Ashtabujakaram Temple, Kanchipuram

Overview

The Ashtabujakaram or Ashtabuja Perumal Temple is a Dravidian-style Vishnu temple in Kanchipuram, glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham and counted among the 108 Divya Desams. It is one of the 14 Divya Desams in Kanchipuram. The name refers to the eight-armed form of Vishnu enshrined here.^[2]

Legends

The regional legend repeats the story of Saraswati's quarrel with Lakshmi. When Brahma performed an ashvamedha yajna alone, Saraswati sent obstacles, including the river Vega and finally a fierce snake. Vishnu took the form of Ashtabuja Perumal, holding eight weapons, to kill the snake, which is represented as Sharabha in the mandapam.^[2]

Another legend links the temple to Gajendra moksha. The elephant Gajendra, a rebirth of Indradyumna, took lotuses from the temple tank to worship Vishnu each day. A crocodile seized its leg, and Vishnu sent his discus to kill the crocodile and free the elephant.^[2]

History

The temple is believed to have been renovated by the Pallavas in the late 8th century CE, with later contributions from the Cholas and Vijayanagara kings. Inscriptions on its walls date to the reigns of Kulottunga Chola I (1070-1120 CE) and Rajendra Chola (1018-54 CE). They record gifts of land and funds for perpetual lighting of the temple and for its kitchen, including a sale of land by Rajasundari Chaturvedimangalam and a tax-free land gift in Chola Chaturvedimangalam.^[2]

What the official listings say

The HR&CE page says the temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams and the 44th in the traditional order, and that it is the only one of the 108 where Perumal blesses with eight hands. It adds that a separate Mangalasasanam is addressed to the Mother (Thayar) by the Azhwar only in this temple.^[1]

Architecture

The temple is small, with a tank in front and a gopuram that pierces concentric rectangular walls. The lead describes a four-tiered rajagopuram and the architecture section a three-tiered gopuram, so the number of tiers is being verified. A granite wall encloses the shrines and two bodies of water.being verified^[2]

The presiding deity faces west and has Mahalakshmi on his chest and a garland of shaligrama. There is a separate shrine for the Thayar, and it is customary to worship her before the Perumal. A four-pillared hall in front of the shrine is called the Friday Mandapam. A seated Varaha Perumal under the hoods of two serpents has his own shrine, with shrines for Hanuman, the Alvars, Andal, the Sudarshana Chakra and Sharabha.^[2]

Rituals and festivals

The temple follows the Tenkalai tradition. Wikipedia lists six daily rituals at 7 AM, 8 AM, 12 noon, 6 PM, 7 PM and 10 PM. The ten-day Vaikuntha Ekadashi in Margazhi is the most prominent festival; Rama Navami and Navaratri are also celebrated, and the Gajendra Moksha festival is held in Aadi on the Hastham star. Vedanta Desika wrote the Ashtabujashtakam for this temple.^[2]

The article names the deity as Govindarajan with consort Pundarikavalli in its ritual description, which does not match the rest of the article; this has been left out of the facts.being verified^[2]

Festivals

Photos

Timings

Sources

1. Arulmigu Ashtapujaperumal Temple, Kancheepuram [TM001789] — HR&CE, Government of Tamil NaduOfficial (HR&CE) · accessed 2026-11-01
2. Ashtabujakaram — WikipediaEncyclopedia (secondary) · accessed 2026-11-01

Page last checked: 2026-11-01