At Kanchipuram, Shiva is Ekambareswara and embodies earth. Parvati is believed to have made a lingam out of sand which she worshipped under a mango tree here on the banks of the river.

At Kanchipuram, Shiva is Ekambareswara and embodies earth. Parvati is believed to have made a lingam out of sand which she worshipped under a mango tree here on the banks of the river. This tree was believed to yield only one fruit a year - Ekambara. In order to test her piety and devotion, Shiva made the river swell, but Parvati clung to the earthen lingam to protect it. Pleased with her devotion, Shiva came to rest in the lingam and stayed there as Ekambareswara. The lingam came to be known as the Prithvi (Earth) lingam.

Om Namah Shivay