Tamil Nadu & Chennai - South India and Kerala - page 766

11 STH Hospital C1

8 Transport

12 Train Station D2

Sights
Most of the temples are dedicated to Shiva or Vishnu. All are open from 6.30am to
12.30pm and 4.30pm to 8.30pm, with free admission.
The largest Vishnu temple, with a 45m-high eastern gopuram as its main entrance, is
Sarangapani Temple MAP GOOGLE MAP (no photography allowed inside). Past the temple cow-
shed, another gopuram and a pillared hall you reach the inner sanctuary, a 12th-century
Chola creation, which is given a chariot appearance by large carved elephants, horses and
wheels.
Kumbeshwara Temple MAP GOOGLE MAP , entered via a nine-storey gopuram, is the largest
Shiva temple. It dates from the 17th and 18th centuries and contains a lingam said to have
been made by Shiva himself when he mixed the nectar of immortality with sand.
The Nageshwara Temple MAP GOOGLE MAP , founded by the Cholas in 886, is Kumbako-
nam's oldest temple, and is dedicated to Shiva in the guise of Nagaraja, the serpent king.
On three days of the year (in April or May) the sun's rays fall on the lingam..
The huge Mahamaham Tank MAP GOOGLE MAP , surrounded by 17 pavilions, is one of Kum-
bakonam's most sacred sites. It's believed that every 12 years the waters of the Ganges
flow into the tank, and at this time a festival is held; the next is due in 2016.

Sleeping & Eating

Pandian Hotel
MAP GOOGLE MAP
( 2430397; 52 Sarangapani East Sannathi St; s/d ?294/473, d with AC ?990; ) It feels a bit institutional,
but in general you're getting fair value at this clean-enough budget standby.

HOTEL $

Hotel Raya's

HOTEL $$