Kanchipuram Temples

Kanchipuram
Ancient Kanchipuram, 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.

Temples in kanchipuram are torchbearers of the glorious heritage of the Kanchipuram District and are repositories of the magnificient art forms that evolved over several centuries.

Sri Ekambareswara Temple: The most famous Siva temple at Kanchi is the Ekambareswara temple. The dimensions of this temple are reflected in its 20 - acre spread and its tall south gopuram which soars to a height of 58.5m.



Sri Kailasanathar Temple: Kailasnathar temple is built by Rajasimha of the pallava dynasty during 'the first quarter of the eighth century. The temple is built of red sandstone and has innumerable carvings of Pallava art, of which the Urdhva Tandava dance of Siva and the laughing face of Parvati are worth seeing. The architecture of this temple resembles the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram.



Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple: The centre of attraction in Vishnu Kanchi is the temple of varadarajaswamy situated on the top of Hastigiri or Elephant Hill.The Vijayanagar kings constructed this temple. The whole temple covers an area of about 23 acres. The sculptural beauty of the pillars is amazing. Ornamental rings carved out of single stone at the Four Corners of the mandapam in the form of a chain are a delightful spectacle.




Sri Kamakshiamman Temple: Kanchi is sacred as one of the three Sakti peethas of India. Kamakshi is said to be the Supergoddess, Parasakti, having Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati as her eyes. She blesses all that dedicate themselves to her. The sanctum sanctorum faces southeast in the centre of Gayatri Mandapam. The tradition says that there was a delightful grove of Champaka trees around the main temple now known as Gayatri Mandaparn.



Sri Ulagalandar Temple: This vaishnava Temple was bulit in chola period .The main deity of this temple is 35 feet high and 24 feet wide posing with one foot on earth and the other on the sky. This form is called Trivikrama.This temple is one of the 108 Divya Desam's of Lord Vishnu.



Sri Vaikunda Perumal Temple: This temple is built by The Pallava ruler, Nandivarman in the seventh century AD.Sri Vaikunda Perumal temple is famous for its architecture. The Lord is in the sitting posture. The Goddess is known as Sri Vaikunthavalli Tayar. It has great sculptures and inscription which speak of its history and the history of the city itself. Its inner walls are decorated with lion shaped pillars.



Sri Kacchapaeswarar Temple: Kacchapa Eswarar temple was built by pallava Dynasty.In this temple, siva appears as being worshipped by vishnu in the form of turtle (kurmemerali)."Kacchapam" is a Sanskrit word for "Turtle".hence the name "Kacchapa Eswarar Temple".



Sri Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple: This temple of Vijayaraghava Perumal is one of the 108 Divyadesams where Lord Rama is said to have performed the funeral rites for Jatayu, the giant bird which valiantly fought to prevent Ravana from abducting Sita, the wife of Lord Rama to Lanka.


Jain Temples at Tirupparuthikkundram: Kanchipuram is an important landmark in the history of the Jains. Many of the Pallava kings belonged to Jainism.The temples of the Jaina Tirthankaras were built in the Ninth Century A.D. The temples contain several fresco paintings and a grand image of Bhagwan Mahaveer.

Sri Subramaniya Swami Temple: Subramaniya swami temple was built around 1915. For Hindus on a pilgrimage trip, this temple is a mandatory place to visit. It gains its significance due to its location. The way this temple is located in the city is a rare phenomenon mentioned in Hindu scriptures. It is called the "Soma Skandha" Posture.

Tanjore Paintings

Thanjavur paintings basically signify paintings created using a style and technique, which originated in Thanjavur during the maratha period in the 16th century.

A typical Thanjavur painting would consist of one main figure, a deity, with a well-rounded body & almond shaped eyes. This figure would be housed in an enclosure created by means of an arch, curtains etc. The painting would be made by the gilded and gem-set technique - a technique where gold leaves & sparkling stones are used to highlight certain aspects of the painting like ornaments, dresses etc.

The painting would be bright & colourful and breathtakingly beautiful. The impact in a darkened room is that of a glowing presence. While most of the paintings would depict the Child Krishna and his various pranks, paintings of other deities were also created.

Over a period of time changes have occurred in the stylization - for example, the figures are no longer round. Presiding deities of various famous temples are also being depicted in the paintings. The technique is now more in use than the style






THANJAVUR PAINTING is a peculiar, ancient, miniature type of painting named after the place Thanjavur [called Tanjore in English] in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of INDIA. Thanjavur district is famous for various arts and crafts in which paintings are ranked high among the other arts like Thanjavur Toys, Thanjavur Plates, etc. Its origin dates back to the Nayak & the Maratha period in the 16th century.

The Maratha rule of Thanjavur lasted for about 2 centuries from the late 16th century. The Thanjavur school of painting evolved in a period full of political chaos in South India. Thanjavur Paintings flourished under the patronage of the Nayak & Maratha princes in the 16th to the 18th centuries.

The art was practiced by two main communities namely - the RAJUS in THANJAVUR and TRICHY[a city near THANJAVUR] and NAIDUS in MADURAI[a city ruled by PANDIYAS]. The artists [Rajus & Naidus] who are originally Telugu speaking people from "Rayalseema" region, moved to Tamil Nadu in the wake of the Nayaks rule of Madurai & Tanjore. The paintings were rooted in tradition and innovation was limited. The art was sacred to those master craftsmen who chose to be anonymous and humble.

Sripuram Golden Temple situated in Vellore

A Mahalakshmi temple called 'Sripuram' and made of more than a tonne of pure gold will glitter and gleam under the sun on August 24 when it is unveiled for consecration by the Sri Narayani Peetam headed by a 31-year-old godman who calls himself Narayani Amma. Devotees hail the temple as 'one of the wonders of the world' and say that it is the only temple covered fully with gold.

More than 400 gold and coppersmiths from the Thirupath Thirumala Devasthanam are said to have worked for six years to craft the Rs 600-crore gold temple located on 55,000 sq ft of land on a 100-acre salubrious stretch in Malaikodi, about 6 km from Vellore in north Tamil Nadu. According to official sources, the gold bars were purchased through RBI in "a transparent manner."