Ramaswamy Temple, Kumbakonam

Ramaswamy Temple in Kumbakonam is dedicated to Rama and stands among the town's prominent shrines. Work began under the Thanjavur Nayak king Achuthappa Nayak (1560–1614) and was completed in the reign of Raghunatha Nayak; Govinda Dikshitar, the Nayak prime minister, built it and linked it to the older Chakrapani temple with a commercial corridor. Legend says its idols were recovered from a temple tank at nearby Darasuram. It is one of five Vishnu temples tied to the Mahamaham festival, held in Kumbakonam once every 12 years.

The sanctum shows Rama seated with Sita, his brothers Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrughna standing, and Hanuman holding manuscripts. The hall near the gateway has 64 pillars, each cut from a single stone and carved with episodes from the Ramayana. On the walls of the enclosed precinct the epic is painted in three sections, so that it can be followed over three rounds of the sanctum. The paintings are thought to date from the Nayak period, with later work under the Thanjavur Marathas.