw into the sea or accumulates in low lying area.
Kumbakonam comes under the Cauvery River Delta Area (CRDA) of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India's state-owned telecom and internet services provider. Apart from telecom, BSNL also provides broadband internet service. There are two government hospitals, 34 private hospitals & clinics and numerous medical shops catering to the healthcare need of the town.
