Kanchipuram

Kancheepuram

Yards and yards of woven grandeur, colorful silk saris are the first thought that flashes across anybody's mind when they hear of Kanchipuram. A town with thousand temples and incredibly rich in traditions and culture, Kanchipuram is located about an hour's drive from Chennai. Kanchipuram is situated in the River of Vegavati. Famous poet Kalidasa in his works has described Kanchipuram as the best among all the cities just as jasmine is the sweetest in the midst of all other flowers.

Temples of Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram is portrayed as one among the seven most sanctified pilgrim hubs of the Hindu religion. 108 temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva and 18 temples to Lord Vishnu. The famous Adi Shankara mutt is situated here. The temples of this town are renowned for their architectural beauty and have won admiration from all over the world for their grand edifices. Festivals are held in the temple all throughout the year and the car festivals are held in the months of January, April and May.

Silk city - Kanchipuram

Home to thousands of weavers, Kanchipuram is a well known for its flourishing silk weavers. The weavers have settled down in Kanchipuram for the past 400 years. Their weaving is said to be flawless and the weaves are highly sought after. Weavers choose mulberry silk to weave their exotic splendors thereby adding to the fabric's reputation for quality, finish, durability and sheen. The weavers use high quality gold threads, which add on to the glamour and cost of the saris. It is little wonder that attractive Kanchipuram sarees are much sought after for weddings, festivals and celebrations.

Places of interest in and around Kanchipuram

Anna memorial: Dr.C.N.Annadurai, the scholarly statesman was born in Kanchipuram and his ancestral house located here has been converted into a memorial.

Enathur: This village has been chosen by the Shankara mutt to establish a University for advanced learning and it is situated 5 kms from Kanchipuram. History speaks volumes about the learned and the learning methods of Kanchipuram and also states that after Benaras, Kanchipuram was the city with the maximum number of scholars and learned people. The library in this university has manuscripts relating to numerous subjects sculpted on palm leaves and has a huge collection of ancient books.

Tiruparuthi Kundram: Located 5 kms from Kanchipuram, this place is the centre of Jainism. The location is idyllic, on the southern banks of River Vegavathi.

Kanchipuram is well connected by road and rail. By road it is connected to all the major cities in Tamilnadu and by rail it has a station on the Chengalpattu-Arakonam line. The nearest airport is in Chennai.