The History of the Someswarar Temple

One of the most prominent temples among the twelve Shiva temples situated in and around the village of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, the Someswarar Temple is renowned for its rich history, magnificent architecture, and, most importantly, the deity it houses.

Someshwarar temple | Source: Tamil Nadu temples

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Someswarar Temple is located 6 kilometres away from the village of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. Devotees worship Lord Shiva as Someswarar in the form of a lingam in this temple, which was constructed during the Chola period with Dravidian-style architecture.

Spread across two acres and situated on the southern side of the Sarangapani temple, one of the 108 Divya Desams temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Someswarar Temple boasts two huge gateways known as Gopurams. The Rajagopuram, the western Gopuram, is the tallest, standing at 72 feet with five stories, while the other Gopuram has three stories.

When initially constructed, the Someswarar Temple occupied a larger space, but later the adjacent Sarangapani temple expanded, taking up more space.

Considered one of the most prominent Shiva temples in Kumbakonam and one of the three temples built on the banks of the River Kaveri, it houses several shrines dedicated to different deities. The shrine of Someswarar and Somasundari is particularly prominent.

Apart from Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the temple is home to other deities. In the corridor, there is an idol of Murugan with his consorts, and Nataraja with Shivkami is situated in front of the sanctum.

Each shrine is strategically positioned to intersect with the path of the main deity. The primary sanctum is located in front of the entrance facing east. Leading from the sanctum, the shrine of Mangalambigai faces south, while the shrine of Ambal is situated at the southern entrance of the temple.

Surrounding the sanctum, there are images of Nataraja, Gajalakshmi, and Vinayak.

This temple is mentioned in the 7th-century Tamil Saiva work called the Tevaram, a collection of poems written by Tamil poets Thirugnana Sambanthar and Thirunvukkarasar, popularly known as the Nayanars.

According to a popular legend, the nine sacred rivers of India prayed to Lord Shiva to cleanse themselves of the sins acquired from bathers. Lord Shiva guided them to bathe in the Mahamagam tank, known for its purity, and to pray in the Adi Kumbeswarar temple.

The Lingam in the temple is believed to be self-formed or Swayambu Lingam.

The town of Kumbakonam, where the Someshwarar temple is situated, is known as the temple town due to the numerous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu located within or around the village. The most celebrated festival in the town is Mahamaham, which occurs once every twelve years. Twelve Shiva temples, including Someswarar temple, are associated with this festival. These are Someswarar Temple, Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Kumbeswarar Temple, Nageswara Temple, Ekambareswarar Temple, Abimukeswarar Temple, Kambatta Visvanathar Temple, Gowthameswarar Temple, Banapuriswarar Temple, Kalahasteeswarar Temple, Kumbakonam, and Amirthakalasanathar Temple, Koteeswarar Temple.

The modern structure of the temple was constructed and maintained by the Nayakas around the 16th century. Today, the temple is managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and administered by the Government of Tamil Nadu.