There are very few places in Tamil Nadu that I have visited. Kanchipuram is one of them. I always tend to associate this ancient town with the most exotic silk sarees and exclusive idlis. It was only when I visited the town, that I discovered its real treasures. It was a weekend family trip and we booked a licensed and verified Chennai to Kanchipuram cab. It was only 80 Km from Chennai and was perfect for a day trip. We took NH48 and reached in less than two hours.

One could call this a temple town, with its apparent appearance. As we neared Kanchipuram, the city welcomed us with ancient stone temples, each with the finest carvings and sculptures.

I learned that the establishment of the city dates back to the 6th century when the rulers of the Pallava Dynasty made it into their kingdom capital and ruled from here for two centuries. They created great stone monuments in the neighboring town of Mamallapuram and magnificent temples in Kanchipuram. Some of the temples were later added by the Chola and Vijayanagar kings. As such, the temples of Kanchipuram were not only religious sites but also had historical significance. Most of these places of worship are dedicated to Shiva, Shakti, and Vishnu. There were nearly 50 temples in and around Kanchipuram but we had time to visit only a few. So we went to these three most popular and sacred temples in the city –