This is one
of the important Vishnu temples which was built by Pallava King
Nandivarman Pallavamalla in the 7th century A.D. Numerous inscriptions
are found in this temple relating to the wars between the Pallavas
and Challukyas. The presiding deity Lord Vishnu is depicted in
sitting, standing and reclining postures.
This Pallava
temple was constructed in the 8th century and has an attractive
panel depicting Shiva and Parvathi in the midst of one of their
innumerable dance competitions. The architecture of this temple
resembles the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram.
Another ancient
temple of Kanchipuram, it has been renovated by the Pallavas,
the Cholas and the Vijayanagar Kings. The 57 metres (188")
high Rajagopuram is one of the tallest towers in South India.
The 2,501 - year old mango tree inside the temple has 4 branches
each yielding different varities of mangoes. This temple has
five spacious corridors (prakrams) and a beautiful 1,000 - pillar
hall.
Dedicated to
Lord Vishnu, this temple was built by the Vijaynagar kings and
the presiding deity is Devarajaswamy. The 100-pillared hall of
this temple proves the mastery of the sculptors of Vijayanagara
in fine artists. Among the best pieces are the severed halves
of a large chain carved out of a single stone and the figures
of the God of Love and his consort astride a swan and a parrot.
This is one
of the three holy places of Sakthi worship in India, the others
being Madurai and Varanasi. The temple in the present form was
built by the Cholas during 14th centuary A.D.
Kanchipuram
is the birth place of Dr. C.N. Annadurai, the scholar statesman,
affectionately called Anna - The Elder Brother - by the general
public. His ancestral house located here has been converted into
a memorial.
Rustic rural
setting adorn this village. Kanchi Sankara Mutt, has set up a
University for Advanced learning at Enathur. Library with ancient
books, palm leaf manuscripts on various subjects are housed in
this University comlex. 60 feet-high statue of Adi Sankara is
put up in the front of the University. Hundreds and thousands
of pilgrims and scholars frequent this place regularly.
Kanchipuram's
exquisite silk sarees are woven from pure mulberry silk in contrasting
colours and have an enviable reputation for texture, lustre,
durability and finish. More than 5,000 families are engaged in
this industry and their spectacular creations are marketed by
a number of co-operative socities, located all over the state.
The Tamil Nadu Handloom House offers attractive rebates.
Tiruparuthi
Kundram (5 kms)
This is a suburb of Kanch on the southern bank of the Vegavathi river.
It was a centre of Jainism.
Thiruthani,
lying to the west of Chennai, is one of the six abodes of Lord
Subramanya. Situated on a hill top, the temple is accessible
by road as well as by train. 365 steps lead to the hill which
represent the days of the year. Thiruthani is said to be the
place where the Lord married Valli - one of his two consorts.
The Karthigai festival which falls in December is celebrated
with great pomp here and it is one of the most crowded periods
of the year. This small town is also the birth place of Dr. S.
Radhakrishnan, a philosopher - statesman and former President
of India..
Vedanthangal
is one of the largest bird sancturies in India. It is a marshy,
30 hectare park with lake visited by over 1,00,000 migratory
birds every year. The majority of these birds can be seen between
November and February. The variety of birds include Herons, Darters,
Spoonbills, Pelicans, Sandpipers, White Ibis, Cormorants,Blue
winged teals and Swans.
An ancient
Siva Temple built according to silpa satras that contains inscriptions
about village administration in those days is situated here.
There is also an ancient Vaishnavite temple which is massive
in structure. It is also muti-storeyed with Astanga Vimana.
It is the birth
place of Saint Ramanujar, the Father of Visishtadvaida philosophy
of Vaishnavism and hence an important pilgirim centre for the
Vaishnavites. A memorial for Sri Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister
of India, is situated here. Tourist accommodation is available.
The new sprawling
1,265-acre Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur, the biggest in South
India, has, among other species, a superb collection of tropical
mammals, birds and reptiles. The animals are in vast natural
enclosures enabling them to move freely.