“City of thousand temples” – Kanchipuram

 It is quite usual for us to ignore the treasures around us and look for the distant contentment's. Often our faraway fantasies remain unfulfilled and we may feel so negative about our life. We rarely try to notice the beauty of our surroundings, rarely observe the uniqueness and hidden charm . Connecting more deeply with the place we live brings a different perspective on life. More than the distance we travel, it is understanding the people and nature that matters the most.

I knew about Kanchipuram, the “silk city” of India, an old Tamil town having the history of thousands of years, the numerous temples that spread over the city and the culture it beholds. 

Gopurams appeared on far distance while the train was nearing Kanchipuram. 

Streets were busy, narrow roads with more vehicles and people it can handle. Both sides occupied small shops selling Kanchipuram silk sarees. Temple priests, easily recognized by their attire and shaved head, were speeding through the traffic, their barefoot struggling with the break pedals. Ladies were busy picking up jasmine garlands from shops on their way to the temples. The smell of dosas made from the restaurants filled the streets. From the hyperactive streets, suddenly the roads diverged and entered to old and rustic Agraharams. The broken roof tiles, faded wall paints and the elder generation sitting on the verandah is another story of this city.

At a distance of about a kilometre, our rickshaw again stopped at Ekambareswar temple. The view of the gopuram itself was a relief for my little disappointment from the Kanchi Amman temple. The gopuram is huge and beautiful gopuram, one of the tallest in the country.  The architecture inside is enticing. The temple has a long corridor around and in the middle a 3500-year-old mango tree.

My guide was keeping a track of time since most of the temples will be closed at 12.30 PM after morning pujas. Whenever I took some more time at a place, he reminded to be quick. Anyway it helped, reached Varadharaja temple just before the closing time. There was a little last minute rush. Inside the temple, I was completely taken away by the wall paintings. These old paintings are not preserved well, the modern Indian “scribbling” culture ruined these old treasures. The pond outside the temple is large.

Actually, I had a reason for going Kanchipuram this time. Somewhere in the newspaper, I read about the special Kola idlis which are only available here. Only a  few restaurants prepare Kola idlis nowadays. Our guide helped this time also and took to a really good restaurant. The idlis are totally different from the normal one and they are delicious, even have cashew and pepper in it. The people who run the restaurant were really good.

Of all the temples in Kanchipuram I visited, the Kailasanathar temple was my best pick. It was the oldest temple and a great display of Pallava architecture. The carvings on sandstone are very intricate. I sat inside the temple compound for a quite long time, absorbed in the tranquillity of the place. The daylight was slowly withdrawing, the temples were silhouetted against the sky.