Kanchipuram

Overview

Kanchipuram is a temple town in Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu, about 72 km south-west of Chennai, and the home of Kanjeevaram silk. It suits pilgrims, lovers of early stone architecture and anyone shopping for a sari, and Tamil Nadu Tourism recommends October to February, before temperatures average 37.5 C from April to July.

The town was a Pallava capital from the 6th to the 9th century, and Hindu tradition counts it among the seven holiest cities, the Sapta Puri. The Kailasanathar Temple dates from about 700 CE, raised by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman II on granite foundations with a sandstone superstructure. It is kept up by the Archaeological Survey of India, and its sculpture includes Shiva as Umamaheshvara and as Ardhanariswara. A narrow passage inside, which devotees crawl through, is known as the Gate of Death and the Gate of Birth.

Larger and later temples fill the rest of the town. The Ekambareswarar Temple is dedicated to Shiva as the earth element in the Pancha Bhoota set, and its southern gateway tower reaches close to 59 m. It also has a thousand-pillared hall from the Vijayanagara period and a mango tree that is believed to be some 3,500 years old. The Varadharaja Perumal Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu, with a 100-pillar hall that includes a chain carved from one block of stone and gilded lizards at the sanctum. Its fig-wood Athi Varadar image comes out once in 40 years, last in 2019. The Kamakshi Amman Temple, on about 5 acres, is counted among the 18 principal Shakta pithas.

Silk is the other reason to come. Kanchipuram saris received a Geographical Indication in 2005 to 2006, and the district administration describes about 50,000 weavers working through roughly 24 cooperative societies. Weavers use mulberry silk with gold zari, and the body and the border are woven as separate pieces and then interlocked, a seam that holds well. For a purchase, ask about the GI standard, which sets criteria for zari and weight and requires weaving within the region.

Annual rainfall is about 1,104 mm, most of it with the north-east monsoon, so plan outdoor walking between temples for the cooler months.

Known for

A Pallava sandstone temple of about 700 CE, maintained by the ASI