City-information for Tirukkalikundra

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Tirukkalikundram means the "Hill of the Sacred Kite" (tiru-sacred, kaliki-kites, kundram-hill), It is 14 km west of Mamallapuram, 60 km southwest of Madras, and 65 km east of Kanchipuram. This place is famous because of two birds that have come here to eat almost every day for hundreds of years. Lord Caitanya came here.

There is an interesting fairly large Siva temple at the base of the hill with huge gopurams. There is a tank called Sangutirtha (sangu means conch) at the southeast end of the village. Every 12 years there is a Valampiri (right-turned) conch found in it that is then displayed in the Siva temple in the village. To have possession of a right-turned conch is considered good luck, and it is considered auspicious to just look at such a conch.