Top Tourist Places To Visit in Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram is a small town in Tamil Nadu that serves as an important pilgrimage centre for Hindus. It is counted amongst the seven places where a person can attain moksha. Although, this town was a prominent Buddhist centre in South India, there are no traces of their culture here now. Kanchipuram was the capital of Pallava kingdom from the 4th to the 10th century and it has also been under the rule of Cholas, Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Carnatic kingdom, and the British.

In the earlier days, this town used to be a major centre for learning. It was referred to as the ghatikasthanam, meaning ‘place of learning’. Kanchipuram is a Sanskrit version of the Tamil word Kachipedu. ‘Ka’ refers to Lord Brahma and ‘anchi’ means his worship of Lord Vishnu here. This town if often referred to as Kanchi or Kanjeevaram. Presently, Kanchipuram is famous for its silk weaving.

Climate & Geography

The town of Kanchipuram is situated on the banks of Vegavathi River. The ground has an average elevation of 83.2 m with an almost flat topography and slopes down from south and east. The climate is hot and humid almost throughout the year. Summers are very extreme while winters are mildly cool but with high levels of humidity. There are frequent cyclones in this region during monsoon period.

Transportation

Kanchipuram is accessible by trains and roads directly. Airports of nearby cities can be used.

Air: The nearest airport is at Chennai which has great domestic and international connectivity. The city is around 72 km from there.

Rail: The railway station of Kanchipuram has passenger trains for Chennai and Tirupati. Express train service is received twice a week.

Roadways: This city is linked with others through NH4 that touches the outskirts of the city. Frequent buses are available from Chennai, Bangalore and Mammalapuram.

Local Transport: The town is not very big and most places can be walked to. Other modes of transport available are rickshaws and taxis.

Shopping & Entertainment

Kanchipuram is an important centre for silk weaving. Tourists can look out for silk fabrics, sarees, stoles and scarves. Mahatma Gandhi Road is where you will find most shops. On some evenings the Kanchi Mutt holds kutcheris, classical music concerts in South Indian, which can be enjoyed.