Bramha Temple, Kumbakonam

Bounded by the River Kaveri on the north and the Arasalar River on the south, the town of Kumbakonam is 40 km. northeast of Thanjavur, and 60 km. inland from the coast of Tamil Nadu. It is home to the Shri Vedanarayana Perumal Temple, which is a very interesting example of Brahma worship.

The most significant to note is the hidden fourth face of Bramha , which is actually that of Gayathri Devi. She completes the incomplete kandith face of Bramha to make him eligible to do the yagna. Darshan of this face of Gayathri gets sakshathkar for a sadhaka.

There are three sanctum sanctorum in the temple, the one for Lord Brahmma with His consorts Mother Saraswathi and Mother Gayatri in a standing posture seeking the blessings of Lord Vedanarayana Perumal, the second for Lord Veda Narayanaperumal accompanied by His consorts Mothers Sridevi and Bhoodevi and the third is for Lord Yoga Narasimha with His two consorts. Thus, the devotee can have the darshan of three Lords in the temple.



The temple conducts Brahmma Sankalpa Puja educational and trade progress boons.  Devotees perform special pujas for Lord Brahmma and Mothers Saraswathi and Gayatri before admitting children to school.  Special pujas are performed during Thursdays.  Pujas are performed for Mother Mahalakshmi on Fridays and Perumal on Saturdays for relief from debt burdens.  Homas are performed for Lord  Yoga Narasimha by devotees for longevity on their 60th, 70th and 80th birthday occasions.

While some call this a Visnu temple, it is properly considered a Brahma temple, and has been categorized as such for many years. Kumbakonam appears on all of the 'short lists' of rare Brahma temples in India. It is known by various names: Vedanarayana Perumal Temple, Brahnam Kovil, and the Bramman Temple.

The temple is located beside the Mahamagha tank, in what is now called Pattunoolkara (silk weaver) Street. Of the 17 major temples in Kumbakonam, 12 are Saivite, 5 are Vaisnava, and only the Vedanarayana Perumal is dedicated to the worship of Brahmadeva. In general, the temples on the outskirts of Kumbakonam are relatively modern, having been constructed by the Naik kings, but the temples in the center of Kumbakonam are ancient, going back to the Chola period. Sri Vedanarayana Perumal Temple falls into the latter category. During the 7th century, Kumbakonam was the capital of the Cholas.

There is a popular sloka addressed to Guru-Teacher seeking wisdom running

Gurur Brahmma Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheswarah
Guru Sakshath Param Brahmma Thasmai Sri Gurave Namah

covering the three Lords.  There are many stories about Brahmma, that he took the form of a swan to find the head of Lord Shiva but failed.  To hide the defeat, He lied that he had seen Shiva’s head.  Also, as Mother Parvathi mistook Brahmma for Shiva as both had five heads then, to avoid the confusion, one head of Brahmma was removed reducing to four.  Thus, worship of Brahmma was discontinued.  But according to philosophy, one born should finally reach the Creator Himself.  Brahmma is the Creator and also He is the one protecting the Vedas by chanting them by His four tongues.  He enjoys His own importance in the scriptures.   Among the few such temples dedicated to Him, the Brahmma temple in Kumbakonam is one.  He graces here the devotees with His consorts Mothers Saraswathi and Gayatri.

It is widely common that many are proud of their high learning barring a few and Lord Brahmma was no exception to this mentality.  He thought that He alone can create which Lord Shiva and Vishnu cannot.  Knowing this, Lord Vishnu sent a ghost (Bhooda) to Brahmma who trembled on seeing the creature.  He ran to Lord Vishnu saying that a ghost not created by Him was threatening and sought protection.  Lord Vishnu said that it was created by Him to check his pride and that he would also forget the art of creation.

When begged for a remedy, Lord Vishnu suggested that he go to Earth and perform penance.  Brahmma chose this place, Kumbakonam that stays stable even after the destroying Pralaya floods.  All the Devas assisted Brahmma in his penance.  Pleased with Brahmma’s penance, Lord Vishnu appeared before him, taught the Vedas and reinstated Brahamma to his earlier status.  Perumal became Lord Veda Narayana Perumal and Mother Vedavalli.  To facilitate the final bath of Brahmma and the Devas after the penance, Perumal created a river with His club known as Hari Sollaru which later days faced changes and it is Arasalaru today.

There are a number of famous pastimes involving Lord Brahma that are associated with this temple. When Lord Brahma was gathering the tools for his works of creation, most notably the Amritham, he kept his paraphernalia in the Kumbam, the pot which contained seeds of all the life forms. These Brahmadeva put to use after the Pralaya, when the material universe was annihilated by flood at the end of the age.Since Bramha kept the pot/Kumbha in this place , this place got the name Kumbhakonam.





Here on top you can have darshan of the Kumbakonam Mahamagam tank.


Krishnamachari Santhanam