Of Temples and Myths woven in Silk

All my life I knew Kanchipuram because of the famous silk sarees the women in my home would love to buy at Nalli’s and, secondly, for the attention the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Peeth would attract by his utterances from time to time. Then one day in the December of ‘25, we happened to take a day’s trip to this wonderful city and realised how little I knew.

There are two versions of the etymology of the word Kanchipuram. According to the first one, Kanchipuram is a Tamil name formed by combining two words, "kanchi" and "puram," together meaning "the city of kaanchi flowers". The second one is more fascinating. According to it, the Sanskrit the word is split into two: ka and anchi. Ka means Brahma, anchi means worship and puram means the place. Therefore, Kanchipuram stands for the place where Varadharaja Perumal or Vishnu was worshipped by Brahma.

Kanchipuram is often referred to as the "City of Thousand Temples" dating back to the 2nd century BCE. The city served as the historic capital for the Pallavas (6th–9th centuries) and later as an important city for the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Vijayanagara and the Carnatic kingdoms before becoming a part of the British India. The Hindus, both Vaishanavites and Saivites, regard Kanchipuram to be one of the seven holiest cities in India, the Sapta Puri. The Garuda Purana says that these seven cities, including Kanchipuram are providers of moksha, that is, where a human being can achieve liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Our first port of call was the famous Kamakshi Amman Temple. It is said that the temple may have been founded in the 5th-8th century CE by the Pallava kings , further developed by the Cholas in the 14th century and by the  Vijayanagara dynasty in the 18^th CE.

This temple is also known as Kamakoti Nayaki Kovil and is dedicated to the goddess Kamakshi, one of the highest forms of Parvati. It is also one of the Shakti Peetham where Sati’s navel is said to have fallen. The goddess gets its name from Kama, that means Love and Akshi means Eyes. Put simply, it is the Goddess with Loving Eyes. Unlike other temples where the deity is in a standing or walking posture, Kamakshi is seated in a padmasana and is flanked by the trinity of Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. We had an excellent darshan of the Goddess and walked around the temple complex at leisure.

Just outside the Kamakshi Amman Temple is the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham. According to the Kanchi Matha's tradition, Adi Shankaracharya (509 BCE to 477 BCE) founded the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in 482 BCE. There is a temple inside the matha which is said to be the final resting place of Adi Shankaracharya. We were not able to get the darshan of the current head of the Kanchi Matha as he was travelling outside. The place is very serene and walking around here is easy as compared to the push and pull you often encounter in the temple complexes.

We then went to the Ekambareswarar or Ekambaranathar Temple which is dedicated to Shiva. You can see the gopuram which is 59 metres (194 ft) tall, from a long way off. The gopurams in Kanchipuram were in cream or white shades as compared to the colourful ones we saw at Madurai. However, the sculptures on them telling stories from epics and Hindu mythologies were common. The temple is one of five called Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, which represent the manifestation of the five prime elements of nature and Shiva is worshipped as Ekambareswarar representing the earth.

The temple dates back to at least 600 CE with significant contributions from Pallava, Chola, and Vijayanagara rulers. Legend has it that once Parvati, the consort of Shiva, wanted to expiate herself from sin by doing penance under a mango tree near Vegavati River. In order to test her devotion Shiva sent fire on her. Parvati prayed to the god Vishnu. Vishnu brought the Moon whose rays cooled down the tree and Parvati. Shiva again sent the River Ganga to disrupt Parvati's penance. Parvati convinced Ganga that since they were sisters, she should not harm her. Parvati worshipped a Shiva Linga out of sand to please Shiva. Ultimately, Shiva appeared before her as Ekambareswarar or "Lord of Mango Tree".

The sanctum sanctorum contains the lingam along with the image of Shiva and Parvati sitting together. There are granite images of the 63 Nayanmars around the first precinct. The temple's inner most precinct is decorated with Shivalingams, one of which is a Sahasra Lingam with 1,008 Siva lingams sculpted on it.

