Potramarai Tank is situated at Kumbakonam in the

Thanjavur district Thanjavur District is one of the 38 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River and is mostly agrarian. As of 2011, Thanjavur district ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

, India.

Location

After

Pralaya Pralaya ( sa, प्रलय, , Apocalypse or the Annihilation of the Universe, translit=Pralaya) is a concept in Hindu eschatology. Generally referring to four different phenomena, it is most commonly used to indicate the event of the dissol ...

, of the two holy tanks that came into existence in Kumbakonam one was Potramarai tank. As

Thirumagal ''Thirumagal'' () is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by A. S. A. Sami and produced by C. K. Govindarajalu. The screenplay was written by C. K. Govindarajalu from a story by Aaroor Dass. Music was by K. V. Mahadevan. It stars ...

came from 'golden lotus', Potramarai in Tamil, this tank is called as Potramarai tank. In Kumbakonam, this is considered very sacred, the first being the Mahamaham tank. This tank belonged to

Sarangapani temple Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the ''Divya Desams'', the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. This temp ...

. The tank has walls on all its four sides.அருள்மிகு ஸ்ரீ சாரங்கபாணி திருக்கோயில்
/ref> Once writers used to mingle on the banks of the tank.

Holy water bodies

Potramarai

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

, Cavuery and Arasalar are considered as the sacred water bodies of the Sarangapani Temple. By this way this temple gets importance.ஸ்ரீகோமளவல்லித்தாயார் ஸ்ரீசார்ங்கபாணி ஸ்வாமி திருக்கோயில் தல வரலாறு, கும்பகோணம்

Mahamaham ''Mahamaham'', also known as ''Mahamagham'' or ''Mamangam'', is a Hindu festival celebrated every 12 years in the Mahamaham tank located in the city of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu in the south of India. This 20-acre square tank surrounded by Shi ...
connection

The 12-year cycle Mahamaham festival in Tamil Nadu is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Magha. On the day of Masi Maham, devotees in large numbers come to Kumbakonam and take a bath in Mahamaham tank, the tank which is considered sacred as nine sacred rivers of India such as

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...

Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

Sarasvati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a go ...

Godavari The Godavari (IAST: ''Godāvarī'' �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwa ...

, Narmada,

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Sindhu The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

and Sarayu mingle in Mahamaham tank. After having a bath, next they come to Potramarai tank and then to Cauvery.

Tradition

The sage Hemarishi did penance for getting

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

as his daughter. His prayer was answered and Lakshmi appeared as a child in Potramarai tank. As part of

Amrita ''Amrita'' ( sa, अमृत, IAST: ''amṛta''), ''Amrit'' or ''Amata'' in Pali, (also called ''Sudha'', ''Amiy'', ''Ami'') is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept within Indian religions and is often referred t ...

, the nectar halted in this place and the goddess, as child appeared here, this place is considered very important. The nine rivers mingle at Mahamaham tank and get rid of their sins. It is believed that taking a bath at that time in Potramarai tank will give

Punya (Hinduism) Punya (), also rendered Punyam () is a concept in Hinduism with various definitions. It generally refers to virtue or merit, and the activities that allow one to acquire this attribute, in order to achieve liberation from samsara, the cycle of bi ...

to the devotees, as the nine rivers had sacred bath at Potramarai Tank after Mahamaham Tank, those come to Mahamaham are doing so.

2016 Mahamaham

During 2016 Mahamaham this tank was filled with water for having bath for Mahamaham. Trial for Tirttavari was held on 6 February 2016. For Shiva temples it was held on 22 February 2016 between 12.00 noon and 1.30 p.m. in Mahamaham Tank. For five Vishnu temples it was held on the banks of

. Those five temples are

Sarangapani Temple Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the ''Divya Desams'', the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. This temp ...

, Chakrapani Temple, Ramaswamy Temple, Rajagopalaswamy Temple, and Varahaperumal Temple.விழா: குடந்தையில் பிஎஸ்என்எல் சார்பில் வைஃபை, ஹாட் ஸ்பாட் வசதி அறிமுகம், தினமணி, 10 பிப்ரவரி 2016
/ref>

Photogallery

Potramarai Tank

File: Potramarai2.jpg File: Potramarai3.jpg File: Potramarai4.jpg File: Potramarai7.jpg File: Potramarai8.jpg File: Potramarai9.jpg File: Potramarai10.jpg

Devotees taking bath during 2016 Mahamaham

File: Mahamaham on tirttavari portamarai tank7.jpg, File: Mahamaham on tirttavari portamarai tank1.jpg, File: Mahamaham on tirttavari portamarai tank2.jpg, File: Mahamaham on tirttavari portamarai tank6.jpg, File: Mahamaham on tirttavari portamarai tank3.jpg, File: Mahamaham on tirttavari portamarai tank4.jpg, File: Mahamaham on tirttavari portamarai tank5.jpg,

References

{{Reflist Temple tanks in Tamil Nadu Tourist attractions in Tamil Nadu Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Kumbakonam Temple tanks in India