Punyakoteeswarar Kancheepuram

Saivite Temples, Kancheepuram Taluk

God

Punyakoteeswarar, facing east

Goddess

Bhuvaneswari, facing south

Other Deities

Ganesha, Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, BraSanctum niches – Nrithaganapathi, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma, Chandikeswara, Durga. Ganesha and Subramanya at the entrance to the sanctum. Kulakkarai Vinayagar, Durga, Kasi Viswanathar, Mahavidya Ganapathi, Naalvar, Bhairava, Saneeswarar, navagraha, Krishna, Anjaneya hma, Chandikeswara, Durga

Punyakoteeswarar Kancheepuram is a large east facing temple with two Prakarams. The inner one entered through a large Mantapa which has many of the other deities. This Mantap has many pillars which are beautifully carved with motifs and deities. The outer Prakram is enclosed with large walls and has a Goshala and the shrines for Vinayaka and Muruga at the corners. A small and deep temple tank is present in the front of the temple where the shrine of Kulakkarai Vinayakar is located. The tank was being cleaned of rubbish and wild growth during our visit by volunteers.

Holy Water (Theertham) – Chakra Theertham

Sacred Tree (Sthala Vriksham) – Vilwam (Aegle marmelos)

Vimaanam – Koti Vimaanam

History

Punyakoteeswarar Kancheepuram was constructed Rajaraja Chola III during the 13th Century CE.

Legend

The great saint of Kancheepuram visited this temple after seeing Varadaraja Perumal at the nearby Thirukachi, exclaiming that his visit cannot be complete without visiting Punyakoteeswarar Kancheepuram. He distributed gold coins to devotees during that time.

Directions

Punyakoteeswarar Kancheepuram is immediately south west of the famous Thirukachi Temple of Varadaraja Perumal. Refer our map below to reach the Punyakoteeswarar Kancheepuram.

Stay and Food

Kancheepuram has several good restaurants and hotels. Try to taste the Kancheepuram Idli. There are also some members of the priests selling good food outside the Varadaraja Perumal temple.

Saivite Temples

Kancheepuram Temples

Tamilnadu Temples