Impact of Kumbakonam

I am a spiritual person. I love going to the hills especially the Himalayas. I also enjoy going to the temples. They have very strong spiritual vibrations. I sit in the temples and imbibe those vibrations. Indeed visits to religious places has a very deep impact upon me. I look forward for the opportunities to visit such places. They recharge me. They rejuvenate me. Such is their impact upon me.

So when I was very happy when I went to Kumbakonam. Kumbakonam is one of the most revered shrines of the Lord Shiva. The famous Adi Kumbeswarar temple is the chief attraction of Kumbakonam. It was built by the early Cholas. The date of its construction dates back to the sixth century. Shiva is being worshiped in this place for hundreds of years. No wonders the shrine emanates positive vibrations, which impacted me.

The early Chola construction was added and renovated by the latter Cholas as also the Nayaks and the Marathas. I love sculptures and Adi Kumbeswarar temple has plenty of them. Each wall is adorned with the sculptures of dancers, musicians and warriors. The sculptures depict various scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Also Ravana’s Shiva worship is a popular topic of the sculptures.

I sat in the temple and chanted the Mahamritunjay mantra. The mantra is an invocation to Lord Shiva to free us from the cycles of birth and deaths. The mantra asks Lord Shiva to free us like the way a cucumber is plucked from its twig. Now I do not understand the co-relation between cucumber and human life. But let me tell you that chanting this mantra at Adi Kumbeswarar temple has had a very deep impact upon me.

I felt instantly peaceful and serene. I could feel the presence of the Lord there. The temple premises were immaculately clean. Like in other south Indian temples I was not allowed to go into the sanctum. I had to take the darshan of the Lord from a distance. But even then I could feel the impact of the great deity.

Outside the temple is the Mahamaham Tank. It is spread over an area of three acres. Every twelve years Mahamaham festival is conducted at the mahamaham tank. Now this is the south Indian version of the Maha Kumbh Mela. India and its diversity always has a great impact upon me. It is here that we can see the assimilation of all cultures. Indeed it is the potpourri of cultures.

From the Adi Kumbeswarar temple I went to the Sarangpani temple. It is the biggest temple in Kumbakonam and is worth visiting.

My Kumbakonam trip made me peaceful and serene. It left me speechless, literally. I did not feel like talking to anyone. I was keeping mum and communing with the Lord relentlessly. Such was the impact of the trip upon me.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.