KANCHIPURAM

The Vaikunta Perumal temple is another grand shrine that is visit worthy.  It contains adorable images displaying the exquisite workmanship of the stone-cutters. The image of Lord Vishnu in his different incarnations enhances the thrill of visiting and enjoying sculptural art.  The history of Pallava is represented here by a series of carvings and they depict many main episodes that brought credit to their rule.

There are some vestiges of Buddhist Sangharamamas, built in the past for monks and supposed to have been inhabitated by some 10,000 Buddhist Priests; and they were applauded by Hiuen Tsang in his Travelogue.  With the advent of Saivism, the Jainism and Buddhism paled into insignificance.  This place at its heyday was more than the swarga. 

According to Varahapurana-"Kanchi was held in high esteem and deemed as the best among the towns, like Jati among flowers, Rambha among women, Grihastasram among four asrams, Dwarka among cities and Madhyadesa among countries". And it enjoyed the reputation of many towering palaces, high forts, deep moats, big streets, life overflowing with bliss.  And hence the prevalence of belief that it is always festival time at Kanchi.  Many celebrated Nayanmars and early Vaishnava saints and Alwars, like Poygai, Pudat, Pey, Tirumalisai visited and eulogized the sacredness of this place in their works, hence, popular belief that the twelve hundred year old temple city was regarded as one of the seven most sacred places, the others being Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kasi, Ujjaini and Dwaraka.

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