Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram

Pastey93 · 22nd December 2021, 14:23

Background
On a random Thursday afternoon while I was working from home, my grandma called me and asked me to go visit Kanchipuram and take blessings of Goddess Kamakshi. I usually visit to one of the holy cities, temples during the last weeks of the year and this time it was Kanchipuram as suggested/advised by my grandma. Later, that evening my friend Shravan (hereinafter called as "KS") came home and I told him that I was planning to drive to Kanchipuram sometime soon and KS said he is free on the coming weekend and would like to join me if I was driving solo. Since KS was willing to tag along with me, I thought of driving to the city of temples - Kanchipuram with him.

We decided to drive to Kanchipuram on 18th Dec and return to Bangalore the next evening ie. 19th Dec.

Being winter time, we hoped that Kanchipuram wouldn't be very hot and we were right. The temperature varied between 27-30 degrees celsius.

Day 1
We started from Bangalore at around 5:30 am.

Route Taken:
Bangalore - Hosur - Shoolagiri - Krishnagiri - Ambur - Vellore - Kanchipuram

Driving on E-city flyover early morning is pure bliss.

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-1.jpg

We stopped at A2B, Arcot for breakfast around 8:30 am.

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-2.jpg

We reached Kanchipuram around 9:40 am and checked into our hotel (Niteesh Residency). It is a decent hotel with sufficient parking space and clean bathroom.
We took a nap till afternoon and then ordered pizza from dominos for lunch as both of us were lazy to step out for lunch and Kamakshi Amman Temple would open in the evening around 4:30 pm.

In the evening while going to Kamakshi Amman Temple, the hotel staff suggested us to take an autorickshaw and go as finding parking space near temple is a challenge. As suggested we took an autorickshaw which was easily available in front of the hotel who agreed to take us to the temple and drop us back to the hotel.

Kamakshi Amman Temple
Kamakshi Amman Temple is the one structure most associated with Kanchipuram’s religious heritage. Although details of the temple’s construction are unknown, the original structure is thought to have been built by the Pallava kings. The temple’s history is rich with myths and legends, often associated with Adi Shankara.The temple is also surrounded by vibrant street market, which sells everything from street food to clothing.

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-3.1.jpg

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-4.jpg

KS posing at the temple

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-4.1.jpg

KS and yours truly

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-4.22.jpg

While heading back to the hotel we stopped over and visited Ulagalantha Perumal Temple.

Later we came to the hotel, took the car and went to Varadaraja Perumal Temple.

Varadaraja Perumal Temple
This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It features over 350 inscriptions attributed to nearly all major dynasties of South India. The temple’s most striking architectural feature is the famous “100-pillared hall”, which has sculptures and relief structures depicting several important Hindu gods.

The temple was beautifully illuminated at the night and was a stunning sight.
The path leading to the temple

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-7.jpg

Main Gopuram

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-5.jpg

Kalyani

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-6.jpg

Rapid in front of one of the gopurams of the temple

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-8.jpg

We had dinner at Hotel Shri Ramanaans in Gandhi Road. Since it was dinner, they were not serving meals (thali) and we tried some north indian food and it was surprisingly tasty.

shatananda.k · 22nd December 2021, 15:15

I visited Kanchi couple of years back. The architecture is beautiful !
Had booked an auto for all temple darshans. They charged a nominal fee to take us around the town.

We too stayed in Niteesh. Only problem was with basement parking. Getting in and out was a real pain. Is it improved now ?

Pastey93 · 22nd December 2021, 16:05

Day 2

We had breakfast at SaiSangeet the next day, I had pudi plain dosa which was crispy and tasty, and KS had ven pongal and mini idilis which were yummy.

After having a filling and tasty breakfast we headed to Kailasanathar Temple.

Kailasanathar Temple
Kailasanathar Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, it’s one of the earliest examples of Pallava architecture. The temple’s sanctum 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 of minor deities. This temple is maintained by Archaeological Survey of India.

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-9.jpg

Intricate carvings found at this temple

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-10.jpg

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-11.jpg

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-12.jpg

We then headed to Ekambareswarar Temple.

Ekambareswarar Temple
Ekambareswarar Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. Its original structure was built by the Pallava Dynasty in the sixth century and underwent major changes under the rule of Tanjore Nayaks. During this period, the gopuram – a gatehouse tower which stands at 59 metres and is one of the tallest in the state – was constructed.

The magnificent Gopuram

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-13.jpg

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-13.1.jpg

Temple corridor

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-14.jpg

After taking the blessings from Lord Shiva, we headed back to our hotel to check out and start driving to Bangalore.

Route taken back to Bangalore:
Kanchipuram - Vellore - Ambur - Krishnagiri - Shoolagiri - Hosur - Bangalore

We stopped at Zaitoon, Ambur for lunch and had tasty sizzler

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-15.jpg

Smooth tarmac throughout

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-16.jpg

Beautiful sunset

Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram-17.jpg

Pastey93 · 22nd December 2021, 16:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by shatananda.k

I visited Kanchi couple of years back. The architecture is beautiful !
Had booked an auto for all temple darshans. They charged a nominal fee to take us around the town.

We too stayed in Niteesh. Only problem was with basement parking. Getting in and out was a real pain. Is it improved now ?

I did not park in the basement as the entry to the basement was too steep, they have a separate open parking space a little ahead in the same lane so parked my car there.

adisan · 22nd December 2021, 16:34

Nice write-up and pics!

There is an alternate route as well: Kanchipuram - Ranipet - Chittoor - Kolar - Hoskote - Bangalore

A list of more temples in Kanchipuram:

Adi Kamakshi Temple (not the same as Kamakshi Amman temple)
Makaleswarar Temple (special for Rahu and Ketu)
Vaikunta Perumal temple
Pandava Dootha Perumal Temple
Kumara Kottam (Subrahmanya Swamy)
Vazhakku Arutha Easwarar Temple
Chitraguptar Temple
Ashta Bujakaram Perumal Temple
Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal Temple
Singa Perumal Temple
Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple
Pachai Vanna Perumal Temple
Pavazha Vanna Perumal Temple
Jwara Hareswarar Temple
Kachabeswarar Temple

Most of the Perumal temples are Divya Desams.

steadfast · 25th December 2021, 21:48

Beautiful architecture and wonderful pictures.

amay1283 · 26th December 2021, 11:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by adisan

Nice write-up and pics!

There is an alternate route as well: Kanchipuram - Ranipet - Chittoor - Kolar - Hoskote - Bangalore

How is this route compared to the one via Hosur? I am planning to take this starting from Whitefield

adisan · 26th December 2021, 12:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by amay1283

How is this route compared to the one via Hosur? I am planning to take this starting from Whitefield

Excellent roads for the most part. There are some bad segments and diversions after Chennasamudram toll plaza because of on-going road works, but that part would be common to both routes via Hosur and via Chittoor.

There is a thread dedicated to the Bangalore to Chennai via Chittor route, where people keep updating regularly regarding the road conditions. You would take a right to go to Kanchipuram a few km after the Chennasamudram toll plaza.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...e-queries.html (Bangalore, Chennai via Chittoor : Route Queries)

condor · 29th September 2023, 15:07

Guys, what's the preferred route now for BLR-Kanchi ?

22nd December 2021, 14:23	#1
Pastey93 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Bangalore Posts: 46 Thanked: 362 Times	Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram Background On a random Thursday afternoon while I was working from home, my grandma called me and asked me to go visit Kanchipuram and take blessings of Goddess Kamakshi. I usually visit to one of the holy cities, temples during the last weeks of the year and this time it was Kanchipuram as suggested/advised by my grandma. Later, that evening my friend Shravan (hereinafter called as "KS") came home and I told him that I was planning to drive to Kanchipuram sometime soon and KS said he is free on the coming weekend and would like to join me if I was driving solo. Since KS was willing to tag along with me, I thought of driving to the city of temples - Kanchipuram with him. We decided to drive to Kanchipuram on 18th Dec and return to Bangalore the next evening ie. 19th Dec. Being winter time, we hoped that Kanchipuram wouldn't be very hot and we were right. The temperature varied between 27-30 degrees celsius. Day 1 We started from Bangalore at around 5:30 am. Route Taken: Bangalore - Hosur - Shoolagiri - Krishnagiri - Ambur - Vellore - Kanchipuram Driving on E-city flyover early morning is pure bliss. We stopped at A2B, Arcot for breakfast around 8:30 am. We reached Kanchipuram around 9:40 am and checked into our hotel (Niteesh Residency). It is a decent hotel with sufficient parking space and clean bathroom. We took a nap till afternoon and then ordered pizza from dominos for lunch as both of us were lazy to step out for lunch and Kamakshi Amman Temple would open in the evening around 4:30 pm. In the evening while going to Kamakshi Amman Temple, the hotel staff suggested us to take an autorickshaw and go as finding parking space near temple is a challenge. As suggested we took an autorickshaw which was easily available in front of the hotel who agreed to take us to the temple and drop us back to the hotel. Kamakshi Amman Temple Kamakshi Amman Temple is the one structure most associated with Kanchipuram’s religious heritage. Although details of the temple’s construction are unknown, the original structure is thought to have been built by the Pallava kings. The temple’s history is rich with myths and legends, often associated with Adi Shankara.The temple is also surrounded by vibrant street market, which sells everything from street food to clothing. KS posing at the temple KS and yours truly While heading back to the hotel we stopped over and visited Ulagalantha Perumal Temple. Later we came to the hotel, took the car and went to Varadaraja Perumal Temple. Varadaraja Perumal Temple This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It features over 350 inscriptions attributed to nearly all major dynasties of South India. The temple’s most striking architectural feature is the famous “100-pillared hall”, which has sculptures and relief structures depicting several important Hindu gods. The temple was beautifully illuminated at the night and was a stunning sight. The path leading to the temple Main Gopuram Kalyani Rapid in front of one of the gopurams of the temple We had dinner at Hotel Shri Ramanaans in Gandhi Road. Since it was dinner, they were not serving meals (thali) and we tried some north indian food and it was surprisingly tasty. Last edited by Pastey93 : 22nd December 2021 at 14:41.
	(24) Thanks

