Kanchipuram Silk Sarees: Best B’day Present for my Mom
Kanchipuram Silk Sarees
After exploring the contemporary city Chennai, I was planning to visit some traditional place in south India where I could experience the deep roots of Indian culture still retaining the age old glory. Therefore, I headed for Kanchipuram – the city of thousand temples in Tamil Nadu. It is just 75 kms from Chennai, so I preferred traveling by a taxi. I was booked in Hotel Tamil Nadu, which is a Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation unit.
While escorting me to my room, the bellboy told me that Palar River adds to the beauty of the place. Earlier the city was the capital of the Cholas but later Pallavas established their supremacy here in the 6th century, followed by the Vijaynagar rulers. My exploration started with Ekambaranatha Temple, which boasts of being the largest temple in Kanchipuram (covering over 20 acres). Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple is famous for its 1000 Lingas. It exhibits true beauty and richness of the Dravadian style of architecture, which I captured in my camera also.
After spending an hour there, I stopped for a quick bite at a restaurant and enjoyed a lip smacking dosa. My next destinations were Kamakshi Amman Temple (dedicated to goddess Kamakshi or the incarnation of goddess Parvati) and Varadharaja Perumal Temple (built by the Cholas in 11th century).
Post lunch, I decided to spend a couple of hours in the colorful market streets of Kanchipuram. As the city is world famous for its hand-woven silk sarees with zari work, I decided to get a few for my mom and granny. I first visited Gandhi Road, which is famous for Silk Cooperative Society Showrooms. However, the variety of designs and colors available in cooperative societies is very limited but the best part is that these are less expensive because of being in government control. Contrary to this, the Mettu Street offers a much wider choice because of private merchants. As these merchants have a larger profit margin, their prices are always higher.
I honed my bargaining skills and dropped into one of the shops near the Varadaraja Temple. I bought a few sarees from Nalli, which is one of the famous and biggest shops in Kanchipuram. While wandering in these market streets I observed that shopping in Kanchipuram is not only about Silk Sarees. The shops were also loaded with decorative items, fruit baskets, jewelry boxes and idols of various Gods and Goddesses. This way, my trip to Kanchipuram was a great fun.
After exploring the contemporary city Chennai, I was planning to visit some traditional place in south India where I could experience the deep roots of Indian culture still retaining the age old glory. Therefore, I headed for Kanchipuram – the city of thousand temples in Tamil Nadu. It is just 75 kms from Chennai, so I preferred traveling by a taxi. I was booked in Hotel Tamil Nadu, which is a Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation unit.
While escorting me to my room, the bellboy told me that Palar River adds to the beauty of the place. Earlier the city was the capital of the Cholas but later Pallavas established their supremacy here in the 6th century, followed by the Vijaynagar rulers. My exploration started with Ekambaranatha Temple, which boasts of being the largest temple in Kanchipuram (covering over 20 acres). Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple is famous for its 1000 Lingas. It exhibits true beauty and richness of the Dravadian style of architecture, which I captured in my camera also.
After spending an hour there, I stopped for a quick bite at a restaurant and enjoyed a lip smacking dosa. My next destinations were Kamakshi Amman Temple (dedicated to goddess Kamakshi or the incarnation of goddess Parvati) and Varadharaja Perumal Temple (built by the Cholas in 11th century).
Post lunch, I decided to spend a couple of hours in the colorful market streets of Kanchipuram. As the city is world famous for its hand-woven silk sarees with zari work, I decided to get a few for my mom and granny. I first visited Gandhi Road, which is famous for Silk Cooperative Society Showrooms. However, the variety of designs and colors available in cooperative societies is very limited but the best part is that these are less expensive because of being in government control. Contrary to this, the Mettu Street offers a much wider choice because of private merchants. As these merchants have a larger profit margin, their prices are always higher.
I honed my bargaining skills and dropped into one of the shops near the Varadaraja Temple. I bought a few sarees from Nalli, which is one of the famous and biggest shops in Kanchipuram. While wandering in these market streets I observed that shopping in Kanchipuram is not only about Silk Sarees. The shops were also loaded with decorative items, fruit baskets, jewelry boxes and idols of various Gods and Goddesses. This way, my trip to Kanchipuram was a great fun.
