ARULMIGUSRI RAMASWAMY TEMPLE, KUMBAKONAM, THANJAVUR DISTRICT- TAMILNADU-COMPILED
Dear friends, Arulmigu Sri Ramaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord SriRama, an incarnation of Vishnu locatedin Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the prominent temples in thetown and also one of the most prominent temples dedicated to SriRama in India.This temple is also counted as a temple located on the banks of river Kaveri. Today my posting is about this temple. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 20-09-2025 Introduction At a distance of 2 Km from Kumbakonam Railway Station,Ramaswamy Temple is an ancient Hindu temple located on the southeastern portionof the Porthamarai Tank in Kumbakonam. This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama,an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and is regarded as one of the most prominentplaces to visit in Kumbakonam. It is one of the five Vishnu temples associatedwith the Mahamaham festival, which occurs every 12 years in Kumbakonam. ThisTemple is one of the biggest Temples in India that is dedicated to Lord Rama. Itis no surprise that this huge Rama Temple is also called as Southern Ayodhya orAyodhya of South India. Since this Temple happens to be located in KumbakonamTown there is flurry of North Indian Tourists visiting this Temple and chantingJai Sree Ram. Legend As per the legend, Rama and Sita during their exile came toKumbakonam. After knowing the sanctity of the Mahamaham tank they took a bath.The Amirtha kalasa / pot appeared from the tank with a divine voice. It saidthat they are the incarnation of Mahavishnu and MahaLakshmi and will stay atKumbakonam as Ramaswamy and bless the Devotees. As per the divine voice Ramaand Sita were stationed in this temple after they returned from Sri Lanka. In another legend, every year a Golden lotus will bloom inthe tank, hence the tank is called Potramarai kulam. It is believed that theLotus is the manifestation of Rama. It has not appeared in recent years. History The original temple may belong to the 8th to 9th Century . Thetemple was re-built during the period ofThanjavur Nayaks king Achuthappa Nayak (1560–1614) and completed during thereign of Raghunatha Nayak (1600–34). Govinda Dikshitar, the prime minister ofthe Nayaks, constructed the temple. He added a commercial corridor between hisnew temple and the older Chakrapani temple. There are later contributions from Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. On 9 September 2015, Ramaswamy temple's consecration (Mahakumbabhisekam) took place Architecture The temple is enshrined within a huge granite wall and thecomplex contains all the shrines and the water bodies of the temple. The Rajagopuram (the main gateway) has five tiers. The temple comprises a Maha Mandapam and a SanctumSanctorum. The Maha Mandapam is supported by 64 intricately carved pillars,showcasing renowned stone sculptures depicting Vamana Avatharam, MeenakshiKalyanam, and Sugreeva Pattabishekam. Each pillar is hewn from a single stone,highlighting the exquisite craftsmanship. The outer Prakaram is adorned with219 wall paintings that narrate various events from the epic Ramayana. Ramayanam is depicted in pictorial format in three segmentsin the first precinct. The paintings are believed to have emerged from theThanjavur Nayak period and were subsequently enhanced during the ThanjavurMaratha kingdom. The paintings of Ramayana are considered one of the majordepictions of the epic in art form in India. The temple faces North with a 5-tier Rajagopuram.Balipeedam, Garudan, and dwajasthambam are in the Mukha mandapam after the 1stlevel of Rajagopuram. The second level Rajagopuram(Vimanam) is of 3 tiers. Chief Deities The central shrine houses the image of Rama in a seatedposture with his consort Sita. The other images are of his brothers Lakshmana,Bharatha and Satruguna in standing posture and Hanuman in worship posture. Sri Rama is found in theSanctum Sanctorum with his coronation robes along with Seetha. Rama in the temple is depicted withVyakarna Mudra. This Temple is very unique since Lord Rama is seen here alongwith His brothers Lakshmana in a standing posture and armed with Bow andArrows, Bharathan holding an Umbrella and Sathrugnan holding a Hand-Held Fan.Hanuman is seen depicting and playing a Veena in praise of Lord Rama. Generallyin all other Rama Temples Bharathan and Sathrugnan are not seen in the SanctumSanctorum. The Urchavamoorthi Idols too are seen