Kumbakonam
The region around Kumbakonam was inhabited as early as the Sangam Age (3rd century BC to 3rd century AD). The present-day Kumbakonam is believed to be the site of the ancient town of Kudavayil where the Early Chola king Karikala held his court Kumbakonam is identified with the town of Malaikurram which had served as the Chola capital as early as the 7th century and with the town of Solamaligai which had also served as a Chola capital. Kumbakonam was the site of a battle between the Pallava king Sri Vallabha and the then Pandya king in 859 and between the Pandya king Srimara Pandya and a confederacy of the Cholas and Gangas. Kumbakonam came into limelight during the rule of the Medieval Cholas who ruled from the 9th century AD to the 12th century AD. The town of Pazhaiyaarai, 8 kilometres from Kumbakonam was the capital of the Chola Empire in the 9th century. Following the decline of the Chola kingdom, Kumbakonam was conquered by the Pandyas in 1290. Following the demise of the Pandya kingdom in the 14th century, Kumbakonam was conquered by the Vijayanagar Empire.Krishnadevaraya, the emperor of Vijayanagaravisited the town in 1524 and is believed to have bathed in the famous Mahamaham tank during the Mahamaham festival. Kumbakonam was ruled by the Madurai Nayaks and the Thanjavur Nayaks from 1535 to 1673 when it fell to the Marathas. Each of these foreign dynasties had a considerable impact on the demographics and culture of the region. When the Vijayanagar Empire fell in 1565, there was a mass influx of poets, musicians and cultural artists from the kingdom. According to the chronicles of the Hindu monastic institution, the Kanchi matha, the matha was temporarily transferred to Kumbakonam in the 1780s following an invasion of Kanchipuram by Hyder Ali of Mysore. When Tipu Sultan invaded the east coast of South India in 1784, Kumbakonam bore the brunt of his invasion. The produce fell sharply and the economy collapsed. Kumbakonam did not recover from the calamity till the beginning of the 19th century.
Kumbakonam is known for its Hindu temples and mathas There are around 188 Hindu temples within the municipal limits of Kumbakonam.Apart from these, there several thousand temples around the town thereby giving the town the sobriquets '''temple town''' and '''City of temples,The most important temples present in Kumbakonam are the Sarangapani temple,The Sarangapani temple was constructed by Nayak kings in the 15th century and is twelve storeys high. The Ramaswamy temple, which has scenes from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' depicted on its walls, was constructed by the Nayak ruler Raghunatha Nayak in the 16th century'. The Kumbeswara temple is considered to be the oldest Saivite shrine in the town At the centre of this temple, lies the Mahamaham tank where pilgrims from all parts of India bathe once every 12 years during the Mahamaham festival The temple of Nagesvara has a separate shrine for the Sun god Surya who is believed to have worshipped the Hindu God Shiva at this place Kumbakonam has one of the few temples dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma.
The region around Kumbakonam was inhabited as early as the Sangam Age (3rd century BC to 3rd century AD). The present-day Kumbakonam is believed to be the site of the ancient town of Kudavayil where the Early Chola king Karikala held his court Kumbakonam is identified with the town of Malaikurram which had served as the Chola capital as early as the 7th century and with the town of Solamaligai which had also served as a Chola capital. Kumbakonam was the site of a battle between the Pallava king Sri Vallabha and the then Pandya king in 859 and between the Pandya king Srimara Pandya and a confederacy of the Cholas and Gangas. Kumbakonam came into limelight during the rule of the Medieval Cholas who ruled from the 9th century AD to the 12th century AD. The town of Pazhaiyaarai, 8 kilometres from Kumbakonam was the capital of the Chola Empire in the 9th century. Following the decline of the Chola kingdom, Kumbakonam was conquered by the Pandyas in 1290. Following the demise of the Pandya kingdom in the 14th century, Kumbakonam was conquered by the Vijayanagar Empire.Krishnadevaraya, the emperor of Vijayanagaravisited the town in 1524 and is believed to have bathed in the famous Mahamaham tank during the Mahamaham festival. Kumbakonam was ruled by the Madurai Nayaks and the Thanjavur Nayaks from 1535 to 1673 when it fell to the Marathas. Each of these foreign dynasties had a considerable impact on the demographics and culture of the region. When the Vijayanagar Empire fell in 1565, there was a mass influx of poets, musicians and cultural artists from the kingdom. According to the chronicles of the Hindu monastic institution, the Kanchi matha, the matha was temporarily transferred to Kumbakonam in the 1780s following an invasion of Kanchipuram by Hyder Ali of Mysore. When Tipu Sultan invaded the east coast of South India in 1784, Kumbakonam bore the brunt of his invasion. The produce fell sharply and the economy collapsed. Kumbakonam did not recover from the calamity till the beginning of the 19th century.
Kumbakonam is known for its Hindu temples and mathas There are around 188 Hindu temples within the municipal limits of Kumbakonam.Apart from these, there several thousand temples around the town thereby giving the town the sobriquets '''temple town''' and '''City of temples,The most important temples present in Kumbakonam are the Sarangapani temple,The Sarangapani temple was constructed by Nayak kings in the 15th century and is twelve storeys high. The Ramaswamy temple, which has scenes from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' depicted on its walls, was constructed by the Nayak ruler Raghunatha Nayak in the 16th century'. The Kumbeswara temple is considered to be the oldest Saivite shrine in the town At the centre of this temple, lies the Mahamaham tank where pilgrims from all parts of India bathe once every 12 years during the Mahamaham festival The temple of Nagesvara has a separate shrine for the Sun god Surya who is believed to have worshipped the Hindu God Shiva at this place Kumbakonam has one of the few temples dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma.