Kamakshi Amman Temple (Tamil Nadu)

Four worship services are offered each day.
Like most other Hindu temples, the start of the
spring (March-April), the Tamil month of Masi is
when the annual festival is celebrated.

Kamakshi Amman Temple (Tamil Nadu) Hindu Temples

Kamakshi Amman Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Kamakshi, one of the forms of the goddess Tripura Sundari. It is located in the historic city Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India and is popularly associated with Adi Sankaracharya, one of the greatest Hindu saints. Along with Madurai Meenakshi, Thiruvanaikaval Akilandeswari, Vishalakshi Varanasi, Kamakshi is an important part of worship of Parvati.

The main deity is seated in a majestic Padmasana posture, an yogic posture signifying peace and prosperity, instead of the traditional standing pose in most other temples of Parvati. The goddess holds a sugarcane bow and lotus and parrot in the lower two of her arms (Many of the Hindu god forms generally have four arms) and has the two divine instruments Pasa and Angusa in her upper two arms. There are no traditional Parvati or Shakthi shrines in the city of Kanchipuram, apart from this temple, which is unusual in a traditional city that has hundreds of traditional temples. There are various legends attributed to it.
One of them according to Kamkshivilasa is that the Goddess had to absorb all the other shakthi forms to give boon to Manmatha (the Hindu god of fertility and love). Another legend attributes it to the Raja Rajeswari pose of the deity that signifies an absolute control over the land under its control, leaving no other forms of Shakthi. Legend has it that Kamakshi offered worship to a Shivalingam made out of sand, under a mango tree and gained Shiva's hand in marriage.

History

In 1842, Committees were appointed to manage the Ekamranatha Temple, and the VaradarAja Temple, the present Kamakshi Devi temple alone was entrusted, on his request, to the management of one "Shankaracharyar of Kumbakonam". The Local Priests of that temple appealed in vain to the on the 16th of Dec 1842 against this, alleging that this Shakaracharyar is in no way connected to this church, was an entire stranger to the country, an inhabitant of Kumbakonam in Tanzore zillah. As per the GO passed, the Kumbakonam Shanaracharya had no right to allienate any property of the temple, or otherwise dispose of any property whether movable or immovable, but only the powers to manage its affairs.

After about a Century, during 1960, the then head of the Kumbakonam Math resigned from the trusteeship. The HR & CE of the Government of Tamilnadu again appointed the very same person, but under the title of "Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetadipati Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Swami Mutt", trustee to adminster the temple and its properties with an Executive Officer invested with the powers conferable upon him under the Provisions of the Act.

Festival

Four worship services are offered each day. Like most other Hindu temples, the start of the spring (March-April), the Tamil month of Masi is when the annual festival is celebrated. During this time the chariot processions (Ther) and lake processions (Theppam) are done. Other festivals include Navaratri, Aadi and Aippasi Pooram, Sankara Jayanthi and Vasanta Utsavam in Vaikasi. Generally all fridays are considered to be holy, though the Fridays in the Tamil month of Adi (July 15 - Aug 17) and Thai (Jan 15 - Feb 15) are celebrated with great pomp.

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