We then moved to the Sri Vardharaja Perumal Kovil which is a temple dedicated to Vishnu. The name Vardharaja means bestower of boons and Vardharaja Swami bestows peace, prosperity, knowledge, health and wealth to those who seek. This temple is one of the biggest temple complexes in Tamil Nadu. There are 32 shrines, 19 vimanams (towers), 389 pillared halls and sacred tanks some of which located outside the complex. Apart from the main stone idol, the temple has the wooden image of Varadharajaswamy made of Atthi or the fig tree and preserved under water in a secret chamber. It is brought out for worship once every 40 years.

There are many legends associated with the origin of the temple. According one, Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, separated with his wife Saraswati over a misunderstanding. He performed the ashvamedha sacrifice, seeking boons from Vishnu. Vishnu, pleased by the devotion, came out from under the earth as a boar and reunited Saraswati with Brahma. Another legend states that the disciples of the sage Gautama were cursed to become lizards. They resided in the temple, and were relieved of the curse by the divine grace of Vishnu. There is a panel in the temple where the two golden lizards are depicted in the roof of the temple. This was the only place where we had to stand long in a queue and standing before us was a lady whose son was undergoing cricket trials for Tamil Nadu under 19. Having had a good darshan and been able to touch the lizards on the roof, hopefully the mother’s prayers would have had a positive impact on the child’s sporting career.

Our final visit was to the oldest temple in the city, the Kailasanathar Temple or the "Lord of Kailasa" Temple. The temple construction was done around 700 CE and the Pallava kings Narasimhavarman II and his son, Mahendravarman III, are credited for the same. This is a UNESCO monument and preserved very well.

The Kailasanathar Temple in Kancheepuram is embodiment of magnificence in stone. It is the finest examples of classical Dravidian architecture; the temple emanates unmatched charm and elegance. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple is square-planned. There is a grand entrance hall, a splendid gathering hall, the sanctum sanctorum which is topped with a four-storey Vimana. There are nine shrines around the main sanctum, seven outside and two inside, with each shrine depicting different forms of Shiva. There are 58 of these smaller shrines. The innermost pathway of the temple circles the idol of Kailasanathar or Lord Shiva and signifies the entrance and exit of a person from paradise.

Having done the spiritual part of the day trip and a sumptuous lunch, we now turned our attention to the Kanjivaram sarees.  We wanted to see a loom where the famous Kanjivaram saree was being crafted and were fortunate to see one. Kanchipuram sarees, originating from Tamil Nadu over 400 years ago, are renowned for their durable mulberry silk and heavy gold zari, often featuring temple border designs. The silk trade in Kanchipuram began when King Rajaraja Chola I (985–1014) invited weavers from Saurashtra, Gujarat to migrate to Kanchi.

According to legend, Sage Markanda was a master weaver who was favoured by the gods and blessed with the ability to weave the most exquisite and luxurious silk sarees. As the story goes, when Sage Markanda was wandering through the forests of Kanchipuram, he saw the goddess Parvati weaving a silk saree. He was struck by the beauty and intricacy of her weaving and asked her to teach him the art of silk weaving. Parvati agreed to teach Sage Markanda the art of silk weaving, and he spent many years learning from her. With her guidance, he became a master weaver, and his silk sarees were highly sought after by royalty and nobility throughout South India. Legend has it that Sage Markanda wove a silk saree for the god Vishnu, which was made of pure gold and silk. This saree was so exquisite that it was believed to be able to withstand the test of time, and it became a symbol of wealth and prosperity in South India.

I do not know much about the royalty and the nobility of the old but we ensured we devoted enough time to visit a couple of shops selling the sarees, understanding the beauty of the wraps and were simply amazed at the intricacies of the craftsmanship. Each piece that was brought down from the racks and unfolded was unique and the salesman had a story to tell about the distinct border, pallu and the motifs woven into each of them. Wish we had more time at hand and more money to buy than what we finally ended up… handful for sure.

Why go anywhere else on the planet when you have so much more to see in Incredible India!

SS 

NB. Source regarding the myths, legends and history for this blog have been taken from various articles in the internet. Apology for any mistake that may have crept in inadvertently. The pictures used are our own.