In which country is Ekambareswarar Temple located?

Ekambareswarar Temple (Ekambaranathar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in the town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India. It is known to have existed since 600 AD. There are references that the Tamil poets in the second century AD spoke about Kama kottam, which is this temple. The classical Tamil Sangam literature, such as Manimegalai and Perumpanarruppatai, which dates back to 300 BCE has references about the Ekambareswarar temple.

Pallavas first built this temple, which was later rebuilt by the Chola kings. It was Adi Sankaracharya, who expanded the temple when he remodeled the town Kanchipuram with the help of the rulers at that time. The Kamakshi Amman temple and Varadaraja temple were also modified at that time. The temple received lands from Achutarya during the time and there are inscriptions to this effect.

The legend says that Shiva got the name Ekambareswarar because Parvati, who was cursed to become dark, performed a penance under the mango tree by the Vegavathi River to get rid of her sin. To test Parvati’s devotion, Shiva sent fire, to which Parvati prayed to Lord Vishnu to help her. Lord Vishnu, with the help of the moon taken from Lord Shiva’s head, cooled the place and Parvati.