Kumbakonam Archives - Travel Duo

Renu’s Solo Trip To Kumbakonam – How I Roamed 5 days in a Rented Bike

Renu on October 30, 2020

I went on a 5 days Solo trip to Kumbakonam, one of the best vacations ever in my life. Thanks to Rajesh for arranging my travel and accommodations. To roam around my favorite places in Kumbakonam, I have arranged for a 2-wheeler rental bike through my Kumbakonam native friend.

Trip To Kumbakonam – Decision on Solo trip

I (we) fell in love with this place on our first trip to Kumbakonam for the Masi Magam festival for 3 days.

So went on 11 days long bike trip to Kumbakonam in 2017, since then place is close to my heart. In the following year 2018, again we went to Kumbakonam on a 12 days bike trip.

I didn’t want to miss going there in 2019 too.

But my hubby was busy in organizing the “Cloud Summit” event. And he made it a hit, that’s a different story. Since it was a big deal finding speakers and organizing the event, I let him be.

So I have decided to go chill out in my favourite place, for 5 days, all alone.

I started my trip on 8th December 2019 from Bangalore, boarded a train from Bangalore Central and reached Kumbakonam on 9th December, 6am.

This is the story of my 5 days solo trip, from 9th December to 13th December 2019.

Solo trip is NOT new to me

Travelling alone is not new for me. I have been travelling to places since I was 18, traveled for studies, traveled for jobs, traveled to new cities for interviews. And finally I lived in London for more than a year, for my Management studies just before I got married.

I never had any fear or any concern on travelling alone. But since my marriage in the year 2015, I kinda fell in a comfort zone of being in a company all the time.

Any time I step out of my home, I am always accompanied by my hubby. Apart from weekly groceries and yoga classes, ofcourse.

Just like the years 2017 and 2018, I looked forward for this trip to Kumbakonam too. But, you know, unfortunately Rajesh had his own plans.

So rolled up my bachelor sleeves, and decided to go on a solo trip to Kumbakonam.

Yeeeyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!

Why Kumbakonam?

Kumbakonam – A small, very beautiful mesmerizing town, well connected with roads to Trichy, Chidambaram, Tiruvannamalai, Thanjavur etc., is always beaming with history and ancient temples.

A beautiful town surrounded by numerous ponds filled with lilies, lakes and dams, agri fields and ancient temples. I can never find the right words to fit the beauty of this simple town. And I never get bored of visiting this place over and over again in my life.

When I am in Kumbakonam, I feel connected to my ancestors (no kidding). Every temple has a story to tell, and it compels your undivided attention for long hours. The hardship behind each temple’s architecture makes you humble and fall in love with it forever.

Yes, that’s my connection with Kumbakonam and its temples – bond forever.

Long list of Famous temples in Kumbakonam with Google Map

Probably this is the longest list of temples in Kumbakonam you will get in internet, it took me 1 full week to compile this list with google map link. Click here.

I chose Kumbakonam because I would not want to be anywhere else on my solo trip, because it’s like my second home.

What did I do in those 5 days?

How I Spent 5 days in Kumbakonam – Overview

What I Did

I did exactly the same of what we both would do on a duo trip – i.e. roaming Kumbakonam and visiting our favourite ancient temples.

Read – Kumbakonam Famous Temples

Yes I visited my favourite temples in and outside of Kumbakonam, spent time hanging out near Mahamaham tank, watched the sunset sitting in UNESCO Darasuram, ate food in my favourite restaurants in Kumbakonam.

Sometimes, I went over and over again to some of the favorite temples in the late evening, which are close to my heart. They are Sarangapani temple, Adi Kumbeswarar temple and Ramar temple which are located within short distances in the centre town.

Late evening poojas are very special in those big ancient temples, and since it was an auspicious month, luckily I got to watch elephants parading with the idols in the streets – every single day.

Not all the time you get to watch these special parades and poojas.

It was a blissful moment when I spent long evenings in those favourite temples, my soul was at peace.

Where I ate

Everyday, I wake up, get ready with a pair of water bottles in my day bag. Then start my rented bike to go nearby “ayya kadai” (written all about my favourite famous food items in Kumbakonam), to have a hearty southindian, pocket friendly breakfast.

kumbakonam famous food items — Kumbakonam Famous degree coffee

Thanks to ‘ayya kadai’ brothers for all the yummy quality – budget priced food, otherwise it would have been difficult on budget on such a long trip.

It is one stop for all breakfast, snacks and lunch items, except for dinner. I would return back to this shop after a short trip to pack snacks (a couple of vada made fresh every day) and also lunch (variety rice ready by 12 noon itself ) if I have plan to go on a long bike trip away from Kumbakonam. Like the days I went to places like Thirukannapuram, Thiruvalanjuli and Alangudi.

