History of Kudamookku

Legend: When it was time for the destroyed of this world a huge pralaya came up. In order to save the Vedha's Amirtham and tools necessary to create lives on earth, Lord Brahma collected all these things and put them in a mud pot and kept the pot safety on the top of the Mountain Meru. Pralaya kalam (ie) the period of non stop heavy rain came and the pot of Brahma was washed away by the flood. In due course moving in the south direction it came to halt at a particular place. For the wish of all heavenly people (Devars) Lord Shiva in the form of Kirathamurthy means hunter aimed the Puranakumbam and broke with the bow and arrow called Banam.

Narmatha, Payoshnl and Cauvery are mingletogether and is also believed that taking bath would get rid of sins according to Hindu religion.

Immediately Amudham (ie) the liquid given eternity flowed from the pot and formed two tanks. One is known as Mahamaha kulam and the other is Potramarai kulam.

The remains of the pot and Amudham joined together to form "Lord Kumbeswarar". In the name of the broken pot (ie) Kudam that place was called Kudamookku or simply Kudanthai presently known as Kumbakonam in the sense the Kudam also known as Kumbam.

The Saivaite Saint Tirugnana Sambandar and Tirunavukkarasar praised this kshetra as Kudamookku and among the Alwars Periyalwar, Sri Andal and Tirumalisai Alwar called this as Kudanthai while Boodhathazhwar, called this as Kudamukku.   As Arunagirinathar points out this kshetra as Kumbakonam, we can safely conclude that kudamukku turned into kumbakonam during the intervening period of the Alwars and Arunagirinathar.

Kumbakonam is called as " Temple City " because of the large number of temples within the town and the nearby areas. It is a very peaceful city and the festival of Mahamaham is celebrated every 12 years at the Mahamaham tank in Kumbakonam. The town is known for its temples, intricately carved panchaloha idols, exquisite brass wares especially Lamps, Silks and Betel leaves.

Kumbakonam is the headquarters of Kumbakonam Taluk. It is located 40km from Thanjavur and 293Km from Chennai. Kumbakonam is the heart of Thanjavur district.

Kumbakonam is famous for Chola temples, very different from the ones you find in other parts of India. The Chola empire was one of the most important Indian dynasties, and ruled around 1000 AD. The most famous ruler was Raja Raja and his son built many impressive constructions in sand stone.

Geography

Kumbakonam is located at 10.97° N 79.38° E. It has an average elevation of 24 metres (78 feet). Kumbakonam is located 273 km south of Chennai, 96 km east of Tiruchirappalli, and about 40 km north-east of Thanjavur.

The town is bounded by two rivers, the Kaveri River on the north and Arasalar River on the south. There is a gentle slope from north of the town to south.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Kumbakonam had a population of 140,021. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Kumbakonam has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86%, and female literacy is 70%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

Kumbakonam is primarily a market city for surrounding agricultural villages. The town is surrounded by small villages of great historical importance. The agricultural region around the town is famous for its betelnuts and betel leaves. In the pre-independence era, it was a market town where people from all over the Kaveri delta region came and sold their goods. The town is also native to many goldsmiths and ornament makers. And the city is world famous for sculpture because of the workshop which is in Swamimalai.