Ekambareswarar at Kanchipuram

 The temple features:

This temple is located in Kanchipuram 80 kms from Chennai.
The carpet area of the temple is 21,43,200 sqft and is built south facing . It has a tower in 9 stages and 172 ft in height. The temple has five corridors.(Pragarams)

The deity is called Ekampareswarar in the east facing pose.It is said the deity is self incarnated. The lord's consort Devi Kamakshi has seperate temple facing east.
The temple tree is 'Mango'. It is said this ancient tree is about 3500 years old. This tree has only 4 branches (as four vedas) The temple has five theerthams.

• Punniya-theertham
  
• Ishtasiddhi-theertham
  
• Kappudaiya-theertham
  
• Satva-theertham
  
• Ulagani-theertham

This sthalam is one of the 'Pancha-bootha-sthalams. (Pritvi sthalam ie earth) There are many stone inscriptions in this temple giving the history of the kshetram

The saints who sang hymns on the Lord:
Sundarar, Thiru-navu-k-arasar and Thirugana-sambandhar.

Legendry description is:Once the devi closed the lord siva's eyes for fun. But all the universe became black as night. Hence all the work including the creation work was stoped. The Lord siva got angry with devi and told her that she should go to the earth and she should follow all the 32 duties. some for example :

Deva-yagam	Pithir-yagam
Bootha-yagam,	Manusha-yagam/td>
Brahma-yagam	Upadhesam
Parnasala-dhanam	Boomi Dhanam
Swarna-dhanam	Kannika-dhanam
Anna-dhanam	Vayodhiga seva
Sivabakthi Etc

Sakthi did all the duties according to the lord's instruction. She was doing penance under a mango tree. One day Lord whished to test Sakthi's devotion to him and he created a deluge. Afraid of the floods devi embrased the lord. The lord felt the imprint of devi's bangles and breast on him. Siva was pleased with her and appeared before devi. He married her again which was happily witnessed by all the devas and the people of the world. 

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