Kanchipuram, the ancient capital of the Pallavas is renowned as the city of temples.

Kanchipuram district falls in the north-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu. It stands adjoining the Bay of Bengal and Chennai and is surrounded by Vellore, Thiruvannamalai district and Thiruvallur district. There are seven sacred cities in India and Kanchipuram is one of them. It is renowned for its art and culture and is famous for thousands of temples.

Travelling in India becomes an enriching experience when you include Kanchipuram in your travel itinery.

History of Kanchipuram

Between the 4th to the 9th century under the Pallavas, Kanchipuram emerged as a city of learning. All three languages of Tamil, Sanskrit and Telugu flourished here. In fact as a seat of learning in ancient India, it came second only to Benaras. It is believed that even Buddha had visited Kanchipuram.

This city also served as the capital of the Pallava empire. It also enjoyed maritime significance with the construction of port at Mamallapuram. Trade with China and the Far East flourished.

Kanchipuram between the 10th to the 13th century was ruled by the Cholas and later by the Vijayanagar kings between the 14th to the 17th century.

However this great centre of learning saw a decline first under the Mughals and later under the British.

Tourism in Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram has been the hub of languages, culture and religion.It is also said that the Tamil language originated from this place. A package tour can be a simple solution to sightseeing here so that you ensure you visit all that this lovely temple city has to offer.

There are many reasons which make Kanchipuram so famous. And among them are its hand crafted and machine woven famous silk sarees and fabrics from a traditional home industry. The weavers make the sarees using premium grade silk and gold thread. Thus it is also known as silk city.

Places of attraction

The main places of visit here are the magnificent temples made which a distinct architecture bearing testimony of the splendid Dravidian heritage. The the ancient temples resemble a South Indian style of temple structure and was built by rulers of various dynasties over the years. The architecture of these temples are inspiring, enlightening and unique from each other. Among them are the Kailasanatha temple dedicated to Lord Shiva built by the Pallava king Rajasimha in 7^th century AD in Dravidian style of architecture. It is also the oldest temple of the town. Another temple is the Sri Ekambarabathar Temple where Lord Shiva is worshipped. This is the biggest temple here covering 12 hectares of land. Kamakshi Amman Temple also boasts of impressive structure and is dedicated to Goddess Parvathi. Devarajaswami temple is a huge temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the sculpted pillar is a thing of beauty here. Vaikuntha Perumal temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is another important temple of the region. Adi Sankaracharya established the Sankaracharya 'Math' here and it is also an interesting place of sightseeing here.

Among other places of interest for the tourist are Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Mahabalipuram, Kishkintha, Uthiramerur, Queen’s Land theme park and Vedanthangal birds sanctuary.

Make your vacation in India a divine experience with a visit to Kanchipuram. There are many package tours to India available with us that will ensure you have a great trip.