Remarkable Kailashanatha Temple And Unique Passage Of Life Cycle Including Aging, Death And Rebirth

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The famous Kailashanatha Temple in Kanchipuram, Tami Nadu India, was built in the 8th century during the reign of a South Indian Pallava Dynasty (275 CE to 897 CE) by the great king Raja Simha Pallava.

Kailasanathar Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. Image credit: Ssriram mt/wikipedia

It is a temple closely connected with the life history of saint Poosalaar , who was a devotee of Lord Shiva.

It is the largest temple built by the Pallavas, who became passionate temple builders. These kings were the first to build stone temples in the Tamil country and later experimented with carving temples in stone.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kailashanatha Temple (means “Lord of the Cosmic Mountain”), was built in the tradition of temples that celebrate the cosmic mountain with the summit, which is not only the highest point of the earth but also the earth's navel, the point at which the Creation began.

Kailashanatha Temple is the oldest in Kanchipuram, a former Pallava capital (7th - 9th century) and one of the seven sacred cities under Hinduism. The city is approx. 75 kilometers (47 mi) from Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu.

Some of the oldest books of the Sanskrit written about the 3^rd or 2^nd centuries BC, mention Kanchipuram, which is believed to have been part of the mythical Dravida Kingdom of the Mahabharatha.

It is the oldest temple in Kanchipuram, which was the capital city during the Pallava Dynasty and one of the seven sacred cities under Hinduism. Image credit: Ilamurugan

The temple, of which the architect is unknown, was commissioned by Narasimhavarman II commonly known as Rajasimha (r. 700 - 728 CE), a ruler of the Pallava kingdom, who is also credited with the construction of several other temples.

The structure is decorated with a large number of carvings, including many half-animal deities, especially popular during the early Dravidian architectural period.

There are 58 shrines, built into niches, which are dedicated to various forms of Shiva. The main shrine has a 16 sided Shivalinga carved in black granite. The Shivalinga in this temple is 10 feet high.

Kailasanathar Temple with an inner court or the circumambulatory passage with 58 sub shrines. Image credit: R. Mayooranathan - Public Domain

Perhaps the most remarkable and very unique feature of the temple is the so-called “circumambulatory passage”. This is a place associated with many great symbols.

The passage enables moving around a sacred object or idol. After climbing seven steps to reach this most unusual passage, devotees must crawl through it.

The crawling has a symbolic meaning of great importance; it is namely similar to passing through the life cycle including the aging process, death, and rebirth.

Crawling and finally leaving the passage symbolize coming out of the mother's womb and also explains Hindu's belief in rebirth.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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