Ekambareswarar Temple (Kanchipuram)

Ekambareswarar Temple
Arulmigu Kanchi Ekambaranathar Thirukoil
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
Deity	Ekambaranathar (Shiva)
Location
Location	Kanchipuram
State	Tamil Nadu
Country	India
Location in Tamil Nadu Show map of India Ekambareswarar Temple (Kanchipuram) (Tamil Nadu) Show map of Tamil Nadu
Geographic coordinates	12°50′51″N 79°42′00″E / 12.84750°N 79.70000°E / 12.84750; 79.70000
Architecture
Type	Dravidian architecture
Creator	Pallava, Chola kings

Ekambareswarar Temple (Ekambaranathar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located in the town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India.^[1] It is significant to the Hindu sect of Saivism as one of the temples associated with the five elements, the Pancha Bhoota Stalas, and specifically the element of earth, or Prithvi. Shiva is worshiped as Ekambareswarar or Ekambaranathar or Rajlingeswaram, and is represented by the lingam as Prithvi lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Elavarkuzhali.

The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The temple complex covers 10 hectares (25 acres), and is one of the largest in India. It houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the southern tower, with 11 stories and a height of 58.5216 m (192 ft), making it one of the tallest temple towers in India. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Ekambareswarar and the Vishnu shrine - Nilathingal Thundam Perumal (a Divyadesam)^[2] being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls; the most notable is the thousand-pillared hall built during the Vijayanagar period.

The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 3:30~4:00 a.m. to 10 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. Panguni Uthiram festival celebrated for thirteen days during the Tamil month of Panguni (March - April) is the most prominent festival of the temple and the town.^[3]

The present masonry structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, while later expansions are attributed to Vijayanagar rulers. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. The temple is the largest and one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city.^[4]