Home > Travel > Cities of India > Tirubhuvanam
Tirubhuvanam
Tirubhuvanam is a small town in Tamil Nadu, which is located approximately 7 km from Kumbakonam.

Share this Article:

Tirubhuvanam, Tamil NaduTirubhuvanam is a small town in Tamil Nadu, which is located approximately 7 km from Kumbakonam. It is also known as Tribhuvanam and is a very crowded place. Earlier, Tirubhuvanam was part of the large city of Kumbakonam.

Now, Tirubhuvanam has large number of silk-weaving units and textile shops. The soft and lustrous Tirubhuvanam silk sarees are regarded to be a prized possession by many young brides of the area. The magnificent Kampahareshvara temple has made the place very popular. Kulottunga III, one of the last Chola rulers constructed this temple in the beginning of the 13th century AD. This temple is the last of the four great temples built by the Chola kingdom. The other three are the big temples at Tanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram. It is also the last of the numerous temples built by Kulottunga III.

There is a captivating story behind the creation of the Tirubhuvanam temple here. Kulottunga fought three wars against the Pandyas who ruled from Madurai, south of the Chola kingdom. He won the third war, Kulottunga hosted a grand party for his friends in Madurai. He pompously assumed the title Tribhuvutm Vira Devar or `the bold ruler of the three worlds` at this party. The Tirubhuvanam temple was thus constructed to commemorate Kulottunga`s victory over the Pandyas.

As per another story, once a Chola prince was suffering from a strange disease because of the curse of Shani Bhagavan (Saturn). The sad prince prayed for his health in the temples of Tiruvidaimarudur, a sacred town near Tirubhuvanam. From Tiruvidaimarudur, the prince walked up to Tirubhuvanani. When he reached the place where the Kampahareshvara temple stands now, he was cured of his disease. Hence, Kulottunga erected this temple at this holy spot.

There are two gopurams or entrance towers through which one can enter the temple. The outer tower has five tiers and the inner one has three. The tower above the square sanctum of the central shrine of the temple is six-storied. The Archaeological Department has not protected the Tirubhuvanam temple. The walls and towers of this temple are painted in gaudy colours. The shrine dedicated to Lord Sarabhamurti is the most important sub-shrine at the Tirubhuvanam temple. There is a mythological story related to this deity. It is known by all that Lord Vishnu once took the incarnation of Narasimha on this earth (half-lion, half-human being) to save his devotee Prahlad from his father, the demon king Hiranyakasipu. It is said that after the destruction of Hiranyakasipu Narasimha turned very ferocious. So, to get rid from his fury, men and women prayed to Lord Siva to find a solution of the situation. Hence, Siva assumed the form of Sarabhamurti, who had the body and face of a lion and a tail. He had four human hands that carried respectively, the axe, rope antelope and fire, which are usually held by God Siva.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Cities of India


Ancient North Indian Cities
Ancient North Indian Cities were developed in the early era that is from the time of Mahabharata, and after the decline of Hindu kings in Northern parts. Some have become desolated and some became the archaeological ruins.
Ancient South Indian Cities
Ancient South Indian Cities witness the rise and fall of many empires from the early era.
Ancient Cities of North West India
Ancient Cities of North West India show the Rajput culture from the early phase, but in medieval era it showed the prominence after having a good relation with Mughals.
Ancient West Indian Cities
Ancient West Indian Cities are now completely in ruins, because of the heavy earthquake in some of the regions.
Holy Cities of North West India
Holy Cities of North West India are grown up in the midst of dry and thorny desert lands with Rajputana art and architecture.
Holy Cities of North India
Holy Cities of North India are having the rich history of Hinduism and the entire civilization was grown up with the hands of beliefs, rituals and the evolution of religion.
Holy Cities of South India
Holy Cities of South India gives the detailed cultural formation of Dravidians from the early era, which later developed to the world by the Pallavas and the Cholas.
Holy Cities of Central India
Holy Cities of Central India have the excellence of art and architecture in temples in the early era.
Holy Cities of East India
Holy Cities of East India refer the places of religious importance. Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are widely spread.
Holy Cities of West India
Holy Cities in West India were established by the rulers of Rajputs and the Satvahana Dynasty and the medieval rulers of Junagadh.
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh include Meerut, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Bareilly, Rampur, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and many others. It comprises the western parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Architecture of Ladakh
Architecture of Ladakh is very typically Buddhist due to the strong influence of the religion here. The architecture is in keeping with the geography and climate of the region.
Architecture Of Madurai
Architecture of Madurai reflects the Hindu architectural pattern as is seen in the lakes, temples and palaces.
Port Cities of South India
Port Cities of South India are developed from the early phase of colonial era when the Portuguese and the French traders came to India
Vaishali Ancient City
Vaishali was an ancient prosperous metropolis, which was probably the first republic of the world.
Kudra City
Kudra, the city in Kaimaur District where agriculture is the prime occupation and in this city there is present Asia’s largest seed cold storage.
Thuraiyur in Tamilnadu
Thuraiyur is a municipality town where the inhabitants are mostly dependent on agriculture and handloom industries.
Dharapuram - Tiruppur
Dharapuram is a town located in Tiruppur district in Tamil Nadu. It is said that the Pandavas resided here in the town.
River Ghats in Haridwar
There are several river ghats in Haridwar, which are considered as popular spots among tourists.
Mataundh - Banda District
Mataundh is a prominent `panchayat town` situated in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.