in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Moolavar Ramar is about 6 feet tall with Sita in a sittingposture. Sri Rama is holding shankha andchakra in the upper hands and lower hands in vara hastham and kadi hastham. Other sannadhis Srinivasa PerumalSannadhi, Gopalan Sannadhi are the most important sub deities. In kostam,Vinayagar, Murugan on Elephant vahana, Varahar, Sapta Rishis, Sugreeva'scoronation, Thiruvikrama idols are also in the prakaram. Poojas The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:30a.m. to 9 p.m. The templefollows Pancharatra Agama and Vadakalai tradition. The templepriests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Likeother Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the BrahminVaishnavite sect, which is dedicated to Vishnu. The temple rituals areperformed six times a day; Tiruvanandal at 8:00 a.m., Kala santhi at 9:00 a.m.,Uchikalam at 12:30 p.m., Ntiyanusandhanam at 6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:30p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 9:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises three steps: alangaram(decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps)for both Sarangapani and Thayar. The food offering during the six times are curd rice, Ven pongal, spiced rice,dosa, Ven pongal and sugar pongal respectively. There are weekly,fortnightly and monthly rituals Festivals Twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. The major festivalin the temple is RamaNavami during the Tamil month of Panguni (March–April). Sri RamaNavami stands out as the principal festival celebrated at the Ramaswamy Temple.This occasion marks the birth of Lord Rama and takes place during the Tamilmonth of Panguni, which occurs between March and April. Furthermore, the templehosts an annual event known as the Float Festival, celebrated with great enthusiasm from February toMarch. Additionally, the significant Mahamaham Festival, held every 12 years,is also observed with grandeur at this temple, which is one of the five Vishnutemples linked to the Mahamaham Festival. Vaikunta Ekadasi, ThaiPongal, Masi Magam Theerthavari, Gokulashtami, Navaratri, Pavitra Utsavam areother festivals in this temple. Religious importance The temple is counted as one of the temples built on thebanks of River Kaveri. Five temples of Vishnu are connected with the Mahamahamfestival which happens once every 12 years in Kumbakonam. These five templestogether make one of the 108 Vishnu temples, Divya Desam. They are SarangapaniTemple, Chakrapani Temple, RamaswamyTemple, Rajagopalaswamy Temple, and Varahaperumal Temple. Dress Code & OtherRestrictions of Ramaswamy Temple When planning a visit to the Ramaswamy Temple in Kumbakonam,it is recommended to adhere to modest clothing that covers your upper arms andlegs as a sign of respect. Men are encouraged to wear a dhoti or pajama pairedwith an upper garment, as well as formal trousers and shirts. Women may opt fora saree, half saree, or churidhars. It isadvisable to refrain from wearing contemporary attire such as mini-skirts,low-waist jeans, shorts, and sleeveless tops while on the temple grounds. Non-Hindus are welcome toexplore the temple complex and appreciate its architectural beauty; however, access to the sanctumsanctorum may be restricted. Ramaswamy TempleTimings 6 AM - 12:30 PM & 4 PM - 9 PM Temple Phone Numbers: 0435 - 2401788 and 79471 14117 How to Reach the Temple Trichy Airport is thenearest airport, situated about 95 kilometres from Kumbakonam. The Kumbakonam RailwayStation providescomprehensive train services to numerous cities. Bus services connect Kumbakonam withall parts of Tamil Nadu. Travelers can utilize bus services or opt for acab or auto-rickshaw to reach Ramaswamy Temple. . Beyond the Rajagopuram is a Dwajasthambam and a Bali Peedamfacing the Sanctum Sanctorum. In one of the pillars an eye captivatingsculpture of Anjaneya Swamy is embedded and it is so heartwarming to see eachand every Devotee standing here and Praying before this Rama Dhoodhan. There are many Gateways leading tothe Moolasthanam and at the threshold of each Gateway there is a pair of DwaraBaalakas on either side standing guard to the Presiding Deity. Inthe 64 Pillared Mandapam where the life history of Lord Rama is portrayed withseveral images. There are around 219 wall paintings with showcases allintricate details about our great Epic Ramayana. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/409823992.3666619.1758339175557%40mail.yahoo.com.