Where I Went

Since it was a solo trip to Kumbakonam, I wasn’t too serious about visiting all my favourite famous temples in Kumbakonam.

I was not dead serious about going to all possible temples in and around Kumbakonam, that is not even practically feasible.

So in the 5 days of itinerary metioned below, you could see me visiting temples aggressively in the first 2 days. And the last 3 days, I slowed down, spent more time in any of the favorite temples leisurely. Unlike my past road trips to Kumbakonam, this time I took it real slow.

There has to be one special occasion in the solo trip right?

I could name many, but just one occassion holds strong place in my heart.

On day-2 of my solo trip to Kumbakonam, I traveled all the way to Tirukannapuram Lord Vishnu temple only to find the main sanctum closed at hardly 11 am. Since there was no anticipated devotees at that time, the temple panditji decided to close it for the day.

I was utterly disappointed to only to see the closed doors, sitting in front of the main sanctum cursing my luck as I couldn’t darshan him even in this trip. Because in our last couple of trips to Kumbakonam, we couldn’t even make it to this temple.

Just when I thought I will leave the place saying good bye to the care taker, a preist came hurridly saying he forgot to pick something from the temple. Soon after I introduced myself, before I could even ask that is there any possibility of darshan, he opened the main sanctum door, and in 30 secs he was showing me aarti (oil lamp plate) to the Perumal.

I stood there marveled at the height of Lord Vishnu, taller than 35 feet idol in Tirukoilur Ulagalantha Perumal temple. And humbled at the luck I have got that day to darshan the most beautiful, tallest Perumal (tallest among all 108 divya desams) in my life.

The best and most memorable moment in all my life.

What People Miss to See in Kumbakonam

Most people (devotees) visit Kumbakonam, for any of the following reasons.

Navagraha temples Trip
108 Divya desam Trip (Exclusive Lord Vishnu trip)
Lord Shiva padal petra stalam trip (exclusive Lord Shiva temples)

But what they don’t see (I assume) is this. Look at the beauty of Kumbakonam. Only for this reason, I will be keep coming again and again to this beautiful place on the first opportunity I am getting to travel after #coronalockdown.

trip to kumbakonam — Hundreds of Lily Ponds all over the temple town – Kumbakonam

temples of Kumbakonam — The beauty of Kumbakonam temples in one picture – Tirubhuvanam Temple

Trip to Kumbakonam – 5 Days Detailed Itinerary

The first thing I did after checking in the room was to visit my most favorite and beautiful temple in Thirubuvanam (see pic above), 5kms from Kumbakonam town. Next step was to Mahalingaswamy temple, enquired for Pradosa pooja and returned back to the same temple with all pooja items in the evening and did the ritual.

On the 2nd day, I enjoyed riding all the way to Thirukannapuram, among the green fields. Again, traveled long distance on the 4th day to Alangudi.

On the 3rd day, I took a break in the morning, just chill near mahamaham tank after breakfast and a cup of ginger tea.

Then packed lunch from my favorite ayya kadai, went to Darasuram with a book in hand. Spent the entire afternoon in the darasuram temple.

On the last day, I spent most of the day in the room reading books. Went out in the evening to spend time near Mahamaham tank after a cup of ginger tea.

Here is the Detailed Itinerary of 5 Days Solo Trip to Kumbakonam

Day 1 – 9th December Monday:

Thirubhuvanam Lord Shiva temple
Thirukadaiyur Mahalinga swamy temple -Lord Shiva temple
Adhi Kumbheswar temple -Lord Shiva temple

Lunch Break

Again Thirukadaiyur Mahalinga swamy temple -Lord Shiva temple

Day 2 – 10th December Tuesday:

Thirucherrai Saranatha perumal temple – Lord vishnu temple
Thirukudavasal Koneswaran temple -Lord Shiva temple
Engan Perumal temple – Lord Vishnu temple (due to the crowd I couldn’t see next door Engan Murugan temple).
Thirukannapuram -Lord Vishnu temple
Nachiyar kovil – Lord Vishnu Temple

Lunch Break

Kasi Viswanathar temple, near mahamaham tank in Kumbakonam
Sarangapani temple, Ranganathar temple in Kumbakonam
Ramar temple – oorvalam darshan

Day 3 – 11th December Wednesday:

Morning – Break

Evening –

Darasuram – Lunch, book read and darshan
Garbarakshambigai temple, Thirukaragavoor
Thiruvalanjuli – White Lord Ganesha in Lord Shiva temple
Ramar temple
Adhi Kumbeswarar – oorvalam darshan

Day 4 – 12th December Thursday

Morning – Break

Evening –

Alangudi guru temple – Lord Shiva temple
Uppiliappan temple – Lord Vishnu temple
Sarangapani temple – oorvalam darshan

Day 5 – 13th December Friday

Morning – Break

Evening – Adhi Kumbeswarar – oorvalam darshan

The Happy Ending – Weekend with Hubby in Kumbakonam

Whole 5 days of solo trip to Kumbakonam came to an end and I was ready to leave Kumbakonam.

