Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram, Kanchi, or Kancheepuram (also sometimes Conjeevaram) is the name of a temple town and district in Tamil Nadu, India's southernmost state.

Kanchipuram is located on the Palar River, and known for its temples and silk sarees. There are several big temples, notably Kamakshi Amman Temple , Varadharaja Perumal Temple , Kumara Kottam , Kachapeshwarar Temple and many more. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silk sarees, which are woven manually and considered as a finest quality in India.

Kanchipuram district is in the northeast of Tamil Nadu, adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. It is bounded in the west by Vellore and Thiruvannamalai districts, in the north by Thiruvallur district and Chennai district, in the south by Villuppuram district. It lies between 11° 00' to 12° 00? North latitudes and 77° 28' to 78° 50' East longitudes. The district has a total geographical area of 4,432 km² and coastline of 57 km.

History

Kanchipuram is one of the oldest cities in South India, and was a city of learning for both Tamil and Sanskrit, and was allegedly visited by Hsuan Tsang. It was during the reign of Pallava dynasty, from the 4th to the 9th centuries that Kanchipuram attained its limelight. The city served as the Pallava capital, and many of the known temples were built during their reign.

The Kanchi Matha

Kanchipuram is also the seat of the Kanchi matha, an influential religious institution.

External links

• Homepage of local government
• Kanchipuram on the Web