Kumbakonam is a city and a municipality in the Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Kumbakonam is called a temple town because of the large number of temples within the town and the nearby areas. It is a very peaceful city and the festival of Mahamaham is celebrated every 12 years at the Mahamaham tank in Kumbakonam.
The town is known for its temples, intricately carved panchaloha idols, exquisite brass wares, particularly lamps, silk and betel leaves. It is located 40km from Thanjavur and 293Km from Chennai. Though rituals and archanas are done daily for the god in the numerous temples of Kumbakonam, some special festivals are celebrated annually. At this time people will gather in large numbers to purify their minds. Among the various festivals Mahamaham that is celebrated once in twelve years is of very great importance. During this time of the it is believed that taking a bath in the Mahamagam tank containing water that originates from all the sacred rivers such as the Ganges, Yamuna, Saraswathi, Sarayu, Godavari, Mahanadi, Narmatha, Pavoshnl and Cauvery in combination, can get rid of sins according to the Hindu religion.
Today Kumbakonam is the nerve - centre of all the commercial activities in the Tanjore District. Plenty of diverse small scale industries thrive in this town producing goods such as Silk, Scented and Shredded Supari, Chewing Tobacco, Brass and Stainless Steel Wares, Icon and Pith ware, and Cosmetics. The town is also well known for its prestigious educational institutions which have turned out eminent stalwarts in diverse spheres. It is perhaps because of this fact that the premier college of this ancient town namely the Government Arts College is proudly acclaimed as the "Cambridge of South India". The famous Mathematician Ramanujam studied at this Institution. The town has gained importance especially for the silk and metal manufacturing activities.