But, at the last minute my Hubby announced that he would be coming to Kumbakonam to spend the weekend.

Since it was last minute decision, he had a very long journey by changing multiple private buses to reach Kumbakonam.

He arrived on 14th December, Saturday around noon, spent 2 days with me in Kumbakonam before we returned to Bangalore by Volvo.

Again we both went to darshan the most important and favorite temples in Kumbakonam town, he too personally loved Kumbakonam temples.

He made it all the way more special trip to Kumbakonam and till date this trip is very close to my heart.

Famous Temples in Kumbakonam – A Very Big List with Google Map link

Renu on August 5, 2020

This is the only article which has long list of famous temples in Kumbakonam with google map links from our frequent visits. Probably its the only article in the internet with loads of temple list with google maps. Enjoy your cultural trip to Kumbakonam.

This article is useful for those who are looking to explore the famous and must visit temples in Kumbakonam, navagraha tour in Kumbakonam.

Kumbakonam became one of the favorite long bike trip destinations when we went on a 3 days trip for Masi Maham Festival in the year 2017. Soon in the same year, we planned a 11 days long bike trip from Bangalore to Kumbakonam. Because we loved the temple city’s breathtaking temples and its serene beauty.

So I can proudly say I know well about Kumbakonam like how well I know Bangalore.

Famous temples in Kumbakonam and other important temples in and around Kumbakonam are covered in this article.

Famous Temples in Kumbakonam and Much More

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock this holy town on all auspicious days.

As I mentioned earlier, we first went to Kumbakonam for the Masi Maham festival in the year 2017. Little did we know that time is that we are going to come back year after year to this beautiful temple town.

The famous temples in Kumbakonam and many other things people don’t know about.

Kumbakonam is famous for “Navagraha temples” – a unique spiritual experience of visiting 9 planet gods in their individual houses.
The temple city is famous for “108 Divya Desam” temples – of 108 Historic Vishnu temples, 40 temples are in chola region (trichy -tanjore- kumbakonam belt).
Kumbakonam is famous for “275 Devara Padal Petra Stalam” temples – Of 275 historic Lord Shiva Temples, 18 temples are in and around Kumbakonam town.
The city is also famous for one of the largest manufacturers of Temple brass and bronze items.
The Airavatesvara Temple built by Rajaraja Chola II (1146–73) during 12th century is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Kumbakonam that are referred to as the Great Living Chola Temples.
Less known famous thing about Kumbakonam is that they are known for their unique handloom weaving of silk sarees. “Thirubhuvanam” is the place to look for power looms and sarees that are available for buying in all shops in the centre town.
The Flora and fauna of this town is very rich, thanks to the 3 rivers adorning the city, namely – Cauvery, Araslaru and Kollidam.
Needless to say, Kumbakonam is wide known for its coffee. Every sip is a bliss.

(Because I am a coffee lover, I wouldn’t miss a chance to try good coffee).

Other than the above mentioned list of historic temples, there are hundreds of important temples in and around Kumbakonam.

You will fall in love with the majesty and beauty of the temple architecture. They are so big that it would even take some time to figure out the entrance to the temples.

Here is the list of Kumbakonam famous temples and must visit temples in Kumbakonam once in life from our multiple road trip experiences.

List Of Famous Temples in Kumbakonam – An Intro

I am giving a list of both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu temples in the following order.

(a) famous temples in the center town Kumbakonam. They are within 10km radius and are the most beautiful temples you must visit once in your life. You could skip going to Navagraha temples altogether unless you specifically wanted to go for some horoscope reasons.

(b) famous temples around Kumbakonam. These are nearby famous temples in Kumbakonam from the main town. And some are far from town like Tanjavur and Chidambram).

The following list of temples are my most favorite and must see temples in Kumbakonam. I cannot give you the exact plan of where to start and where to end the temple trip. It is not practically possible actually. I can share my side of the story, hoping it would help you in planning your trip.

These are the most famous temples in Kumbakonam, let’s see them category wise.

