Kanchipuram is located on the Palar River, and known for its temples and silk sarees. It is the city of thousand temples, is one of the seven most sacred pilgrim centres for the Hindus. There now remain about 126 temples in Kanchi and a few more in its outskirts. The city was the capital of the Early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC and a Pallava capital between the 6th and 8th centuries. Kanchipuram silk sarees are woven manually. These sarees are considered to be of the highest quality.

ATTRACTIONS

Ekambareswarar Temple

Originally built by the Pallavas, the Cholas later reconstructed this large Siva temple. Here, Lord Siva is worshipped as Earth or Prithvi, which is one of the five elements.

Vaikunta Perumal Temple

This Vaishnavite temple dates back to the 8th century and was built by Nandivarma Pallava. Battle scenes depicting Pallava valour are carved on the panels surrounding the main prakaram.

Varadaraja Temple

Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this temple was built by the Vijaynagar kings and the presiding deity is Devarajaswamy. The 100-pillared hall of this temple proves the mastery of the sculptors of Vijayanagara in fine artists. Among the best pieces are the severed halves of a large chain carved out of a single stone and the figures of the God of Love and his consort astride a swan and a parrot respectively

Handloom Industry

Kanchipuram's exquisite silk sarees are woven from pure mulberry silk in contrasting colours and have an enviable reputation for texture, lustre, durability and finish. More than 5,000 families are engaged in this industry and their spectacular creations are marketed by a number of co-operative socities, located all over the state.