Kanchipuram - History

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Kanchipuram - History

Welcome to Kanchipuram / Kanchi / Kancheepuram / Conjeevaram

Kanchipuram- "Golden City Of Temples" was believed to be the most attractive city of ancient India. This city is one of India's seven sacred cities and is considered the second holiest place in India next to Varanasi.

This city was the Historical Capital of the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagar rulers. It was under the Pallavas from 6th to 8th century A.D. It later became the citadel of the Cholas, Vijayanagar kings, the Muslims and the British. During Pallava times, it was briefly occupied by the Chalukyans of Badami, and by the Rastrakutas when the battle fortunes of the Pallava kings reached a low ebb. Many of these temples are the beautiful work of Pallavas and later, Cholas. The remains of a few Buddhist stupas here also bear testimony that Buddhism also prevailed here for a while. One of the Acharya Peetas of Sri Adi Sankaracharya - The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam is situated here. It has been a centre for Tamil learning and Culture for centuries and gives us a clear picture of the glorious Dravidian Heritage of the Vaishnavites and Shaivites.

Kanchipuram, the "Silken Paradise" is world renowned for the gorgeous hand-woven silk sarees of myriad rich colours, noted for their shine, finish and matchless beauty. The exquisite silk sarees are woven from pure mulberry silk in contrasting colours and have an enviable reputation for lustre, durability and finish. They reflect a weaving and dyeing tradition hundreds of years old and whose riches the West came seeking before the industrial age began.

The ancient Tamil empire spread out into what are now the states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, and some parts of Andhra Pradesh. There were three major Tamil kingdoms, namely the Chera, Chola, and the Pandiya kingdoms. In addition, there were smaller kingdoms like the Thondai and Kongu mandalams. Kanchipuram is believed to have been the capital city of the Thondai mandalam. There were periods when this region was under the rule of the Chola kingdom. It has also been under the Great Pallava dynasty for the longest period of time. The Pallava rule is said to have been the Golden period for the city of Kanchipuram, as well as Hindu arts and architecture. Each of the dynasties which ruled Kanchipuram has left historical monuments to speak of its glories.

In the early days, this city is said to have been built in the shape of a Peacock. Before the advent of Hinduism, this city had been a center for Buddhism. There have been a few monasteries in the city, from which monks travelled to eastern Asia to spread the religion. One among the prominent Buddhist monks who lived in the city is Bodhi Dharma.

When Buddhism later lost its roots in the country of its origin and continued to be practised in the south-eastern parts of Asia, Hinduism made Kanchipuram an entirely new city in all aspects. Kanchipuram and its neighboring cities became celebrated centers for Hindu architecture and arts. Not many of those monuments exist now. But, the region still has Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram to talk about the glory of the period.

Kanchipuram is one of the oldest cities in South India, and was a city of learning for both Tamil and Sanskrit, and was believed to be visited by Hsuan Tsang. It was during the reign of Pallava dynasty, from the 4th to the 9th centuries that Kanchipuram attained its limelight. The city served as the Pallava capital, and many of the known temples were built during their reign.

The king of Kanchi, Pallava Mahendravarman I was a great scholar and musician, a man of great intelligence and also a great playwright. Yuan Chwang, the great Chinese traveler, visited the city in the 7th century and said that this city was 6 miles in circumference and that its people were famous for bravery and piety as well as for their love of justice and veneration for learning. He further recorded that Buddha had visited the place.

As regards learning, Kanchi stood second in glory only to Banaras.The history of Kanchi can be traced back to several centuries before the advent of the Christian era. The place finds its name in Patanjali's Mahabhashya written in the second century BCE Manimekalai, the famous Tamil classic, and Perumpanatru Padai, a great Tamil poetical work, vividly describe the city as it was at the beginning of the Christian era. Pattupattu, one of the sangam literatures records that the king Thondaiman Ilandirayan ruled this town around 2500 years ago.

From the 3rd to the 9th century CE Kanchi was the capital of the Pallavas who ruled over the territory extending from the river Krishna in the north to the river Kaveri in the south. The Pallavas fortified the city with ramparts, moats, etc., with wide and well laid out roads and fine temples. They were a great maritime power with contacts with far-off China, Siam, Fiji, etc., through their chief Port Mamallapuram, the modern Mahabalipuram. The Cholas ruled this town from 10th century to 13th century. Kings of Vijayanagara dynasty ruled from 14th century to 17th century.

The temple tower, 192 feet height in Ekamabaranadhar temple and 100-pillar mandabam (building) in Varadaraja Perumal temple in this town are famous for the architectural techniques of Vijayanagara dynasty. Robert Clive, of the British East India Company, who played a major role in the establishment of British rule in India, is said to have presented an emerald necklace to this temple (the Clive makarakandi, still used to decorate the Lord on ceremonial occasions). Kanchi was a major seat of Tamil learning as well as an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Jains and Hindus. Once the seat of learning and religious fervour started its climb down from the Mughal invasions followed by three centuries of colonial rule under the British.

Kanchipuram - History

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