A. List of Must Visit Famous Temples In Kumbakonam town

(i). List of Lord Shiva Temples

Let’s start with Lord Shiva temple for 2 reasons – they are open for darshan very early compared to Lord Vishnu Temples.

Click on the individual temples to get the google map link.

Kudamookku – Adi Kumabeswarar Temple – Padal Petra Stalam
Sri Nageswarar temple -Padal Petra Stalam
Sri Someswar temple – Padal Petra Stalam
Kottaiyur Shivan Temple – Padal Petra Stalam
Kasi Vishwanathar Temple
Abhi Mukheswarar Temple – Facing the Mahamaham tank
Shri Airavatesvara Temple – UNESCO Heritage

(ii). List of Lord Vishnu temples

These are the famous Lord Vishnu temples in the centre town Kumbakonam, all the following temples are connected with Mahamaham Festival.

Chakrapani Temple – Vila Archanai which is usually performed to Lord Shiva is performed here for Lord Vishnu.
Sarangapani temple – Lord Ranganathar residing on a big chariot mandap is the attraction here. And the temple is also breathtakingly huge.
Ramaswamy temple – A Marvellous temple with intrinsic work of paintings depicting the Ramayanam.
Varahaperumal Temple.
Rajagopalaswamy temple.

B. List of Temples around Kumbakonam

(i). List of Lord Shiva Temples

Thirusakthimuttam Temple,Padal Petra Temple – Padal Petra Stalam
Gnanambiga Sametha Sri Thenupureeswarar Thirukovil – padal petra stalam
Pazhayarai Vadathali Temple,Padal Petra Temple -padal petra stalam
Sri Garbarakshambigai Temple Thirukarukavur (for child birth) – padal petra stalam – Very beautiful Goddess Parvathi
Thirunariyur Shiva Temple – padal petra stalam (Also visit nearby Shri Saneeswaran Temple – Sani Stalam)
Thiruvanjiyam Arulmigu Vanchinadha Swamy Thirukovil – Lord Yama Statue
Sri Naganatha Swami Temple (Raghu Stalam) – Padal Petra Temple – Majestic Temple famous for Afternoon pooja on sundays to Planet Raghu.
Thirumanancheri Shiva Temple
Sri Kampahareswar Temple – Tirubhuvanam Majestic Very Beautiful temple.
Sri Mahalingaswamy Temple Thiruvidaimaruthur – Padal Petra Temple
Gangai Konda Cholapuram Thiru Brihadeswarar Thirukkovil – UNESCO Heritage
Thirumetrali Shiva Temple – Bramha Nandeeswarar Temple (Broken Lord Shiva temple with big Square Sivalinga)
Pasupatheeswarar Temple –padal petra stalam
Thiru Nallur KalyanaSundareswarar temple – padal petra stalam
Palaivana Nathar Temple,Padal Petra Temple – padal petra stalam
Sri Sivapuranathar Temple -padal petra stalam
Sakkottai Shiva Temple – Sri Amirthakalasanathar Temple (raghu Stalam) -padal petra stalam
Maruthanallur ShivaTemple -padal petra stalam
Sri Swarnapureeswarar Temple -Alagaputhur Shiva Temple – Padal Petra stalam
Tirupandurai Shiva Temple – padal petra stalam
Sri Sornapureeshwarar Temple, Andankoil – padal petra stalam
Thiruvirumpoolai Shiva Temple (Guru Stalam) – Padal Petra stalam
Kovilvenni Shiva Temple – Padal Petra stalam
Arulmigu Sathurangam Vallavan Temple – padal petra stalam
Shri Amirthanayagi Samedha Naganathaswamy Temple (Raghu Kethu Parikara temple) -Padal Petra stalam
Sri Saraparameswarar Temple -padal petra stalam
Thirunaalur Meignanam Sivan Temple -padal petra stalam
Kudavasal Koneswaran Shiva temple – padal petra stalam
Thirukollampudur Shiva Temple -padal petra stalam
Narthanapureeswarar Temple, Thalaiyalangadu (Lord Natarajar)
Manakal Ayyampettai – padal petra stalam
Karaiveera nathar Shiva Temple — padal petra stalam
Shri Suryanar Kovil – Suriyan Stalam
Sri Vijayanathar Temple, Thiruvijayamangai -Padal Petra Temple
Sri Vijayanathar Temple, Thiruvijayamangai,Padal Petra Temple
Innambur Shiva Temple – Padal
Sri Saatchinathar Temple, Thirupurambiyam
Vilvaneshwarar Temple, Thiruvaikavur,Padal Petra Temple
Vada Kurangaduthurai temple – padal
Thiruvisanallur Shiva Temple -PAdal
Sri Karkadeswarar Temple -padal
Apath Sahayeswarar Temple (Siva Temple), Aduthurai – padal
Thirukodeeswarar Temple, Tirukodikaval – padal
Thirukozhambam Shiva Temple,Padal Petra Temple
Sri Shanbakaranyeshwarar Temple,Padal Petra Temple
Thiruneelakkudi Shiva Temple – padal
Shri Natarajar Temple, Konerirajapuram, padal
Thiru Anniyur Shiva Temple, padal
Karuveli Sarguna Natheswarar Temple, (very big temple pond)- padal
Thiruveezhimizhalai Shiva Temple (big temple) -padal
Thirumarugal Shiva Temple
Uthrapatheeshwaraswamy Temple, Thiruchengattangudi
Nannilam Shiva Temple
Thirukondeswaram Shiva Temple
Thirupanaiyur Shiva Temple
Thirupugalaur Vardhamaneswarar Temple

