This temple is built around the Mahamaham tank in the town of Kumbakonam. Legends say that this temple dates back to the time of Ramayana. It is said that Lord Rama worshipped Shiva when Ravana captured Sita. Lord Shiva is said to have gifted lord Rama with supernatural strength and energy in him to win a war against the evil Ravana. This is the place where Rama converted into his Rudravatar from being a soft hearted human being so that he could successfully fight against Ravana.

Another legend says that the 9 river goddesses namely- Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, saraswati, Cauvery, Narmada, Tungabhadra, Krishna and Sarayu had gone to Lord Kasi Viswanatha and asked him for a remedy of how they could wash away the sins set on them by people taking a bath in them to free themselves from the sins of the world. It is said that Lord Shiva instructed them to go and take a bath in the holy tank of Mahamaham where the navakanikas had taken a dip and in this way they could get rid of all the sins on them.

The local people believe that the lord residing in this temple blesses girls who are unable to give birth to children or do not get married in time. There is a separate temple in the banks of the tank where devotees pray for these remedies. It is said that if those girls keep a fast for 16 consecutive Fridays, they will receive blessings of the Lord and all their problems would get solved. The strangest part is that the Shivalinga in this temple is formed by itself under a Neem tree and is said to have grown with time and still continues to grow.

The prime deities here are Lord KasiViswanathan and Mother Visalakshi. The name comes from the story which says that Lord Shiva came here from Kasi, Varanasi to help the Navakanikas get rid of their sins. Thus this temple came to be known as the KasiViswanathan Temple.

The architecture of the temple is a beautiful example of the ancient south Indian style of the royals. The most imminent feature of the temple is that Mother Durga is in a position facing Lord Chandikeswarar. The temple has shrines of Lord Bhairava, Saptamadhas, Sun, Moon, Jeshtha Devi, Lingodhbava, Sri Anjaneya, Mahisasuramardini and Lord Dakshinamurthy.

This temple is around 2000 years old and is a place which brings out your religious side and may gives you a positive feeling.

• Photography is allowed inside the temple premises.
• Wearing footwear is allowed inside the temple complex.
• The best time to visit this temple is during February and March as the Masi Magam festival is celebrated for 10 days during this time.

• Nearest airport is at Tirchy.
• Nearest railway junction is at Kumbanokam.
• The bus available is SH 64 till stoppage Thiruvidaimarudur.

• Murari Sweets
• Singh Bakery
• Saravana Bakery
• Sri Murugan Cafe
• Chennai Restaurant

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