The Kumara kottam Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

in Kānchipuram, Tamil Nādu,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is dedicated to Lord

Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...

, the Hindu war god and the son of the gods

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and his mother Pārvathi. The temple is also known as the Subramaniya Swāmi temple. The ancient temple was rebuilt in its present form in 1915 CE. The temple is one of the 21 major temples in Kānchipuram and is an important pilgrimage centre. Saint Aruna giri nādhar has sung hymns in praise of the Murugan icon of this temple.

Location

The Kumara kottam temple is located on the main Rāja Street. It is said to form a cluster with Ekāmbareswarar temple and the Kāmākshi Amman temple but each temple has its own liturgical identity. The Murugan temple is located between the temples of his parents – the Ekāmbareswarar temple dedicated to

and the Kāmākshi Amman temple dedicated to Kāmākshi, an aspect of Pārvathi. Symbolically, this setting represents the iconography of Somāskandha, an aspect of Shiva where he is depicted with Murugan and Pārvathi. The child Murugan is depicted seated between his parents. This representation led to the cult of Somāskandha. All temples in Kānchipuram are stated to be dedicated to one extended family of gods.

Religious significance

The temple legend in the '' Kandha Purānam'' – the Tamil version of the '' Skanda Purāna'' which is mainly devoted to Murugan (also known as Skandha or Kandha) – states that Murugan had imprisoned the creator-god Brahmā here for the latter's ignorance of Om, the single syllable

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

which is sacred in Hinduism and himself assumed the role of the creator in this place. However, Murugan's father Shiva had ordered him to release Brahmā. When Murugan realized his mistake in not obeying his father's instruction, he did penance before a

Linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

(the

aniconic Aniconism is the cultural absence of artistic representations (''icons'') of the natural and supernatural worlds, or it is the absence of representations of certain figures in religions. The prohibition of material representations may only extend ...

symbol of Shiva), which subsequently was worshipped by the name of ''Devasenāpathīsar'', literally, the Lord who was worshipped by Devasenāpathi (an epithet of Murugan as the commander-in-chief of the gods). In another version it is said that the penitent Brahmā is said to have been released by Shiva after he worshipped Murugan after learning his lessons in humility.

Features

The temple was rebuilt during 1915. It has the temple pinnacle ('' shikara'') above the main sanctum (''

garbha griha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu temple, Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or "sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words '' ...

''), which is built in granite and is in the shape of a dome called the ''chakra vimānam'' (circular dome) which is a

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

period structure. The

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

s and the

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

with epigraphs decorate the walls of the temple. The temple has two '' prakārams'' ( circumambulatory passages) and many ''parivāra devatās'' (family deities) are installed in subshrines around it. The central image of Murugan is uniquely depicted as Brahma-Shāstā, holding a

kamandalu Kamandalu (Sanskrit: कमण्डलु, ), kamandal, or kamandalam is an oblong water pot, originating from the Indian subcontinent, made of a dry gourd (pumpkin) or coconut shell, metal, wood of the Kamandalataru tree, or from clay, usually w ...

(water pot) and prayer beads of Rudrāksha. The linga worshipped by Murugan is deified in a separate shrine within the temple complex and is called ''Devasenāpathīsar'' or ''Senāpathi Ishvara''.

''Kandha Purānam''

The mandapam where Kantha puranam was released

Kacchiyappar (Kacchiyappa Shiva āchāriyār), a Tamil scholar, was a priest in the Kumara kottam temple. He composed the text ''Kandha Purānam''. The hall, the ''Kandhapurāna Arangetra Mantapam ''(An outdoor pavilion) where Kacchiyappar composed the text still exists in the temple complex. Peacocks flock the premises even now. Kacchiyappar wrote the epic in six

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from th ...

s, comprising 10,346 stanzas. It is believed that the first line of the first stanza was written by Kacchiyappar's patron deity, Murugan himself. The god is also believed to have corrected the 100 stanzas written by the priest during the day. The poet took his composition to the god and rehearsed it. Even now the priests in the temple are the descendants of Kacchiyappar.

Festivals

A popular festival held here is Kandha Shashti (in November), 6th day of waxing (brightening) half of the lunar month Kārtthigai, named after Murugan, also known as Skandha (Kandhan in Tamil). During the month of Kārtthigai (November–December) between the darker (waning) half and the brighter (waxing) half of Moon, celebrations are held in the temple when a very large number of lamps are lit in the temple. The worship in the temple is scheduled six times daily. In every lunar month on the days of the rising star of Kirutthigai (as per

Hindu Calendar The Hindu calendar, also called Panchangam, Panchanga (), is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes ...

) festival is held in the temple when very large number of devotees offer prayers to the deity. Each temple in Kānchipuram celebrates the Brahmā festival, as ''Brahmotsavam'', when processions of gods are held in the morning and evening hours.

References

Bibliography

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Nearest Hindu Temple

*Arulmigu Thirumagaraleeswar Temple, Magaral {{HinduMythology Hindu temples in Kanchipuram Archaeological monuments in Tamil Nadu Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu Rebuilt buildings and structures in India