Location:

This Hindu temple is located in Kanchipuram, TamilNadu. 

The co-ordinates are 12°50’51.0″N 79°42’00.0″E!!!

Architecture:

The high rising gopurams of the temple dominates the skyline. The temple’s area covers up to 40 acres and the Raja Gopuram , which was built by Krishnadevaraya stands at the height of 172 feet. He also built the pillared hall in front of the sanctum. There are two tanks inside the temple and idols of all the 63 Nayanmars. 

About:

It is one of the five major Shiva temples or Pancha Bootha Sthalams (each representing a natural element) representing the element – Earth. The other four temples in this category are Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara (water), Chidambaram Natarajar (ether), Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara (fire) and Kalahasti Nathar (wind).

One notable feature of the temple is the Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, or the “hallway with a thousand pillars”, which was built by the Vijayanagar Kings. There is no separate shrine for Parvati within the complex as with other Shiva temples in Kanchipuram. A local belief is that Kamakshi Amman temple is the consort for Ekambaranathar. There is a small shrine for Vishnu named Thiru Nilaaththingal Thundathan inside the temple complex. Vishnu is prayed as Vamana Murthy and the shrine is hailed by the Alvar saints as one of the 108 Divya Desams.

The temple tree is a 3,500 year old mango tree, whose branches are said to yield four different types of mangoes from its four branches.

The sun rays will fall directly on the main shivalinga every 19, 20 and 21 of Panguni month (March-April).At the inner corridor of the Ekambareswarar temple there are 10 pillars they produce different musical sounds if we tap them with a stick.The kubera(gant riches) idol in the temple got very much importance. He will grant riches if we worship seriously.The most important thing is we can see all 12 zodiac signs on the roof of the temple. It is believed by many people that we need to pray to our zodiac sign at the temple to get rid of horoscopic defects (Jatakadosha).Godessparvathi created the Shivalinga herself in the temple.

Legend:

In days of yore, the place was a forest of Kadamba trees.  A trader on his way had to stay here at a night.  About midnight, he saw a fire ball splitting light, in the midst of which was a Shivalinga being worshipped by Devas and Rishis.  The trader informed the Chola king of what he saw.  The Chola king rushed to the spot along with Kulasekhara Pandiyan who was his guest then.

They saw an old man walking there with a red sugarcane as his walking stick.  He showed the king the place where the Shivalinga was hiding and disappeared in the form of a fire ball.  When they looked at the eastern direction where the old man disappeared, they saw Lord Dhandayuthapani on a hill.  In ecstasy, the kings built a temple for Lord Ekambareswara and a temple for Lord Dhandayuthapani, according to the history of the place.