Kanchipuram

Temple-town and sacred site (tirtha)
about forty miles southwest of the city of
Madras in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Kanchipuram is important as one of
India’s Seven Sacred Cities. Dying in
one of these cities is believed to bring
final liberation of the soul (moksha).
At differing times Kanchipuram served
as a capital for the Pallava, Chola,
and Vijayanagar kings; each of these
dynasties left its mark in the city’s
architecture. Kanchipuram is filled
with temples, many of them
magnificent examples of the southern
Indian Dravida architectural style.
Kanchipuram’s importance as a political
center and its concentration of temples,
brahmins, and scholars made it one of
the greatest centers of Hindu life, learning, and religion.
Kanchipuram is also noted for its
temples to each of the three major
Hindu deities—Vishnu, Shiva, and the
Goddess. The Vaikuntaperumal Temple
is dedicated to Vishnu in his form as
“Lord of Vaikuntha,” his celestial realm.
The Goddess is worshiped as Kamakshi
(“desiring eyes”). Kamakshi is identified
with the goddess Kamakhya, whose
temple in Assam is the most powerful of
all the Shakti Pithas.
Shiva is worshiped at the
Kailasanatha temple, in his manifestation as the “Lord of Mt. Kailas,” and at
the Ekambareshvar temple. The image
of Shiva at the former site is one of the
bhutalingas (“elemental lingas”), a network of five southern Indian sites sacred
to the god Shiva. In each of these sites
Shiva is worshiped as a linga, the pillarshaped object that is his symbolic form.
At each site the linga is believed to be
formed from one of the five primordial
elements (bhuta)—earth, wind, fire,
water, and space (akasha). The
Kanchipuram linga is associated with
the element of earth, the humblest but
most essential of all.
Another reason for Kanchipuram’s
prominence is its long tradition as a
center for asceticism. Kanchipuram’s
Kamakotipith is an ancient center for
the Dashanami sect. Its leader is considered to be one of the Shankaracharyas,
the most important contemporary
Hindu leaders. According to local tradition the Kamakotipith was the first and
most important of the maths, or monastic centers, established by the philosopher Shankaracharya, who later
established four other centers at
Joshimath, Puri, Shringeri, and
Dwaraka. This claim to primacy has
generated fierce controversy, with opponents not only denying Kamakotipith’s
place as the first of the maths, but also
asserting that Kamakotipith is only a
branch of the Shringeri math. Some
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Kanchipuram
support for these claims can be drawn
from symbolism connected with the
number four—the four cardinal directions, the four sacred texts known as
Vedas, and the four organizational
groups of the Dashanami Sanyasis
themselves. The number four symbolizes completion and totality, which
makes a fifth sacred center problematic.
Kamakotipith reflects the importance of
Kanchipuram as a significant sacred and
political hub in which any ascetic center
could gain considerable authority. See
also pitha.