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2 SUNDAY 6 MAY 2018 travelogue All About KANCHI From the opulent Silk Saree to the oldest in existence and more…

NEEHARIKA SATYAVADA Vaishnavite and Shaivite sects of , but for Buddhism and t has been said that the poet Jainism as well; and all through his- Kalidasa spoke of Kanchipu- tory at that. So, this quaint little Iram, thus, ‘As is jasmine town is known variously as Vishnu amongst flowers, Vishnu amongst Kanchi, Shiva Kanchi, Buddha men, Rambha amongst women, so Kanchi and Jina Kanchi. This is is Kanchi amongst cities!’ where Bodhidharma, the father Across the border from Andhra of Zen Buddhism and Shaolin Pradesh, on the banks of the river Kung Fu, hailed from. A Pallava makshi Am- Vegavathi in is Kanchi prince before he became a Buddhist man. While the Ekam- Kailashnath Temple or Kancheepuram. An ancient town bareswarar Temple is one of the the Sri steeped in religion and art. Even if five Pancha Bhoota Stalams, tem- Varadaraj Perumal Temple is also one isn’t an ardent follower of Hin- ples where each of the five ele- important in the fact that it is one duism, the name Kanchipuram still One of the cities chosen by ments of nature manifests in each of the hundred and eight Divya De- This is the one artisan town rings a bell. Because it is from this the Union Government to of idols of Lord Shiva in those five sams, temples dedicated to the in the country which has no town, southwest of , that be developed as a Heritage di�erent temples. What sets the Lord Vishnu. Also unique to this dearth of takers and a one of the most popular silk sarees City under the HRIDAY Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Kovil particular temple are the Golden of India, the Kanchi Pattu Cheera programme, Kanchipuram apart is that the Goddess Parvathi and Silver lizards carved into the majority of the population or Kanjeevaram Silk Saree come has more than one defining lives in this temple in three forms. ceiling of the temple, where devo- in town is profitably from. characteristic to be an Of which the Sri Chakram itself is tees to this day queue up to climb a engaged in the traditional The quintessential wedding sa- invaluable cultural asset to one. ladder and touch the lizards for a ree for every South Indian, this is And the sprawling complex of fee of two rupees. For these lizards occupation of weaving the one artisan town in the country the country which has no dearth of takers and a majority of the population in town is profitably engaged in the tradi- monk. Though there aren’t Bud- tional occupation of weaving. This dhist sites left here today, there are are believed to clear one of all the celebrated weave of pure silk and two ninth-century Jain temples negativity that they might have ac- zari is the very saree that the iconic and numerous important Hindu cumulated in this lifetime. While Rekha immortalised on almost Temples. the Kailasanathar Temple of the ex- every red carpet appearance of With one of the largest temple quisite sandstone is be- hers, proudly showcasing her Tamil towers in this part of the world, the lieved to be the oldest Hindu Tem- heritage. Ekambareswarar Temple with its ple in existence. And it isn’t just a wedding in the towering is the first sight Not to forget, Kanchi finds men- house that calls for a trip to this in- that greets you as you wind your tion even in the Garuda Puranam as teresting South Indian town. For way along the dusty lanes of town, a Mokshapuri. One of the seven sa- Kanchi has been the theological in search of the famous temple ded- cred cities with the power to grant command post not just for both the icated to the powerful Kanchi Ka- Moksha or salvation to anyone.

The Temple Tank in Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple

Kanchipuram is 74 kilometres from Chennai and 110 kilometres from . And can be reached from both cities by road in less than two hours FACT FILE FACT

Kanchi Amman Kovil A local weaver working on a Kanchi silk saree