(ii). List of Lord Vishnu Temples

These are the list of Divya Desam temples situated nearby from centre town Kumbakonam.

Famous Temples around Kumbakonam – Nearby cities

First we saw a list of must visit famous temples in Kumbakonam within 10kms radius(A). Second we saw important temples around Kumbakonam with little travel distances (B) (about 1hr).

Lastly, here is the list of famous temples around Kumbakonam that is – quite far from this city.

I tried my best to give this list up until the Tiruvaiyaru, Mayiladuthurai and Thiruvarur routes.

(C). List of Lord Shiva temples

Gangai Konda Cholapuram Thiru Brihadeswarar Thirukkovil
Sri Kampahareswar Temple, Tirubhuvanam
Sri Mayuranathar Temple – Mayiladuthurai
Vaithiyanatha swamy temple (Sevvai Stalam) -Vaitheeswarankoil
Sirkazhi Shiva Temple – Sirkazhi
Sri Abhirami Amirthakadeswarar Temple – Thirukadaiyur
Sri Dharbaranyeswara Swamy Temple (Saturn Temple) – Tirunallar
Thiruvarur Shiva Temple – Thiruvarur
Sri Aiyarappar Temple – Tiruvaiyaru
Thanjavur Big Temple
Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Ranganthar temple, Trichy
Rockfort temple, Trichy

The above temple lists are the very popular Lord Shiva temples in the major districts around Kumbakonam. We have covered all the temples during our long bike trip in the year 2017 and 2018.

If you are on a short trip, but want to make the most of your trip, here is the plan.

In that way, you will not only see Kumbakonam, but also cover most of the historically important places just in one trip.

That’s what many travelers do. Because all the above mentioned places are famous only for the temples.

Except for Chidambaram, you could go sightseeing to Pichavaram mangrove forest.

Since the accommodation and food was satisfactory beyond expectation we stayed in Kumbakonam for many days. Apart from that, we also loved the city very much. From there we traveled to the nearby cities by bike.

Note that there are no waterfalls in Kumbakonam, but it has lots of waterdams, lakes and ponds. One such famous place is Anaikarai Bridge – a very old bridge over the Kollidam river.

Read – Kumbakonam is Famous for Not Just temples.

How We Covered Many Temples in a Day

Even Though we had stayed for more than a week in Kumbakonam, we had crazy plans to cover as many temples we could in a day possible.

Once we have covered all the temples in Kumbakonam (A), we then traveled to nearby towns like Sirkazhi, Mayavaram, Thanjavur, Thiruvaiyaru, Mannargudi, etc

We covered many temples as we could because of the following 2 reasons –

We raised early, we were in the temple for the early pooja. Tirelessly, we visited temples until their closing time at 12 noon. Needless to worry about the food, as you will get plenty of good choices along the way. Almost all Lord shiva temples are open for darshan as early as 6am. Eventhough, Lord Vishnu temples are open early but early morning darshan time varies depending on the temple. Sometimes you would have to wait until 8 am. Therefore it is smart to visit the Shiva temples first, then later visit the Lord Vishnu temples.
We went by Motorbike, and it’s just the two of us. Both our energy level matched and we loved every single day of non-stop travelling in bike. We had a tank bag where we kept our SLR, mobiles, chargers, power banks and water bottles to keep the trip plan smooth. We never in a day deviated from our plan, thanks to my 10 days of research and planning.

24 Temples in 3 Days: Kumbakonam Masi Magam Festival (2017)

Renu on November 9, 2019

During Kumbakonam Masi Magam festival we have visited 24 temples in 3 days by bike, thanks to my friend who rented out the bike to us. We reached Kumbakonam from Bangalore by train, stayed in Poppy’s SET Hotel for 3 days, roamed all around Kumbakonam mercilessly in motorbike for 3 days.

