Important temples in and around Kanchipuram:
1. Sri Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple (or Thiruthanka)
2. Sri Ashtabujam Perumal Temple (or Sri Aadhikesava)
3. Sri Azhagiya Singar Perumal Temple (or Thiru Velukkai)
4. Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple (or Thiru Kanchi)
5. Sri Yatoktakari Temple (or Thiru Vekka)
6. Sri Ulagalantha Perumal Temple (or Thiru Ooragam) and Sri Thirukkaar Vaanar Temple (or Thirukkaar Vaanam)
7. Sri Vaikunda Perumal Temple (or Thiruparameshwara Vinnagaram)
8. Sri Pandava Dhootha Temple (or Thiru Paadagam)
9. Sri Pachai Vannar Temple and Sri Pavalai Vannar Temple (or Thiru Pavala Vannan)
10. Sri Ekambaranathar Temple and Sri Nilathingal Thundathan Perumal Temple
11. Sri Kamakshi Temple and Sri Aadhi Varaha Perumal Temple
12. Sri Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple (or Thiruputkuzhi)
13. Sri Koorathazhwan Temple at Kooram
14. Sriperumbudur (birthplace of Sripad Ramanujacarya, 32km from Kanchipuram)
15. Sri Veeraraghava Perumal Temple (or Tiruvallore)
16. Sri Bhatavatsala Perumal Temple (or Thiru Nindravoor)
17. Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Chennai Temple - Sri Sri Radha-Krishna Temple
18. Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Elanagar
19. Ramanujar Sannidhi at Sevilimedu
20. Ranganathar Temple at Nathamedu
21. Sri Lakshmi Narayana Perumal at Pulikkundram
22. Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple at Kazhiyur
Other temples: Sri Muktheeswarar temple, Sri Kachapeswarar temple, Sri Kumarakottam temple, Sri Kailasanathar temple
Kanchipuram, also known as Benares of Southern India or The City of Temples, is one of the most ancient and sacred cities of India. Kanchipuram is an eternally holy place and has some of the most magnificent temples. The Garuda Puranaenumerates seven sacred cities (sapta-moksha puri) as giver of moksha. They are Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kasi, Kanchipuram, Avantika (Ujjain) and Dwarka. Kanchipuram is one of among such holy place. It is 75km from Chennai, 130km from Tirupati and 32km from Sriperumbudur (birthplace of Sripad Ramanujacarya).
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Kanchipuram in year 1511 A.D. during His South India tour as mentioned in Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya lila 9.68-70. Lord Balarama visited Kanchipuram as mentioned Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 79 verses 11-15. Lord Nityananda Prabhu also visited Kanchipuram during His pilgrimage to holy places. Great Vaishnava acarya, Sripad Ramanujacarya, spent a number of years in Kanchipuram in practising and preaching Vaishnava philosophy and rendering loving devotional services to Lord Sri Varadaraja Swamy (the principal Deity of Kanchipuram) and the Vaishnavas. Many great devotees like Kanchipurna and others also spent most of their life at Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram city is divided into two parts: the Little Kanchi (or Vishnu Kanchi) surrounding Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, and the Big Kanchi (or Siva Kanchi) surrounding Sri Ekambaranathar Temple. Kanchipuram is also prominently known for silk industry. Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya lila 9.68-70 mentions: Arriving at Siva-kanci, Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the deity of Lord Siva. By His influence, He converted all the devotees of Lord Siva into Vaishnavas. The Lord then visited a holy place known as Visnu-kanci. There He saw Laksmi-Narayana deities, and He offered His respects and many prayers to please Them. Visnu-kanci is situated about 5 miles away from Kanchipuram. It is here that Lord Varadaraja, another form of Lord Visnu, resides. There is also a big lake known as Ananta-sarovara. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Visnu-kanci for 2 days, He danced and performed kirtana in ecstasy. When all the people saw Him, they were converted into devotees of Lord Krishna.
