The Lord Murugan temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu India

The Lord Murugan temple is situated about 5 kilometers to the west of Kumbakonam and is on the banks of the famous river Cauvery's tributary. The temple is easily approached from the bus stand and railway station in Kumbakonam and is at a distance of 2 kilometer from these places. The important festivals that take place here are: Monthly Kiruthikai festival, Temple car festival in April, Tai Pusam festival in January, Navaratri festival in May as well as Skanda Shasthi festival in the month of October. There is a huge crowd gathering of the locals as well as tourists from different parts of Tamil Nadu during these festival seasons.

The Lord Murugan Temple (also known as the Swaminathaswamy Temple) is built on an artificial hill at an elevation. A flight of 60 steps leads up to the temple, based on the longstanding Hindu conviction of being in line with the average life span of a human being, which is 60 years.

The Temple has three floors and access to the higher floors is by means of a rather steep staircase. On the topmost floor, the sanctum sanctorum is located. If one wants to do ‘Abhishekham’, they are takenb into the inner sanctorum. The Abhishekham lasts for about 60 minutes during which hymns are sung, and different gifts are offered to the Lord. The middle segment is a walk around the temple. The lowest comprises of Temples of Lord Shiva.

Thanjavur, also known by its anglicised name Tanjore, is a municipality and the headquarters of the Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is one of the oldest cities in India and has a long and varied history dating back to Sangam period. Thanjavur is an important centre of South Indian art and architecture. Most of the Great Chola Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument are located in an around Thanjavur. The Lord Murugan temple is situated about 5 km. to the west of Kumbakonam and is on the banks of the famous river Cauvery's tributary. The important festivals that take place here are: Monthly Kiruthikai festival, Temple car festival in April, Tai Pusam festival in January, Navaratri festival in May as well as Skanda Shasthi festival in the month of October. The nearest airport is at Trichy, 65 km from Thanjavur. Thanjavur is well connected with a network of railways to and from Trichy, Chennai, Madurai and Nagore. It is equally well connected by roads to all the major towns and cities.