– Inventories and Projects – Assignment : 1 – M.

Aparna Gayathri

ASSESSMENT REPORT
Id No.:N2/2/6 Year: 2021 Heritage Zone No.: Sl.no.in notified list :
Name of the building / precinct Maha Maham Tank

Postal Address Revenue address

Door No.:105 S, No. / R.S. No. / T.S. No.: -
Street / Road: Mahamaham Tank Street Block No. / Ward No.: -
Place / Nagar: ; Indra Gandhi Salai Revenue Village: -
Locality : KUMBAKONAM Taluk: Kumbakonam Taluk
Town /City: Postal code: District: Thanjavur
KUMBAKONAM 612001
CORPORATION

Local Body
Ward No./ Dn. No.: Zone No.: Name of the Zone:
Corporation/ Municipality/ TP/ V P in P U: Kumbakonam Corporation

Photograph of the building / precinct

Date: 19.9.21 Photo credit: Aparna Gayathri

Recorded by: Aparna Gayathri

Ownership and Use
Tamil Nadu Government and Place for holy dip during festive occasions.

Original use Original Owner

Tank – holy dip during festival occasions Public use

Present use - holy dip during festival occasions

Owner’s category Name and address

Present Owner

Government Department Kumbakonam Municipality

Government Agency

Local Body

Religious Institution Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments

Department
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
Department
Trust / Society

Charitable Institution

Bank / Financial Institution

Company / firm

Private/individuals/family

Others

Land use zoning(as per MP/DDP)

Source: Kumbakonam Municipality

I Historical
(a) Date / Period of construction 1869
Original construction
Name of the building Year/ Period Source Age of the building
Mahamaham theertham 17th century Inscription of Around 400 years
mahamaham tank
Additional construction
Name of the building : Year/ Period: Source: Age of the building
Masimaham Theertha 17thcentury Physical survey
Mandapam, thulathana Around 400 years
mandapam and tower looks like 1
constructed very recently 6
1
6
8
2

PC: M.Aparna Gayathri

(b) Trends / pattern / themes exhibited by the building / precincts (may reflect a particular social
,economic, political or cultural pattern characteristic of the local settlement area)

Brahma Theertheswara temple is one of the sixteen temples built by Raghunatha Nayakkar
under the guidance of Maha Pradani Govinda Dikshithar in the 17thcentury.
They had also renovated the steps on all sides of the temple leading to ‘theerthas’ .
 .
Timeline of rulers.

Mandapam showing mixed use of materials.

PC: M. Aparna Gayathri

(c) Events associated with the building / precincts (may be directly liked to an event or local
regional / national significance or a noteworthy historical event.)

• It is considered to be the foremost and one of the largest temple tanks in Tamil Nadu.
• The Masimaham festival held in the tank has 100,000 visitors and the once-in-12-year
Mahamaham festival has close to 2 million visitors.

(d) Persons associated with the building / precincts :

5 VISHNU TEMPLES
• Sarangapani Temple
• Chakrapani Temple
• Ramaswamy Temple
• Rajagopalaswamy Temple
• Varahaperumal Temple

12 SHIVA TEMPLES

• Kasi Viswanathar Temple

• Kumbeswarar Temple
• Someswarar Temple
• Nageswara Temple
• Ekambareswarar Temple
• Gowthameswarar Temple
• Abimukeswarar Temple
• Kambatta Visvanathar Temple
• Banapuriswarar Temple
• Kahahasteeswarar Temple
• Koteeswarar Temple
• Amirthakalasanathar Temple

The people associated with this MAHA MAHAM TANK is mainly Chola and the Nayakkas

Reference -Literature: Varalatril kumbakonam - Author: Rajasekaran

(e) Summary on Historical significance

• The antiquity of the Mahamaham is deduced from the architectural and epigraphical
patterns. The ceiling of the Gangatirtha mandapam carries the sculptural
representation of Tulapurushardava.
• It is believed that Govinda Dikshitar subjected himself to the event and donated the
gold to the building of the sixteen mandapas. The visit of Krishandevaraya during
1445 is recorded in an inscription in the gopuram of Nagalpuram, a village in
Chengalpattu district.
• That Krishnadevaraya visited the event is also recorded in the inscription found in the
Shiva temple in Kuthalam.
Photo showing stone steps

