Kanchipuram, Of Temples and Silk

Kanchipuram is a city that boasts a thousand temples among which a few are thousand years old. With numbers like that and cultural history overflowing, Kanchipuram is a must-visit not only to the religious but also to the historians, foodies and shopaholics!Starting from the grandeur of the Pallavas in the 4th century to the Cholas in the 9th and the majestic flourish of the Vijayanagara Empire and the British Raj, Kanchipuram has only gained from its rulers and dwellers. The main propogater of Vishishtadvaita or qualified nondualism, a Vedantic school, hails from Kanchipuram. The Kanchi matha is the main place where this school of philosophy is now preached. Apart from that, there are many more temples with exquisite architecture that are sure to appeal to your better nature.Heres a chance to take a dip in what remains of the old world charm. From great historical significance to recent springs, youll find temples of all ages and sizes here at Kanchipuram. Some of the most important ones are listed here.Photo Courtesy: seeveeaar 1400 years old and one of the panchabhoota sthalams, Ekambareswarar temple is located to the north of Kanchipuram. This is the oldest and the largest temple in the city. The gopuram here is one of the tallest in all of India. Goddess Parvati is worshipped here and was mostly built around 6th century. Goddess Kamakshi is seated in the yogic posture of Padmasana. This is a shakti peetha generally associated with Sankaracharya.Photo Courtesy: Satz007 Originally built by the Pallavas and later contributed to by the Cholas, the Vaikunta Perumal temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple celebrates Vaikunta Ekadashi every year in the month of December or January depending on the Tamil calendar.Photo Courtesy: Sridhar.selvaraj Built in the 7th century, the Kailasanathar temple is one of the most beautiful temples in Tamil Nadu. Situated on the banks of river Vedavathi, Kailasanathar temple was built by a Pallava king mostly using limestone. The high walls and low bass relief seem perfect in every way.Photo Courtesy: Keshav Mukund Kandhadai The propogater of Vishishtadvaita, Ramanujam is said to have resided in this temple. Hence, the temple is a centre for important religious activities of the Sri Vaishnavism sect.Photo Courtesy: H. Grobe The temples and architecture apart, Kanchipuram is the famous silk city of India. 400 years ago, weavers settled in the town and till today produce the most incredible quality sarees with pure gold and silver thread running along the sarees.Photo Courtesy: Sudhamshu Hebbar Located 280 km from Bangalore and only 72 km from Chennai, Kanchipuram is easily accessible by road.Photo Courtesy: Ashok Prabhakaran