The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
கும்பகோணம் கும்பேசுவரர் கோயில்
Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu · 10.9583°, 79.3711°
The principal Shiva temple of Kumbakonam, founded by the 9th-century Cholas and enlarged by the Thanjavur Nayaks, spread over three concentric compounds with four gopurams. A Paadal Petra Sthalam and one of the twelve temples tied to the Mahamaham festival held every twelve years.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
The town's name is traced to Brahma's pot of creation-seeds, which Shiva's arrow displaced so that nectar fell at this spot.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chola
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…