PC: M. Aparna Gayathri

II Architectural
(a) Design (may be significant because of its artistic merits, uniqueness in design,
composition, craftsmanship or details)
 • The tank is located in the heart of Kumbakonam town. It covers an area of 21 acres
(8.5 ha) and is trapezoidal in shape.
• The tank is surrounded by sixteen small Mandapams (shrines) and has 21 wells inside
the tank.
• The names of the wells carry the name of Hindu god Shiva or that of Rivers of India.
Govinda Dikshitar, the chieftain of Ragunatha Nayak of Thanjavur, constructed the
sixteen Mandapams and stone steps around this tank.

Motifs in Mandapam
PC: M. Aparna Gayathri

(b) Style (may exhibit particular architectural style, period of construction)

Since this Tank is built during 17th century, the tank exhibits Dravidian Architectural Style

Source : Physical survey

(c) Developer / Builder (subject to have been designed constructed by a professional / builder whose
work is of local / regional / material importance)
• Govinda Dikshitar, the chieftain of Ragunatha Nayak of Thanjavur, constructed the sixteen
Mandapams and stone steps around this tank.

(d) Physical condition: Good and well maintained

State of preservation of the tank is excellent.
(e) Design integrity (if alteration / modification had already been carried out, then is reparable nature
and worthless to conserve)

One or two mandapam looks like it has been constructed very recently by seeing its material.

(f) Summary on Architectural significance

• This tank is constructed in Dravidian architectural style.

• They used stone for construction.

Fd Initial thought: Rectangle A Actual shape: Trapezoidal

Numbering Naming
Map showing 20 theerthams took image from a Tamil book “Kumbakonam Mahamaham”

The 20 theerthams in the Mahaamaham tank:

1.IndraTheertham–providesmoksham
2. Agni Theertham – rids Brahmahatthi dosham
3. Yama Theertham – rids fear of death
4. Nruthi Theertham – rids from fear of evil spirits
5. Varuna Theertham – provides long life
6. Vaayu Theertham – rids diseases
7. Gubera Theertham – provides prosperity
8. Isaana Theertham – moksham (to reach Lord Siva’s feet)
9. Brahma Theertham – pacifies ancestors
10. Gangai Theertham – provides Kailasa padavi
11. Yamuna Theertham – provides wealth
12. Godavari Theertham – fulfills wishes
13. Narmada theertham – provides physical strength
14. Saraswathi Theertham – provides Gnaanam (enlightenment)
15. Cauveri Theertham – provides knowledge
16. Kumari Theertham – blessings to pets
17. Payodini Theertham – provides joy
18. Sarayu Theertham – removes mental strain
19. Arubathaaru(66)kodi Theertham – removes grief & provides hapiness
20. Deva Theertham / Naaga Theertham – rids of all sins & provides Devendra’s post /
rids of Kaala Sarpa dosham
Map showing residential, commercial and temples around Mahamaham.

Source: West Bank Physical Survey showing settlement.

Sketch: Manual live sketching showing oldest building in that stretch naming Aranmanai Raman
Chettyar Mandapam (1887)
 Sketch showing street view of Mahamaham Tank and nodal point statue of Aringar Anna.

Source: South Bank Physical Survey showing settlement.

Sketch: Manual live sketching showing Traditional houses.
Source: North Bank Physical Survey showing settlement.
Sketch: Manual live sketching showing Shri Mukuntheswarar Mandapam.

Source: East Bank Physical Survey showing settlement.

Sketch: Manual live sketching showing Arulmigu Abimukeswara Swamy Temple.
III Cultural
(a) Community Context (might have become significant part of community identity / land mark /
may be for sentimental / symbolic reasons).
• The Masimaham festival held in the tank has 100,000 visitors and the once-in-12-year
Mahamaham festival has close to 2 million visitors.
• 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.
• Historians view the continuity of the temple festivals as a test of time to reinforce continuity
with the past.
• 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 reached 1 million
Source: Physical survey