Kumbakonam Masi Magam Festival 2017

Here are the list of temples we did darshan in Kumbakonam Masi Magam festival 2017.

I am straight away giving the list of all the temples names under each day we spent in Kumbakonam. Not going into details of the temples, or too many pics nor its history.

Here goes the list of temples we visited in Kumbakonam Masi Magam in the year 2017 – one of the memorable trip in our travel history.

Day 1 : 11 Mar 2017 A Day Before Kumbakonam Masi Magam Festival

Abhi Mukteswarar temple
Viyala Someswarar temple
Tirupandurai Shivanandeeswarar (lord Murugan spl) temple
Thirunalur meginanam Sivan temple
Thiruccherai saranathan perumal temple, Divya desam
Thiruccherai Saraparameswarar temple
Nachiyar Kovil (kalyana kolam perumal/srinivasa perumal)
Ramanathaswamy/Saneeswaran Temple

Day2 : 12 Mar 2017

Ramar Temple, Kumbakonam
Thiruvisainallur Yoganandheeswarar/Sivayoginathar Temple (Risabha Rasi)
Sakkottai Amirthakalasanathar Temple
Marudhanallur (Karukudi) Sarguna Lingeswarar (Karukudinathar) temple
Then Pon Parappi, Swarnapureeswarar temple
Nageswaram Temple, Kumbakonam
Thirunageswaram Temple (Raghu temple)
Oppiliyappar Temple, DivyaDesam
Thirupampuram Seshapureeswarar/ Pambureswarar(Raghu Kethu temple)

Day 3 : 13 Mar 2017

Saranathaperumal Temple, Divadesam, Kumbakonam
Thiruvalanchuzi ThiruValanchuzhi Nathar Temple (and Swetha Vinayagar Temple –Vellai Pillaiyar)
Darasuram- UNESCO
Swamimalai Murugan Temple
Innambur Ezhuthari Nathar Temple
Kottaiyur Kodeeswarar Temple

About Masi Magam and its Importance

The Masimaham is an annual event that occurs in Kumbakonam in the Tamil month of Masi (February–March) in the star of Magam.

Vast crowds of Hindu devotees gather at Kumbakonam to have a dip in the tank a.k.a Mahamaham tank.

All the rivers of India are believed to meet at the tank on this day and a purificatory bath at this tank on this day is considered equal to the combined dips in all the holy rivers of India.

Festival deities from all the temples in Kumbakonam arrive at the tank and at noon, all the deities bathe along with the devotees – it is called “Theerthavari“.

The purificatory bath is believed to remove sins and after the dip, pilgrims offer charitable gifts in the hope of being rewarded in the current life and subsequent lives.

The temple cars of major temples in Kumbakonam come around the city on the festival night. During the Mahamaham of 1992, the number of devotees were estimated to be one million. (Source – Wikipedia).

Our Story -Travelduo From Bangalore

We were able to darshan 24 temples continuously for 3 days because we planned everything beforehand, and our energy level matched to roam the temples back to back, non stop in bike.

Otherwise would have not been possible travelling by car and with the group or with more family members. It was the most memorable trip where we did crazy riding to temples in Kumbakonam Masi Magam Festival in the year 2017.

In the 3 days of roaming, we fell in Love with this beautiful temple town Kumbakonam, so in the same year and the next year we went road trip of 11 days to Kumbakonam. Just for the love of most majestic and historically important temples in Kumbakonam.

Kumbakonam Is Famous for Not Just Temples (Check the cute pic)

Kumbakonam Famous Food Items – And Where to Eat

Renu on February 6, 2018

Kumbakonam famous food items – the list of famous food items and the names of restaurants.

“Where to eat?” is the first thought comes to our mind if we are travelling to new places.

Kumbakonam is like our second home, we have been to this famous temple city many times in the past couple of years. A small vibrant city decorated with equal number of temples and lily ponds – a unique sight to see in any place.

Here is the list of famous food items and where to eat in Kumbakonam.

What is Kumbakonam Famous for?

Kumbakonam is famous for numerous Ancient temples and Navagraha temples across the town. Every year lacs of devotees visit Kumbakonam during Mahamaham festival and during the Margazhi festival season.

So, mainly Kumbakonam is famous for its yearly Masi magam festival (during march), all year around Navagraha temple visits and Margazhi festival (during December).

For such a small town, Kumbakonam is busy all year around with tourists.

It is hard to decide where to eat in Kumbakonam, especially with fake ratings and reviews for restaurants these days.

