Tirukalukundram
| Tirukalukundram திருக்கழுகுன்றம் |
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 India
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| State : | Tamil Nadu | ||
| District : | Kanchipuram | ||
| Sub-district : | Tirukalukundram | ||
| Location : | 12 ° 36 ′ N , 80 ° 4 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 33 m | ||
| Residents : | 29,391 (2011) | ||
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Tirukalukundram ( Tamil : திருக்கழுகுன்றம் Tirukkaḻukuṉṟam [ ˈt̪iɾɯkːaɻɯˌkundrʌm ]; also Thirukazhukundram ) is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu with around 29,000 inhabitants (2011 census).
Tirukalukundram is located around 60 kilometers south of Chennai (Madras) in the hinterland of the coast of the Bay of Bengal . The next largest city is Chengalpattu 13 kilometers northwest. The beach town of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) is 15 kilometers to the east . Tirukalukundram is the capital of the taluk Tirukalukundram in the Kanchipuram district .
In Tirukalukundram there is an important Hindu sanctuary, the Vedagiriswarar temple. The sanctuary consists of two temples: one stands at the foot of a hill, the other at the top. The temple on the hill is dedicated to the god Shiva in his form as Vedagiriswarar ("Lord of the Veda mountain"), the temple at the foot of the hill is dedicated to his consort Tripurasundari or Parvati . The upper temple stands on a steep rock spur. The most striking feature is its towering vimana (temple tower). The lower temple, on the other hand, has, as is typical of the South Indian Dravida style , a rectangular floor plan and a gopuram (gate tower) at the entrances in each direction. The complex also includes a separate large temple pond.
The sanctuary of Tirukalukundram was already in the 7./8. Century sung in the Tevaram hymns of the poets Appar , Sundarar and Sambandar as well as by Manikkavasagar . The name Tirukalukundram is derived from Tirukalugukundram and means something like "holy ( tiru ) vulture mountain ( kalugu-kundram )". The name refers to the Egyptian vulture , which is traditionally fed here by the temple priests. According to a legend, the vultures represent eight seers who were cursed by Shiva.
92 percent of the population of Tirukalukundram are Hindus , 6 percent are Muslims and 1 percent are Christians . As in all of Tamil Nadu, the main language is Tamil, which is spoken by 95 percent of the population as their mother tongue.
Gopuram of the lower temple
The upper temple
Vultures are fed by a temple priest (1906)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Census of India 2011.
- ^ Census of India 2011: C-1 Population By Religious Community. Tamil Nadu.
- ↑ Census of India 2001: C-16 City: Population by Mother Tongue (Tamil Nadu), accessed under Tabulations Plan of Census Year - 2001 .