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March 6, 2021, Saturday - Kanchipuram Travel vlog Part 1
Kanchipuram is a temple city in Tamil Nadu located 76 km from Chennai and 280 km from Bangalore. It is one of the most sacred cities in south India and the second holiest after Varanasi. Kanchipuram is also known as “The City of Thousand Temples”.
On the way to Mahabalipuram, we visited this temple city.
This episode includes the history of two famous temples in Kanchipuram
1. Ekambaraswarar Temple
This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the southern gopuram, with 11 stories and a height of 58.5 meters, making it one of the tallest temple towers in India.
It is significant to Saivism as one of the temples associated with the five elements, the Pancha Bhoota Stalas, and specifically the element of earth, or Prithvi. Shiva is worshiped as Ekambaranathar and is represented by the lingam, with his idol referred to as Prithvi lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Elavarkuzhali.
2. Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple
While Ekambareswarar Temple is the largest shrine in Kanchipuram, Kailasanathar Temple is the oldest. Dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, it’s one of the earliest examples of Pallava architecture.
The temple’s sanctum sanctorum contains a unique 16-sided shivalinga (a symbol representing Lord Shiva) carved out of black granite. However, the structure’s most striking attribute is its sub-shrines, with numerous pillars decorated with sculptures or reliefs of minor deities.