Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple
 India
has three main cities where the goddess Shakthi is worshipped. Kanchipuram
holds the most important rank among the three. In the same order, the three
places are Kanchipuram, where the goddess Kamakshi is worshipped, Madurai,
where the goddess Meenakshi is worshipped, and Kashi (Varanasi, in Modern
India), where the deity is Visaalakshi.
The Kamakshi Amman temple is the hub of all religious activities in Kanchipuram. The temple is also in closer control of the Sankara Mutt, unlike the other temples which are governed either by the Department of Archeology, Government of India, or the Hindu Temples Department of the Tamilnadu Government. Built by the kings of the Chola empire in 14 A.D. The main tower over the sanctum (Vimaanam) of the temple is gold plated. Also of significance is the Golden Chariot in this temple. The Golden Chariot is taken in a procession around the temple on Friday evenings around 7.00 PM. This temple also features an Art Gallery with pictures depicting the history of Sri Adisankaracharya and the Sankara Mutt. As one of the more orthodox temples in the city, the temple management does not permit equipment such as cameras, camcorders, etc. inside the main building. However, photography and videography is permitted outside the main building. This means that tourists are free to feast their lenses on the temple's exterior, the main gopuram (gateway), the Kulam (pond), and of course, the golden vimaanam. |