Bangaru Kamakshi Temple - Thanjavur

Ask anyone about Thanjavur, and the first monument that comes to mind is usually the great Brihadeeswarar Temple built by Raja Raja Chola more than a thousand years ago.

But Thanjavur has much more to offer beyond the Big Temple.

Old streets, smaller temples, mutts and houses connected with musicians and scholars are scattered across the city. One good place to begin exploring this lesser-seen Thanjavur is West Main Street, known locally as Mela Masi Veethi.

The Bangaru Kamakshi Temple is located here.

The name itself tells us something about the temple. Bangaru means gold in Telugu. The presiding Kamakshi icon here is made of gold, and hence the name Bangaru Kamakshi.

But how did a golden Kamakshi associated with Kanchipuram come to be permanently enshrined in Thanjavur?

That story takes us back to the eighteenth century.

From Kanchipuram to Thanjavur

The eighteenth century was a troubled period in South India.

The Carnatic Wars brought repeated military conflicts involving Indian rulers as well as the British and the French. Kanchipuram too was affected by the political instability of the period.

At that time, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal V, the head of the Kanchi Shankaracharya Math, decided to move away from Kanchipuram. He was invited to Thanjavur by King Pratap Singh, and the Math temporarily shifted its base there.

Around the same period, the golden Kamakshi image from Kanchipuram was moved for safety to Udayarpalayam, a village near Thanjavur.

With the Kanchi Math now functioning from Thanjavur, the golden image was eventually brought there and installed permanently.

The Math itself later moved from Thanjavur to Kumbakonam.

Bangaru Kamakshi did not.

The mobile festival icon (Utsava murti) associated with Kanchipuram thus found a permanent home in Thanjavur.

That unusual journey is what gives this temple much of its historical importance.

Shyama Sastri and Bangaru Kamakshi

The temple also has an important connection with Carnatic music.

Shyama Sastri, one of the celebrated Trinity of Carnatic music along with Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar, belonged to a family that served as priests of the Bangaru Kamakshi Temple.

Shyama Sastri himself also served here as a priest.

That association makes this relatively modest temple important not only in the religious history of Thanjavur, but also in the story of Carnatic music.

Inside the Temple

The temple is simple in layout.

It faces north and has a small entrance tower. Near the entrance is a large stone murti of Ganesha worshipped as Varada Maha Ganapati.

The main sanctum enshrines Bangaru Kamakshi.

The golden Kamakshi stands holding a parrot in her right hand. There is one detail that immediately stands out.

Her face appears black.

There is a story behind this too.

Tradition says that when the golden icon was moved from Kanchipuram, it was wrapped in cloth and the face was covered with punugu, a fragrant substance traditionally obtained from the civet cat. This was apparently done to disguise the valuable golden icon and protect it from thieves and hostile forces during the journey.

What began as a protective measure later became part of the temple tradition.

Even today, punugu is applied to the face of Bangaru Kamakshi. That is why the face appears dark while the rest of the murti retains its golden appearance.

It is a small visual detail.

But once you know the story, it becomes difficult to ignore.

Kamakoti Amman

Close to the main shrine is another shrine facing east.

It is dedicated to Kamakoti Amman.

The temple has a single prakara, the circumambulatory passage around the shrine. Compared with the enormous temple complexes for which Thanjavur is famous, Bangaru Kamakshi Temple is quite compact.

Its importance lies elsewhere.

A golden Kamakshi moved during a turbulent period, the temporary migration of the Kanchi Math, and the association of Shyama Sastri all meet within this small temple on an old street of Thanjavur.

This is exactly why Thanjavur deserves to be explored beyond the Big Temple.

Happy travelling.