City-information
for Kanchipuram
Population 170,000
Kanchipuram is known as the "Golden City of Temples". It is considered one of the seven main sacred cities of India. It has over a hundred temples now, but at one time it is said to have had about one thousand. Kanchipuram is believed to give eternal happiness to one who goes there. Ramanujacarya lived in Kanchipuram during his youth, and Sri Caitanya visited here. Four of the Alwars-Pey Alwar, Poygai Alwar, Bhutatt Alwar, and Thirumalisai-were born within 50 miles of Kanchipuram. It is said that "Ka" (Brahma) "anchi" (worshiped) Lord Vishnu at this place and that is why the city was given the name Kanchipuram. Puram means"city". Kanchipuram is 71 km (45 miles) southwest of Madras on the Vegavati River and 64 km west of Mamallapuram.
Kanchipuram was the capital of the Pallavas rulers from the 7th to 9th centuries. It was also important during the Chola, Vijayanagar, and Nayaka periods. It is an ancient place. It was mentioned in the Mahabhasya, written by Patanjali in the 2nd century BC.
The city is divided into two main parts- Sivakanchi, which is the northern suburb, and Vishnukanchi, which is the extreme east section of town. There is a group of Jain temples south, across the river. Kailasanatha and Vaikuntha Perumal temples were the most important temples built by the Pallavas. Vardaraja, Kamakshi, and Ekambareswara temples were originally built by the Cholas, but were added onto by the Vijayanagar and Nayaka rulers. Most of the temples are open from sunrise. Many temples restrict entry to Hindus only.
There are thirteen Divya Desam temples in the area of Kanchipuram namely, Sri Vaikunthaperumal Temple, Sri Varadaraja Swami Temple, Sri Adi Varaha Perumal Temple, Pandavadootha Perumal Temple, Sri Deepaprakash Temple. Sri Yathoktakari Temple, Sri Alagiyasingar Temple, Sri Nilathingal Thundathan Perumal Temple in the Ekambareswara Temple, Sri Ashatabhuja Perumal Temple, Sri Pavalavannar Temple, Sri Ulagalanda Perumal Temple and Sri Vijaya Raghava Perumal Temple ( 7 km away). The Sri Ulagalanda Perumal Temple has four Divya Desams temples in it - Peragam and Ooragam (always mentioned together), Neeragham, Karagham, and Karvannam. If you visit these temples you should take into consideration that some of the less popular temples may have the same priest doing the worship at a few temples. This means that you may come to one of these temples and it may be closed. If possible it is best to try to find a rickshaw driver who knows what time each temple is open.
Kanchipuram is famous for its hand-woven silk fabrics and saris. The weavers use the highest quality silk and pure gold thread. This place is known to be the best source of high quality hand-woven silk items, and Varanasi is known to be the best place for machine made silk items.
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