Sree Banapureeswarar temple, Kumbakonam

Sree Banapureeswarar temple, Kumbakonam
(ஸ்ரீ சோமகமலாம்பிகா சமேத பாணுபுரீஸ்வரர் கோவில், கும்பகோணம்)

Sree Banapureeswarar temple is situated in the place from which Lord Siva as Kirathamurthy aimed the arrow (banam- பாணம்)  on the nectar pot-Kumbam, to enable life to continue from the spillings from the Kumbam.    The temple is behind the Pachaiyappa street if you go from Bazaar street and also is about 1 km from the Bus Stand.    The entrance gopuram is a 3 tier one and on entry you see the raised Mandapam in which the main deity's Sannidhi facing east is there and facing South by the side is the goddess Somakamalambika sannidhi.

In the raised level entrance mandapam, on the walls are painted the story connected with Pralaya and Lord Siva breaking the kumbam with his arrow, taking the form of Kirathamurthy.

The first paint two parts depict the Pralaya and Lord Vishnu and others requesting Kailasanathar to save the world from extinction and Lord Siva agrees to save the earth.

The nector-pot (kumbam) with nectar, vilva leaves and seeds of creation were made to float in the Pralaya and it came and got settled in Kumbakonam.  This is depicted in Picture 2.

The third painting shows Lord Siva as Kirathamurthy, breaking the Kumbam with an arrow, so as to allow contents (seeds of creation) of the Kumba to spill all over.  The second part of this picture shows Lord Siva as Banapureeswarar settles under a Paarijatha tree.

Sage Vyasa praying Sree Banapureeswarar is shown in pic 4.

     View of temple from Prakara

Besides the sanctum sanctorium in a raised mandapam, the outer prakara has the sannidhis of Vinyagar, Dakshinamurthy, Subramanya and Gajalakshmi.  In this prakara, and opposite to the Dwaja Sthamba is the Navagraha sannidhi and a Vinyakar here also blesses the devotees.  The temple Gurukkal told the prathishtapanam of the Vinayagar had been done long back, and the reason is not known. Connected with the story of Kumbam, by which the place has got its name, Banapureeswarar temple has to be an itinerary on everyone who visits Kumbakonam for darshan at various temples.

Temple Timings:
Morning: 7.00 am - 11.30 am

Evening:  5.00 pm - 8.00 pm