Prelude to Tour of Tamilnadu 2012 Heritage -Day 1

Chennai-Mahabalipuram-Kanchipuram (120km) Part -2 Evening Promenade of Kanchipuram

Refreshing ourselves after what had been a hectic day,the evening stroll across this Temple Town takes us to the past,considered one of the oldest towns in India,its earliest mention come in the Sanskrit Text of Patanjali (2nd BC),in Tamil mentions from Purananuru(2nd AD),in Perumpanaru Patai (Pathu Pattu) and Tamil Epic Manimekhalai (4th AD),this town had strong Buddhist connections apart from Bodhidharma, Emperor Ashoka (3rd-2nd BC) built many Buddhist Vihara's here and Chinese Traveler Hiuen Tsang (7th AD) visited this town,thus the history goes on ... but one thing for certain that must be mentioned is the Pallava Art & Architecture both in Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram,they are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples like the Arjuna's Penance.the Pancha Pandava Rathas and the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram and in Kanchipuram apart from the Kailasanathar Temple,the Vaikunta Perumal Temple built by Nandhivarman the Second (8th AD),this is a Multi Tiered temple and is a jewel built in Sandstone.The uniqueness of the temple is its circumambalatory passage each pillar carved with lions and the walls profusely carved with the king's coronation and numerous inscriptions which later led to writing of Pallava's Chronology."The Body of God An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram" by D Dennis Hudson is a book which speaks volume about this Pallava's tryst with Stone and this temple monument ... and rejoicing on a visit to this temple the evening gives way to the sumptuous dinner,checking up the bicycle once again and an early sleep to catch up with Day-2 Ride to Gingee and Tiruvanamalai brings the curtain down of Day-1 ...

References "A History of South India" K.A.Nilakanta Sastri, "History of the Tamils from the Earliest Times to the Present Day" P.T.Srinivasa Iyengar,"The Body of God An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram" Dennis Hudson and Google Search.

Explaining history of Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram