The 8th Century Architectural Marvel - Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram
Kailasanathar temple is located remotely from the center of Kanchipuram city. It is the best temple in the town for iconography and architecture. The only other temple in Kanchipuram that can be compared with its artistic beauty is the Vaikuntanathar temple.
Built by Rajasimha Pallava in the 8th century CE, the temple has a splendid Vimana and giant-sized Nandi. The complex is full of small shrines enshrining various forms of Shiva. The outer walls have numerous sculptures of multiple deities.
This is one of the few temples in Kanchipuram, which was purely a contribution of Pallava kings and didn't have any additions by the other kings such as Cholas and Vijayanagara kings.
As per the legend, three Asuras named Tharakatchan, Kamalatchan and Vidhyamali (Tiripuraris) were ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. They were troubling Devas, and nobody, including Vishnu, could destroy them due to their devotion to Shiva.
Vishnu took the incarnation of Buddha, and along with Narada, he changed their mind and made them non-believers of Shiva. It enabled Vishnu to easily fight and destroy them.
Another legend states that Shiva appeared in the dream of Rajasimha Pallava and advised him to push the consecration of the temple. He wanted to honor the invitation of Saint Poosalar, who had fixed the consecration of the temple he built on the same day. Interestingly, Poosalar had built a temple not with brick and mortar but with his imagination. It was not a physical temple.
Happy travelling.
The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva referred to as Kailasanathar. It is a large Shiva linga icon with 16 stripes, a rare form.
Built by Rajasimha Pallava in the 8th century CE, the temple has a splendid Vimana and giant-sized Nandi. The complex is full of small shrines enshrining various forms of Shiva. The outer walls have numerous sculptures of multiple deities.
This is one of the few temples in Kanchipuram, which was purely a contribution of Pallava kings and didn't have any additions by the other kings such as Cholas and Vijayanagara kings.
As per the legend, three Asuras named Tharakatchan, Kamalatchan and Vidhyamali (Tiripuraris) were ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. They were troubling Devas, and nobody, including Vishnu, could destroy them due to their devotion to Shiva.
Vishnu took the incarnation of Buddha, and along with Narada, he changed their mind and made them non-believers of Shiva. It enabled Vishnu to easily fight and destroy them.
After this incident, to get rid of the sin, Buddha and Narada installed a Shiv linga idol in Kanchipuram and prayed to Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared to them and advised them to take a lot of births on the earth. There is a small passage around the main shrine with two entrances – Janana (birth) entrance and Marana (death) entrance. Shiva suggested that they enter and exit through this passage many times to get rid of their sins. Even today, devotees pass through these two entrances; one has to crawl to get in the Janana entrance and crawl again to get out of the Marana entrance.
Another legend states that Shiva appeared in the dream of Rajasimha Pallava and advised him to push the consecration of the temple. He wanted to honor the invitation of Saint Poosalar, who had fixed the consecration of the temple he built on the same day. Interestingly, Poosalar had built a temple not with brick and mortar but with his imagination. It was not a physical temple.
Happy travelling.
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