Myself and my hubby have spent the majority of our vacation in Kumbakonam in our 11 days long bike trip in 2017 and 2018.

During our stay, we have explored all the major eateries – both vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants in Kumbakonam.

I am suggesting the following places to eat in Kumbakonam based on the quality of food, ambiance, fast service and value for money.

Famous food items (with images) in Kumbakonam with best places to eat is detailed below.

Also, I am suggesting the best ginger tea shop at the end of this article for tea lovers in the coffee famous town.

Most Famous Pure Veg Restaurant – Mangalambiga Coffee and Tiffin Center

Where – Behind Adi kumbeshwarar Temple, Kumbakonam

Google map link – https://g.page/mangalambiga?share

If you are a pure vegetarian, your search for good food in Kumbakonam ends here. This restaurant and cafe serves all south Indian tiffin items – Pongal, Vada, All varieties of dosa, Poori sabji, upma etc.,

My personal favourite – Poori and tomato Uttapam

Open on all days from 6.30 am to 10.00 pm, this restaurant serves best veg food in Kumbakonam throughout the day. Even with all the popularity, this restaurant remains humble with limited seats and food served only by senior citizens till date.

The Best place to try all Kumbakonam Famous Food items and Snacks -“Only Coffee” Restaurant.

I am an early riser, and a Coffee lover.

Almost everyday we used to travel 10kms from center Kumbakonam town to “Only Coffee” restaurant for steaming cup of coffee. If we had no long travel plans to any temples, we used to hangout there until we finish our breakfast. Sometimes we roam around near by agri field, chill out, take some pics and come back to the same restaurant for Lunch.

Even Though they have another branch in centre town, a restaurant facing Holy Mahamaham tank, we always loved going to this place for the scenic ride and friendly staffs

The name says “Only Coffee” so obviously anyone would think of it as a coffee shop.

We did too.

When we stayed in Aditya Resorts for 2 days where we had no option for dining, we came out of the resort in a mindset to ride to the nearby coffee shop.

We found “Only Coffee” in the immediate neighborhood, with the display of clay toys and some interesting books.

The friendly hotel staff asked us whether we wanted to have some snacks to go with coffee, we said yes, and we chose “kolukattai” from the choice of salad and sandwich.

This is the best restaurant that serves snacks, healthy options suited for all the ages.

Famous Snacks in Only Coffee restaurant: They had “today’s special” green salads, sandwiches, south indian special pidi kolukattai, kuli paniyaram, etc.,

Since then, our entire two days stay in Aditya Resort, we never had to roam searching for food and snacks in Kumbakonam. Even after we moved to different accommodation in the city, we came back almost everyday, sometimes twice in a day for their dosa varieties and coffee.

They serve all kinds of typical Tamil Nadu breakfast items.

They also serve unlimited and limited meals for lunch, the only time rice item was available, we chose limited meals because we preferred light food for lunch.

Not only their food is healthy (they use only less oil for food items, so they don’t serve any deep fried snacks) but also they have a variety of healthy snacks and pickles for sale. They also sell wood pressed cooking oil (Marachekku oil), some children books and wooden play toys. According to me, this place is the best vegetarian restaurant in Kumbakonam.

We absolutely enjoyed eating every time in “Only Coffee”.

Its definitely a best place for healthy, vegetarian food choices to eat with family and friends.

Only Coffee Restaurant, Best Vegetarian Food in Kumbakonam — Only Coffee Restaurant, Tiruvidaimaruthur

Only coffee Restaurant – The best hangout place for all kinds of TamilNadu food and snacks 3x a day.

You will absolutely love its peaceful ambiance with the healthy variety of vegetarian tiffin and meals, packed organic snack, pickles, evening salads and Sandwiches served all time with hot coffee/tea/milk.

Alert

“Only coffee” Restaurant is operating only at centre town kumbakonam, opposite to holy mahamaham tank. Call up and check for “Only Coffee” Thiruvidaimaruthur branch, as it was closed for renovation when we visited last time in Dec 2018

Small Shop Serving Quality Food items and Snacks all the time In Kumbakonam- “Ayya Kadai“

Initially, we thought of it as a tea stall, because hardly 15 people can sit inside this shop. Later we came to know they serve food 2 times a day apart from coffee/tea with snacks.

We found this shop when we stayed in “Poppy’s SET hotel” for 3 days Mahamaham festival in Kumbakonam.

Famous food list in Ayya Kadai: Poori masala, pongal, idli, dosa varieties for breakfast and dinner, variety rice and parotta for lunch.

