Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple Timings:
Morning: 5:30 AM to 12:00 Noon
Evening: 3:30 PM to 8:30 PM
On Friday till 9:30 PM and Pournami day till 10:30 PM the temple doors will be open.
Note:
1) The entry to Kanchi Kamakshi Temple is free and the temple is open on all days. Visitors generally spend 1 to 2 hours here.
2) Men should generally remove their clothing from the upper body when they go to the main circle of this temple.
About Kanchipuram the City Of Temples:
Kanchipuram is one of the seven sacred cities in India. History proclaims that Kanchipuram was ruled by the Pallava Kings. The city is most famous for its silk production and old temples. The city is located on the Palar river. The city has all types of people from weavers to Vaishnavites. The city has many big temples like Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple, Sri Ekambaranthar Temple, Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Sri Ulagalanda Perumal Temple, Sri Kumarakottam Temple, Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Sri Kachapeswarar Temple and much more. The city also attracts tourist and foreigners in plenty due to its rich culture and heritage. The city has a huge spree of Silk Weavers Society. The city is quite famous all over the world for its Silk Variety and Quality. There is huge demand for export of Silk saris within and outside India. There are many eminent scholars like C.N.Annadurai who were born in this city. The city has developed a niche for the industrial corridors for great giants like Nokia, Motorola, Hyundai and many other. The city also has hotels and restaurants for the comfort of tourist and foreigners. There is a very old Mutt established by Sri Adisankaracharya Called Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. This mutt is world renowned for its charitable activities and Institutions. There are also other Spiritual mutts within Kanchipuram.
About Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple:
Kanchi Kamakshi temple is situated at about 5 acres of land and has four entrances. The main entrance of the temple has a Kalabhairavar deity on its left and the Mahishasura Mardini deity on the right. On the centre of the entrance you can see a huge Dwajasthampa. Moving further to the entrance of the Kamakshi deity you can see a Vinayaga deity. Moving on a straight line further, Goddess Kamakshi is visible. Goddess Kamakshi is surrounded by deities of Ayyapan, Saraswati, Annaporani and Adisankaracharya on its outer prakaram. The Goddess also has Varahi, Arupalakshmi Kalvarperumal (one of the 108 Divya Desam of Vaishanavities), Roopalakshmi and Arthanariswarar deities surrounding the sanctorum of Goddess on its Gayatri Mandapam. There is Santhanasthampam inside the prakaram of Goddess which is called the Nabisthan of the Goddess. There is a Srichakra Yantra (Sri Kamakoti Peetam) established by Jagadguru Sri Adisankaracharya in front of the Goddess deity. There is also a temple tank inside the premises. Kamakshi temple has a close relation with the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam and its successive Sankarcharyas. The temple has a gallery of Adisankarcharya’s Life history inside the temple premises itself. Goddess Kamakshi is the main deity and the temple is one of the fifty one Shakti peetas. The temple is spelled as Nabisthana – Ottiyana peetam. The temple also has a golden Gopuram on the sanctorum of the Goddess Kamakshi deity which is visible to all devotees.
About Goddess Kamakshi Amman:
The Goddess Kamakshi is in a sitting posture in the temple. This posture is called the Padmasana posture. The Padmasana posture is said to resemble a lotus. In the Yogic practice this resembles the form of meditation. The Goddess holds a Sugarcane bow on her left upper arm and Lotus, Parrot in her right upper arm. The Goddess also has divine chakras called Pasa and Angusa in her arms.
The Goddess also has a Chandraperai (a shape of moon like structure) in her forehead. The Goddess Kamakshi is situated in the middle of temple premises.
History reveals that Goddess Kamakshi was praying under a mango tree with a Shiva lingam made of sand to marry the great Lord Shiva. After a long duration of dedicated and devoted meditation to Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva appeared before her and married the Goddess Kamakshi, a divine form of Parvati. There are no traditional Parvati or Shakti shrines in the city of Kanchipuram, apart from this temple, which adds even more legend to this temple.
Kanchi Kamakshi Temple Nearby Temples:
Ekambareswarar Temple
Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple
Varadaraja Perumal Temple
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple
Trilokyanatha Temple
Chitragupta Swamy Temple
Sathyanatheswarar Temple
How to Reach Kanchi Kamakshi Temple:
Kanchipuram is located 75 km from the capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. You can rent a taxi to get to the temple from Chennai. Located in the city, the shrine is one kilometer south of Kanchipuram Railway Station and Bus Station. It is easily accessible by rickshaw, auto rickshaw and city buses.
Kanchi Kamakshi Temple Address:
New No. 6, Old No. 144/A,
Kamakshi Amman,
Sannathi Street,
Periya,
Kanchipuram,
Tamil Nadu 631502
Tel: +91 44 27 233433 – 2722 1214
Email: syamasastri@gmail.com