Kanchipuram 

Kanchipuram, the Golden City of a thousand temples, and one of the seven sacred cities of India, is 71 km from Madras. It was, successively, the capital of the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Rayas of Vijayanagar. During the 6th and 7th centuries, some of the best temples in the city were built by the Pallavas. 

The city was also a great seat of learning. Sri Sankaracharya, Appar, Siruthonder and the great Budddhist Bhikku lived, and worked here. Today, it is known not only for its temples, but also for its handwoven silk fabrics. 

Places To See  

Sakkiswarar Temple

Built by the Cholas, this temple is located near the Kamakshi Amman Temple.

Vaikuntha Perumal Temple

An important Vishnu temple built by the Pallava King Nandivarman Pallavamalla, in the 7th century AD. Numerous inscriptions are found in the temple, relating to the wars between the Pallavas and the Chalukyas.

Kailasanatha Temple

Built by Rajasimha and his son Mahendra the 3rd, in the 8th centuryAD.

Ekambareswarar Temple

Another ancient temple, renovated by the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagar kings. The 57 metre high Rajagopuram, is one of the tallest towers in South India.

Devarajaswamy Temple

Also known as Varadarajar temple, it is a massive and impressive edifice. The shrine of Devarajaswamy is located on an elephant-shaped rock called Hastagiri.

Kamakshi Amman Temple

This is one of the three holy places of Shakti worship in India. The other two are in Madurai and Varanasi. The temple in its present form was built by the Cholas, during the 14th century AD.  

Festival 

The festivals that are celebrated with great pomp and show, are the Brahmothsavam, Garudothsavam and the Chariot festival. 

Ajmer Sharief (Rajasthan) | Pushkar (Rajasthan) | Badrinath (Uttar Pradesh) Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) | Rishikesh (Uttar Pradesh) | Kedarnath (Uttar Pradesh) Haridwar (Uttar Pradesh) | Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) | Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) | Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) | Tanjavur (Tamil Nadu) Trichy (Tamil Nadu) | Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu) | Basilica of Bom Jesus (Goa) Velangani (Tamil Nadu) | Bhubaneshwar (Orissa) | Konark (Orissa) | Puri (Orissa) Amarnath (Jammu & Kashmir) | Vaishno Devi (Jammu & Kashmir) | Tabo (Himachal Pradesh) | Buddhist sites (Himachal Pradesh) | Kangra Valley (Himachal Pradesh) Bodhgaya (Bihar) | Pawapuri (Bihar) | Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) | Sikh shrines (Amritsar) | Shirdi (Maharashtra) | The Modhera Sun Temple (Gujarat) | Madurai (Tamil Nadu)