Travel information
Kumbakonam gets its name from the deity Lord Aadhi Kumbeshwarar. A traditional representation of South Indian Culture, the town is known for its temples, intricately carved panchaloha idols, exquisite brass wares especially lamps and silks(kancheepuram and kumbakonam are the very well known silk producers). The place, like many other sacred places has a unique festival known as the Mahamaham festival. The festival celebrated once in twelve years coincides with the entry of Sun and Jupiter into constellation of Aquarius and Leo respectively. People from all walks of life have a dip in the Mahamaham tank along with the presiding deities of the town.
Kumbakonam is full of temples. Every street, road, locality has a prominent temple. Better reach some litereture on them before your visit them
It has an excellent road link to all the navagraha temples(God's representing nine planets).
The town which was orginaly a religious town become an industrial center during last quarter of the 19th Century and early period of 20th century. Predominance was gained for Silk Industries and Metal manufacturing.
The Major Suppliers of Silk Sarees to the Indian Silk Saree Market is Kumbakonam Silk Industry.
All the South Indian Brass Pooja articles and utensils are manufactured in Kumbakonam and these articles are manufactured nowhere in South India other than Kumbakonam. KuthuVilakku and Statues are the famous articles. Stainless Steel utensils are manufactured.
Betelnuts, Suparis are manufactured in Kumbakonam.
Brass ornamental Lamps (Kuthuvilakku) are also manufactured in Naachiyar Kovil. It is near by Kmbakonam just 8 Km towards Tiruvarur.Best Manufacturers is Ramakrishna Metal Works, Kammala Street, Naachiyar Kovil.You can buy all kind of lamps their.
Most of the cinema halls in Kumbakonam are in pretty bad state:
- 1. Vasu A/c Dts - This is probably the best theatre in the town. It is pretty decent for a middle class standard.
- 2. Kasi A/c Dts - This theatre looks very old with shabby interiors. The maintenance also is quite bad. Fortunately the A/c works, and the movie is shown in digital format which makes it pleasant to watch.
- 3. Vijaya A/c Dts - It is quite moderate, ranking third in line.
- 4. Baranika A/c Dts - It is also quite moderate, not so clean, but provides the basic amenities.
- 5. Selvam Dts - This theatre is in a pretty bad condition, but it features only new movies.
- 6. Diamond Mahal - One of the worst cinema halls in the town featuring new movies.
- 7. Meenatchi Theatre - This is on the verge of closing down. This theatre often screens old movies.
There are several prominent temples in the town:
- The Kumbeswara Temple (the town's namesake)
- The Sarangapani Temple
- The intricately carved Mahamaha Kulam where the Mahamaham is held once in twelve years
- Chakrapani Temple
- Ramaswamy Temple
- Patteswaram Durga Temple
- Thiruvidaimarudhur Shiva temple
- ThirudevanKudi Shiva temple
- Oppilliappan Vishnu temple
- Nageswaram Shiva temple
- Ayyavadi Pratyankara Devi temple
- Nachiyar Koil Vishnu temple
- Tirucherai SaranathaSwamy Shiva temple
- Kabistalam Gajendra Varada Vishu temple
- Ganapathi Agraharam Vinayaka temple
Surrounding Kumbakonam are the popular Navagraha temples. Although the presiding deity in all these temples are various forms of Shiva, the Navagraha Sannidhis are quite popular.
- Navagraha - Town - Presiding Deity - Phone Number
- Surya (Sun) - Suryanarkovil - Kasi Viswanathar - 0435 247 2349
- Chandran (Moon) - Thingaloor - Kailasanathar - 04362 236 0936
- Guru (Jupiter) - Alangudi - Aabhatsakayeswarar - 04374 269 407
- Rahu (North Lunar Node) - Tirunageswaram - Naganathar - 0435 246 3354
- Budhan (Mercury) - Tiruvenkadu - Swatharanyeswarar - 04364 256 424
- Sukkran (Venus) - Kanchanoor - Agneeswarar - 04435 247 3737
- Kethu (South Lunar Node) - Keezhaperumpallam - Naganathar - 04364 275 222
- Sani (Saturn) - Thirunallaru - Tharparaaneswarar - 04368 236 530
- Chevvai (Mars) - Vaitheeswaran Kovil - Vaitheeswarar - 04364 279 423
Navagraha Temple Tour Route Map
Here is the link to temple route map for the travellers visiting Navagraha temples in Tamilnadu. [2]
The Mullaivananathan Temple at Thirukarukkavur is quite famous for the goddess Garbharakshambika who is the God's consort there.
By air
The nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli
By bus
Kumbakonam is well connected to all the major towns and cities. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka State Transport Corporations operate buses to Kumbakonam.
From chennai tis 5-6 hrs of travel by bus.There are excellent bus services provided by both government and private travel services. For more comfortable travel its better to choose a private travel service.
By train
Rock Fort Express connects Kumbakonam to Chennai, JanShatabthi express Connects the town with Coimbatore, while the Mailaduthurai-Mysore Express connects the town with Bangalore and Mysore. There are various passenger trains to Thirunelveli and to other towns nearby.
Janashatabthi express Reaches by 13.30 and leaves to Coimbatore by 14.30
The Train from Bangalore starts @ 19:15 from Bangalore and reaches Kumbakonam early morning at 05:30.
Auto's from the Kumbakonam Station charge a minimum of Rs.40/- even for the nearest Hotel. If you can move out of the Station and get a 'running' auto and talk as if you have visited the city a zillion times :)
Auto Rickshaw: The cheapest mode of hired transport. Autos ply to small towns in and around Kumbakonam (less than 10 km). As with any other town in Tamil Nadu, negotiate the price before making the trip.
You can negotiate an Auto for half-day or full day rates for the nearby places and temples withing Kumbakonam. Charges range from 500/- to 750/- for half-day, depending on the places you need to visit. For a 1.5 days I paid Rs.900/- in total. Mobile number of Murugan Auto Driver who is a well informed guide as well for nearby temples (+91+9360 51 68 63)
Taxis: There are two prominent taxi stands in the town. One near the bus stand and the other near town hall. As with any tourist place, the prices are hiked up once they know you are from out of town.
Its a good idea to check with locals on the average fare for autos and taxis.
Bus: State and private operated buses ply to all towns in the vicinity.
- Near by city Thirubuvanam is very famous for silk sarees.
- Swamimalai , called as one of the six houses of Lord murugha is a place where one can get best quality panchaloka idols from where idols are exported to various parts of the world.
There are a lot of restaurants in Kumbakonam. But most of them are not hygenic, and some are of poor quality. Check out for good hotels around the place. Hotel Raayas is better for Non Veg, whereas Hotel Meenatchi Bhavan, Archanas & Venkatramana is good for a veggie.
Sterling Resorts provide excellent food for the rich. But if a simple home style food of the local cuisine is what you want, try out one of the 'mess'.
Coffee. You'll be missing the essence of the trip if you didn't taste the coffee here. Kumbakonam filter coffee is one of the best in India.
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