Kanchipuram and nearby Temples

KANCHIPURAM AND NEARBY TEMPLES

Kanchipuram is at a distance of 72 kms from Chennai and South-West of Chennai, on the Chennai-Bangalore route.  It can be reached from Chengalpattu too and is at a distance of 35 kms from Chengalpattu.  Suburban train services are available from Chennai and train services are also available from Chengalpattu.  It is on the banks of the River Vegavati, a tributory of Palar river.  In early Tamil literature it was named as Kachi or Kachipedu and formed part of the Thondai Mandalam.    Pallavas, Chozhas, Vijayanagar Samrajaya, Mughals and later British had control of this place.  Buses connect Maduranthakam via Uttiramerur.  Uttiramerur is 26 kms from Kanchipuram.
The Matam of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam established by Adi Sankara is at 1.5 kms from the Bus stand.  The Manimandapam of the Mahaperiyava, his holiness Sree Chandrasekara Saraswathi is in Orikkai which is at a distance of 4 Kms in the Kanchipuram-Uttiramerur route.     The temple city of Kanchipuram is also famous for the Silk Sarees made from handlooms.  The sarees are famous , made out of pure mulberry silk and Zari for the sarees come from Gujarat.  Being a city of temples, lot of shops are available selling pooja items.  

The famous Kamakshi Amman temple is at about 1 km from Bus Stand and on the way is Ulakalantha perumal temple in Vamana Agraharam.  Just beside the Kamakshi amman temple, is the Kumarakottam of Lord Baladhandayuthapani on the west Raja street and this area is also called as Periya Kanchipuram.   The Ekambaranathar temple is in Siva Kanchi area and is at 4 kms from the Bus Stand.   Kachchabeswarar temple is very near to the Bus Stand within half a km.   Kamakshi is the main deity of kanchipuram and all other Siva temples do not have the Ambal Sannidhis.  

Importance of Kanchipuram can be seen from the saying:
Pushpeshu Jhati : Purusheshu Vishnu: Naarishu Ramba: Nagareshu Kanchi: oksh

Also it is one of the seven Mokshapuris.“Ayodhya Madhura Maya Kasi Kanchi Avantika!
Puri Dwarakavathi Saiva Sapthaithate Mokshadaiyeka!”

Devaraja Perumal temple is at a distance of 3.5 kms from the Bus Stand.  Presently, it has the importance of the Aththi Varadhar giving darshan here, the deity being taken out of the temple tank, once in 40 Years.

                                                    Ekambareswarar temple

Kamakshi Amman temple

                                                    Kachabareswarar temple

                                                      Kumarakottam

                                                 Ulagalantha Perumal temple

                                            Devaraja Perumal temple

Aththivaradhar of Devaraja Perumal temple gives darshan once in 40 years. Presently from 1st of July 2019, for 48 days - darshan can be had of him.

Kanchipuram is flooded with various handloom weaver societies selling the Silk Sarees in smaller outlets apart from big multi-storied shops.  The speciality of the Kanchipuram Silk Sarees is - the body and the pallu join together with a zigzag pattern known as pitni and sometimes the border also is made separately and the three joined together.  The joining of the three is known as "Korvai" and is done with such a precision, that even if the saree wears out and tears, the border wont detach.   Zari is made up of three silk threads twisted with a silver wire and thus it also contributes for the weight of the saree, some going upto 2 Kilos.

Manimandapam, Orikkai
Apart from the Kanchi Mutt at Kanchipuram, the Manimandapam of Mahaperiyva of kanchi Mutt H H Sree Chandrasekara Saraswathi is in Orikkai, which is 4 kms from Kanchipuram Bus Stand.   Kumbhabhishekam of the Paduka Mantapam was celebrated grandly on January 28 2011, performed in the presence of His Holiness Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal and His Holiness Sri Sri Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal.  The Vimanam housing the Sanctum Sactorum is 100 feet tall.  A beautiful granite Vigraha of the Sage is blessing the devotees from this Moolastanam.  A hundred pillared Mahamantapam has come up in front of the above mentioned Vimanam.  A Rudrakshamantapam adorns the Sanctum Sactorum.  On both sides of this Mantapam have been carved the imposing Kalachakras, with the figures of all the twelve Rasis.  The ball in the mouth of the Yali sculptured on the pillar can not be taken out,  though it is not fixed there-it can be rolled within. The Chain, Siva's Pradosha Tandavam, Dakshinamurti, AdiSankaracharya, Guru Parampara, images of Kanchi Mahaswami, the elephant on the side and the Nandi are so beautiful.  The main Nandhi is of a single stone weighing around 50 Tonnes.  The stem of DEEPASTAMBAM is a single stone of 42 feet in length. On top of it a small 3’x3’x5’ mandapam is arranged in pieces with 4 legs.  The stem was erected on 22.4.2016.
                                           Mahaperiyava Manimandapam Orikkai

 Mahaperiyava vigraha in Manimandapam

Separate blogs have been posted on each of the temples.


Uttiramerur

Uttiramerur is at 26 kms in the Kanchipuram-Madhuranthakam route and in this route only at a dsitance of 4kms from Kanchipuram Bus stand, is Orikkai, where Mahaperiyava's Manimandapam has been constructed.  Uttiramerur is a small place and within a radius of 3 kms all the temples here can be seen.
The temples at this place are: 1. Sundaravaradharaja Perumal 2. Balasubramaniam 3. Kailasanathar 4. Vaikunda Perumal and 5. Irattai Easwarar temple.  Separate blogs for the temple have been posted except for Irattai Easwarar temple.

Links for the individual temple posting will be added here shortly.
1. Sree Kamakshi Amman Temple, Kanchipuram
https://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/sree-kamakshi-amman-temple-kanchipuram.html 

2. Sree Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram
https://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/ekambareswarar-temple-kanchipuram.html

3. Sree Devaraja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram
https://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/devaraja-perumal-temple-kanchipuram.html

4. Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram
https://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/ulagalandha-perumal-kanchipuram.html

5. Kumarakottam Subramanyar Temple, Kanchipuram
https://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/kumarakottam-kanchipuram.html

6. Kachabeswarar temple, Kanchipuram
https://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/kachabeswarar-temple-kanchipuram.html

7. Sundaravaradharaja Perumal Temple, Uttiramerur
https://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/sundara-varadha-raja-perumal.html 

8. Balasubramaniyar Temple, Uttiramerur
htmlhttps://sarayutoayodhya.blogspot.com/2019/07/balasubramaniam-temple-uttiramerur.html 

9.