Kumbhakonam

One of the many temple-towns in the
Tanjore district of the state of Tamil
Nadu, reflecting the district’s importance as the home of the Chola dynasty
kings. Kumbhakonam has several large
temples. Built in the Dravida architectural style, the temple buildings are of
modest height, cover an immensely
large area, and are surrounded by a
boundary wall with massive towers
(gopurams) over each wall’s central
gateway. Kumbhakonam’s most famous
site is not a temple, but a temple bathing
(snana) tank. A festival is held at the
tank every twelve years, at which time
the water in the tank is believed to
become the Ganges. An estimated
400,000 people attended this event in
1992; tragically, forty-eight people were
killed in a stampede. Outside the town is
the Swami Malai temple, one of the six
temples to the god Skanda.