Famous Snacks List in Ayya Kadai: Methu vada (Urad dhal vada), Paruppu Vada (Channa dal vada), Valalikkai Bajji (Banana Besan Fry) are must try here. They are available in the morning and noon timings, different dishes at different times throughout the day.

Almost all the prices were less than or equal to Rs. 20/- including the variety rice(like tomato rice, puliyogare, lemon rice and curd rice), so it is obvious to doubt the quality of food.

But it is a super clean small eatery shop run by 3 elderly guys, and they promise to deliver the quality food and they live up to their words. And from my experience, it is the super clean place in Kumbakonam serving good quality food and snack items.

Evening Parotta In Ayya Kadai, Kumbakonam — Ayya Kadai, Kumbakonam centre town

Ayya Kadai – is the best choice in Kumbakonam town for anyone looking to eat light (and healthy) without hurting the pocket. Also, it is a must try place for an evening snack – masala vada and other oil fried snacks with coffee or tea.

Google Map link – https://goo.gl/maps/efzmdoiTVN2mJKMV7

Try Pandian Hotel For Famous Non veg Food items when in Kumbakonam

I love to eat Non-Veg for dinner, if not daily at least twice in a week is a must for me. Rajesh does not like non-veg as much as I like it, but he too loves to indulge in it, if it catches his eye.

After asking few people in the busy street, we were guided to a hotel across “Sarangapani temple”. We very much liked the variety of food they had in the menu, in fact, we had a hard time picking orders from the menu.

Non-veg Hotel in Kumbakonam, Pandian Hotel — Pandian Hotel Menu

Idiyappam In Kumbakonam, Pandian Hotel — Idiyappam With Chicken gravy

Non-Veg Hotel in Kumbakonam, Pandiyan Hotel — Muttai Lappa with Prawn Masala

Non-Veg Hotel in Kumbakonam — Egg Kothu Parotta with Fish Fry

Food was served in Banana leaf, calm place to enjoy the feast. We had enjoyed two varieties of parottas, Kothu parotta, chicken masala and prawn masala with butter milk.

No chinese items were available.

We loved going back for the crispy Kothu Parotta and the Idiyappam. (Note: You need to be little early in the evening for idiyappam, since there is a huge demand).

We were also suggested to go Hotel Shanmuga, which is also a famous non-veg serving restaurant. The other day we tried some chinese there, but we didn’t enjoy it as much as we did in all other restaurants in Kumbakonam. Eventhough Hotel Shanmuga is popular among localities, we personaly did not like it much because of noisy ambiance and poor quality food.

Pandian Hotel in Kumbakonam – Pure authentic restaurant serves all kinds of Non-Veg items with a wide variety of parottas, dosa items, idiyappam, and meals.

Google map link – https://goo.gl/maps/utsGgKZEKMRxEaS68

For Family Lunch – Indeco Hotels Swamimalai

Indeco Hotels located 4kms from Kumbakonam, is one of the award winning eco-friendly resorts.

This finest heritage resort offers guests an unique opportunity to experience rich cultural heritage in tranquil environment.

We got to expereince this place when I went on 5 days solo trip to Kumbakonam, later husband joined me for the weekend.

Their saatvik meal was delicious and spent quality time sightseeing their heritage collections (arts and automobiles) after the unlimited meals.

Here are some pics from the trip.

kumbakonam is famous for — Pet Deers In Indeco Hotels Swamimalai

kumbakonam famous for — Heritage Collections – Hotel Indeco Swamimalai

Famous Tea Shop for Snacks and Ginger Tea in Center Town Kumbakonam

Speaking of tea, all I would suggest is to go to this shop opposite to clock tower in center town Kumbakonam.

You will get the best ginger tea all the time.

You can also enjoy coffee or flavoured milk, all of them are good here.

Ginger tea shop in Kumbakonam — Ginger tea famous Sri Balaji Shop, opposite to clock tower in Kumbakonam

If you want to have some evening snacks before having tea, then above mentioned “ayya kadai” is the only place I would suggest.

You can have snacks and can come back to have tea here.

Sum -Up

You could also try the famous sweet shop in Kumbakonam town named Murari sweets. Their famous ajmeet cake, dry jamun are must try sweets. Buy only from a shop near to Ramar temple, as there are many fake brands all over the town.

In general, Kumbakonam famous food items are usual south indian dishes apart from degree coffee.

Since we are not a foodie we did not attempt to eat in all the restaurants in Kumbakonam. Instead, we went and explored which was convenient for us and repeatedly went to same places for comfort.

Oh yeah, while you are there, try Kumbakonam famous degree coffee in any of the restaurants. Happy Sightseeing !!.