The Shiva Purana and the Kanchi Mahatmyam tell this story: once, Parvati playfully covered Shiva's eyes with her hands. Darkness spread across the three worlds. Shiva told her to atone through tapas (austerity) on earth. Parvati came to Kanchipuram, to the bank of the Vegavati river, and sat under an ancient mango tree. From the earth beneath her hands, she formed a Shiva lingam of mud and began to worship it.
The Vegavati rose in flood and threatened to wash the earth lingam away. Parvati clasped it with both arms, protecting it with her body through the night. Shiva, moved by her devotion, appeared; they were reunited. The Kanchi Mahatmyam says the marks of her embrace are still visible on the lingam. And the ancient mango tree under which she sat still stands in the temple complex — said to be thousands of years old, with four branches representing the four Vedas.
The lingam here is made of earth — and so no direct water abhisheka is performed, as water would dissolve the earth form. The ancient mango tree in the compound is said to be thousands of years old.
Ekambareswarar is the Prithvi (earth) element of the five Pancha Bhuta Sthalas — making it part of the most significant group of Shaiva tirthas in Tamil Nadu. The complex is large, with tall gopurams visible from across Kanchipuram.
The absence of water abhisheka — because water would dissolve the earth lingam — makes this temple's rituals different from other Shiva temples and gives it a particular poignancy. Smaller shrines and mandapas within the complex hold centuries of sculptural work.
- Prithvi lingam darshan — no direct water abhisheka, unlike most Shiva temples.
- The ancient mango tree (Panchamravriksha) is itself a place of darshan.
- Tall gopurams and smaller sanctuaries within the large complex.
- Part of the same visit as Kanchipuram city's other temples.