Kumbakonam & Darasuram

Trail past the temples steeped in esoteric iconography

For more architectural wonders, set off to Kumbakonam, an hour’s drive from Thanjavur. Kumbakonam, as per folklore, was the place where a pot containing the seed of all living beings on Earth came to rest after the dissolution of the Universe. Over the past thousand centuries, Kumbakonam has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties of south India, rising to prominence as a centre for European education and Hindu culture under the British regime. With over a thousand temples, Kumbakonam has earned the epithet ‘temple town’ and witnesses tides of pilgrims all year round. Visit some of the noteworthy temples in Kumbakonam, as also the Airavateswara Temple in Darasuram – the second among three ‘Great Living Chola Temples’. Darasuram’s Airavateswara Temple is built in the shape of a chariot used during temple festivals, and has some intricate carving all along. Learn about the iconography of Dravidian architecture and the incredible way it was worked into stone!

Image Credits: Munish Palaniappan, CC-BY-SA-3.0