22nd December 2021, 15:15	#2
shatananda.k BHPian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Bangalore Posts: 67 Thanked: 95 Times	Re: Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram I visited Kanchi couple of years back. The architecture is beautiful ! Had booked an auto for all temple darshans. They charged a nominal fee to take us around the town. We too stayed in Niteesh. Only problem was with basement parking. Getting in and out was a real pain. Is it improved now ?
	(5) Thanks

22nd December 2021, 16:05	#3
Pastey93 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Bangalore Posts: 46 Thanked: 362 Times	Re: Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram Day 2 We had breakfast at SaiSangeet the next day, I had pudi plain dosa which was crispy and tasty, and KS had ven pongal and mini idilis which were yummy. After having a filling and tasty breakfast we headed to Kailasanathar Temple. Kailasanathar Temple Kailasanathar Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, it’s one of the earliest examples of Pallava architecture. The temple’s sanctum 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 of minor deities. This temple is maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. Intricate carvings found at this temple We then headed to Ekambareswarar Temple. Ekambareswarar Temple Ekambareswarar Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. Its original structure was built by the Pallava Dynasty in the sixth century and underwent major changes under the rule of Tanjore Nayaks. During this period, the gopuram – a gatehouse tower which stands at 59 metres and is one of the tallest in the state – was constructed. The magnificent Gopuram Temple corridor After taking the blessings from Lord Shiva, we headed back to our hotel to check out and start driving to Bangalore. Route taken back to Bangalore: Kanchipuram - Vellore - Ambur - Krishnagiri - Shoolagiri - Hosur - Bangalore We stopped at Zaitoon, Ambur for lunch and had tasty sizzler Smooth tarmac throughout Beautiful sunset
	(12) Thanks

22nd December 2021, 16:34	#5
adisan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,112 Thanked: 1,195 Times	Re: Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram Nice write-up and pics! There is an alternate route as well: Kanchipuram - Ranipet - Chittoor - Kolar - Hoskote - Bangalore A list of more temples in Kanchipuram: Adi Kamakshi Temple (not the same as Kamakshi Amman temple) Makaleswarar Temple (special for Rahu and Ketu) Vaikunta Perumal temple Pandava Dootha Perumal Temple Kumara Kottam (Subrahmanya Swamy) Vazhakku Arutha Easwarar Temple Chitraguptar Temple Ashta Bujakaram Perumal Temple Sonna Vannam Seitha Perumal Temple Singa Perumal Temple Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple Pachai Vanna Perumal Temple Pavazha Vanna Perumal Temple Jwara Hareswarar Temple Kachabeswarar Temple Most of the Perumal temples are Divya Desams.
	(8) Thanks

25th December 2021, 21:48	#6
steadfast BHPian Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 429 Thanked: 1,273 Times	Re: Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram Beautiful architecture and wonderful pictures.
	(2) Thanks

29th September 2023, 15:07	#9
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 16,222 Thanked: 16,757 Times View My Garage	Re: Drive to the city of temples - Kanchipuram Guys, what's the preferred route now for BLR-Kanchi ?
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