Kanchipuram, also called Conjeeveram,
city, northern Tamil
Nadu state, southeastern India. It is located on the Palar River, about 25 miles (40 km) east-southeast of Arcot and on the road and rail routes between Chennai (Madras; northeast) and Bengaluru (Bangalore; west) in Karnataka state.
Kanchipuram is one of the most-ancientcities of southern India and traces its history to the 2nd century BCE as an
early Chola capital. From the 3rd to the 9th century CE, it was the Pallava capital,
and from the 10th to the 13th century, it served as the late Chola government
headquarters. An important Vijayanagar town
from the 15th to the 17th century, it was conquered by Muslim and Maratha armies in the 17th century and by the British in the
18th century, after which it was twice sacked by the French.
Throughout its history, Kanchipuram
remained an important pilgrimage Centre. In its early years it was a Jain and Buddhistcentre of learning, and the great Hindu philosopher Ramanuja(traditionally dated 1017–1137) was
educated there. Now considered one of the seven great sacred Hindu cities in
India, it contains 108 Shaiva and
18 Vaishnava temples. Also a modern center
of learning, it has several colleges affiliated with the University of Madras in Chennai
There are some place in Kanchipuram for
site seeing:
KanchiKamakshi
temple is situated at about 5 acres of land and has four entrances. The main
entrance of the temple has a Kalabhairavar deity on its left and the
MahishasuraMardini deity on the right. On the centre of the entrance you can
see a huge Dwajasthampa. Moving further to the entrance of the Kamakshi deity
you can see a Vinayaga deity. Moving on a straight line further, Goddess Kamakshi
is visible. Goddess Kamakshi is surrounded by deities of Ayyapan, Saraswati,
Annaporani and Adisankaracharya on its outer prakaram. The Goddess also has
Varahi, ArupalakshmiKalvarperumal (one of the 108 DivyaDesam of
Vaishanavities), Roopalakshmi and Arthanariswarar deities surrounding the
sanctorum of Goddess on its GayatriMandapam. There is Santhanasthampam inside
the prakaram of Goddess which is called the Nabisthan of the Goddess. There is
a SrichakraYantra (Sri KamakotiPeetam) established by Jagadguru Sri
Adisankaracharya in front of the Goddess deity. There is also a temple tank
inside the premises. Kamakshi temple has a close relation with the SriKanchiKamakotiPeetam and its successive Sankarcharyas. The temple has a gallery
of Adisankarcharya's Life history inside the temple premises itself. Goddess
Kamakshi is the main deity and the temple is one of the fifty one Shakti
peetas. The temple is spelled as Nabisthana - Ottiyanapeetam. The temple also
has a golden Gopuram on the sanctorum of the Goddess Kamakshi deity which is
visible to all devotees.
Sri UlagalandaPerumal Temple
is one of popular hindu temple dedicated to lord Vishnu. This Vaishnava temple
was built by Pallavas,Medievalcholas, vijayanagar kings and Madurai nayaks. The
temple house thirukkarvaanam, thirukaaragam and the other two divyadesams. This
massive temple is thousand-year-old construction. The temple exhibits its
amazing architecture and serene beauty. The temple opens with the sunrise with
aarti and archanas. Devotees flock to Kanchipuram to workship the deities and
also to enjoy the local produce and other interesting pieces of stuff.
Where Lord Shiva was
worshipped by the 'Koorma'(tortoise) incarnation of Lord Vishnu is the temple
of Kachabeswarar. In this temple in the small village of Thirukkachur in
Kancheepuram resides Lord Shiva as Kachabeswarar and Goddess Soundarambikai.
The idol is considered to be 'swayambhu'. Mythology describes that Lord Brahma
and Saraswathi also worshipped Kachabeswarar in this temple. It is also
believed that asura guru Sukracharya worshipped here to get Mruthsanjeevini and
Vajrayakkai. Another story associated with the temple describes how the Lord
himself, in disguise of a Brahmin, performed Bhiksha to feed his devotee SriSundaramurthyNaayanaar who was tired and hungry due to the long walk to the
temple.
VaradharajaPerumalTemple located in the city of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu. It is one of the 108 DivyaDesams dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is of
immense religious importance. It is also believed that the Alwars or the poetic
saints visited this temple. The temple complex is expansive and is a work of
worship that was built during the reign of the Chola Kings. It is, hence, also
of great historical importance. Devotees of Lord Vishnu from all over the world
visit the temple to seek blessings in Vishnu Kanchi especially during the
10-day VaikasiBrahmmotsavam, Purattasi Navaratri and VaikundaEkadasi. The
majestic architecture of the temple complex and the intricate carvings are sure
to mesmerise one and all. The serene vibe of this scared spot is so surreal and
unexplainable that one really has to visit the temple to experience it.
LordShiva, the supreme ascetic and god of the Hindu pantheon, is worshipped all
across India. His temples can be located in every part of the country but
nowhere more than Tamil Nadu would you get a chance to see them in number. The
land of temples, Tamil Nadu boasts of housing around 2,500 Shiv Temples that
hold great importance for the Hindus. Amongst all the ancient temples of Tamil
Nadu, Kailasnathar temple in Kanchipuram is the oldest one.
Located
in the Kanchipuram city of Tamil Nadu, Kailasanathar temple was built during
685 A.D. to 705 A.D. The Pallava ruler, Rajasimha started the construction of
the temple but it was completed by his son Mahendra Varma Pallava. The
architecture of the temple is a fine example of the Dravidian style of
architecture carved out of sandstone. 58 small shrines with different forms ofLord Shiva surround the main shrine. The walls of the temple are adorned with beautiful
paintings and sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati in different
postures. According to the popular belief the temple served as a shelter to the
king at the time of battles.
Kanchipuram is renowned for its magnificent
Silk Sarees. Silk Sarees are a cultural icon in South India. Ranging in length
from 6-9 yards, these Sarees are worn by women during auspicious occasions like
a wedding or a birthday. There are more than 5000 families who are into the
business of silk weaving. The sarees are weaved from pure mulberry silk thread.
We will visit one such Weaver and it will be a memorable experience.
The traditional loom is an
incredible machine used by the silk weavers to magically convert the silk threads
into a beautiful Kanchipuram Silk Saree.
AdiKesava Temple (also called Ramanujar
Temple) is dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu located in Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram
district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian
style of architecture, dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as AdiKesava and
his consort Lakshmi as Amirtagadavalli. The temple is believed to be the
birthplace of Ramanuja, the exponent of Vishishtadvaita philosophy. The gold
plated shrine in front of the hall of Ramanuja is built by the Maharaja of
Mysore.
Variousfestivals are celebrated in the temple, with the ChitiraiBrahmotsavam,MasiPooram festival during February – March and PanguniUthiram festival duringMarch – April being the most prominent. During ChittiraiBrahmotsavam, the
temple car housing the festival deities of Adikesava and Yathirajanathavalli is
drawn around the steerts of Sriperumbudur. The festival car was not operational
for the 25 years preciding 2003 and was resumed from 2003. The festival is
followed by ThiruavadaraUtsavam of Ramanuja, the birthday festival of the saint.
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