Description
The temple of KanchiKamakshi is situated on an area of 5 acres of land. This temple consists of four entrances. The main entrance has the idol of Kalabhairavarto its left and it also has the idol of MahishasuraMardinito the right. When you enter the temple, you will be able to see a huge Dwajasthampa. On moving further to the entrance of the idol of Kamakshi you will come across the Vinayaga deity. You will also get to see Goddess Kamakshi. Goddess Kamakshi is encompassed by the idols of, Saraswati, Ayyapan, Adisankaracharya andAnnaporanion its outer prakaram.It is also surrounded by the idol of Varahi, Roopalakshmi. ArupalakshmiKalvarperumal and Arthanariswarar deities surround the sanctorum of the Goddess on its GayatriMandapam. You will also come across a SrichakraYantrawhich was installed by Jagadguru Sri Adisankaracharya. You will also come across a temple tank inside the premises. The temple bears a relation which is close with Sri KanchiKamakotiPeetam and its successive Sankarcharyas. You will also be able to view a gallery depicting Adisankarcharya's Life history inside the temple premises itself. The main idol in this temple is that of Goddess Kamakshi and the temple is amongst one of the fifty one Shakti peetas. The temple consists of a golden Gopuram on the altar of the Goddess Kamakshi which can be seen by all the devotees.
History
In the temple, you will see that the main idol is seated here in a majestic Padmasana which is a sort of a yogic posture signifying prosperity and peace instead of the traditional standing pose. The goddess is seen holding a bunch of flowers and a sugarcane bow in the lower two of her arms. She is also seen holding an ankushaor a goad and a pasha or a lassoin her upper two arms. You will also see a parrot which is perched near the bunch of flowers. You will not come across any other Parvati temples in the city of Kanchipuram which is unusual in a traditional city that has hundreds of traditional temples. Different legends can be accounted for this fact. One of thelegends tells us that Kamakshivilasa the Goddess had to absorb all the other shakthi forms to give a boon to Kama, the Hindu god of love. Another legend tells us that that the pose in which the idol Raja Rajeswariis seen signifies an absolute control over the land under the deity's control. A third Legend tells us that Kamakshi offered worship to a Shivalingamwhich was made out of sand, under a mango tree and this is how she managed to gain Shiva's hand in marriage.
Festivals/Events/Gatherings
In the temple, you will see that four worship services are offered each day. In spring, in the Tamil month of Masi, which runs from mid-March to mid-April, is the annual festival. At this time of the year the chariot festival (Ther) and float festival, (Theppam) are held. Other festivals include Aadi, Navaratri and SankaraJayanthi, AippasiPooram, and VasantaUtsavam in the Tamil month of Vaikasi. All Fridays are considered sacred.
5001 
© 2024 ePuja
1151 