Lord Brahma’s penance and Appearance of Sri Varadaraja Perumal
[Reference: His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s South India Yatra 2005]
It is only by the causeless infinite mercy of our beloved Guru Maharaj, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and our most merciful previous acaryas that today, we are blessed with the benediction of being in this eternally holy place, Kanchipuram. In the Sri Sampradaya, there are three most holy and important deities;
o Sri Ranganatha Swamy in Srirangam, Sri Varadaraja Perumal in Kanchipuram and Sri Venkateswara Balaji in Tirupati.
In the histories of the Azhwars, there are profuse prayers glorifying these forms of the Lord, especially in the life of Sripad Ramanujacarya. The more we dive deeply into these most illuminating pastimes, the more our hearts over flood with gratitude, to have the opportunity to be here in this holy place and have the darshan of the Lord in this form.
In the Satya Yuga, Lord Brahma wanted to have the darshan of Lord Narayana and worship him with love and devotion. He performed penance for this purpose, and the Lord appeared in the form of the forest of Naimisharanya. Brahma wanted to see the personal form of the Lord. He carried on with his tapasya. In reciprocation, the Lord appeared in the form of water, the holy place Pushkar. Still, Brahma wanted to see the form of the Lord. The original, transcendental form of the Lord.This is not something easy to achieve. Brahma was told that he would have to perform 1000 Ashvamedha yajnas, in order to receive this benediction. Lord Brahma, he pleaded, he begged. "This will take a very long time, and it's very difficult." He was given a benediction. "Go to Kanchipuram, where any spiritual act of devotion is multiplied by 1000 times over other places. If, there you do one Ashvamedha yajna, you will have the darshan of Lord Narayana." Lord Brahma came here. He invited Saraswati Devi, his consort, but her inconceivable pastimes regarding the Lord's pastimes, she was not accessible.
Lord Brahma began the yajna. Like any yajna, impediments will come. It is the mercy of the Lord. In the age of Kali, there was only one yajna that is recommended in the Vedas, to achieve the ultimate goal of life. It is not the fire yajna, it is the yajna of the chanting of the holy names. In fact, Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavana, he had the high priests, monks, the Brijwasis to perform days and days of yajnas. In the meanwhile, the devotees were off to the side doing Nama Sankirtana. Prabhupada writes and purport that, "The real installation that invited the deities to come, was the sincere devotional chanting of the holy names of the devotees."
Krishna-varnam tvisa Krishnam sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah
(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 11 chapter 5 verse 32)
In this age of Kali, the Yuga avatar appears to teach the Yuga Dharma: Harinama Sankirtana.
We all have experienced that, when we perform Harinama Sankirtana, do our Japa,many impediments will come, to try to stop our progress. The impediments come from within, impediments come from without. Those impediments are coming by the will of the Lord because in the face of those impediments, we either have to perish, remain lukewarm neophytes, or we have to surrender to the Lord. There is no other alternative. We have to take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu told His devotees that, "Obstacles are the servants of the Lord. Obstacles in the path of devotion are necessary, because human nature is to be complacent. Human nature is to be ritualistic." Even in a spiritual life, it is a strong tendency and none of us are exempt. We all have this human nature, that we take sacred things to be ordinary. And even when we perform our religious duties, they become routine, they become ritualistic. We chant the names of the Lord just to get the number done, without really taking shelter. We come before the deity in a lackadaisical way.
vipadah santu tah sasvat tatra tatra jagad-guro
(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 8 verse 25)
This was Kunti Devi's prayer. That, "Let calamities, let unbearable obstacles come in my life, because then I have no other alternative but to really take shelter of you in great need." When everything is going very nicely, it is an opportunity to sincerely surrender. When things go against the grain of our plan or expectations, when there's crisis, disaster, great impediments, a sincere devotee does not lose faith, does not lose enthusiasm. A sincere devotee understand, this is a benediction. Now I have no alternative, but to take shelter, to surrender.
Factually, that is what Bhakti is about, taking shelter of the Lord Krishna. I am not the doer, Lord Krishna is the doer. To acknowledge that fact is very difficult for a conditioned soul. We can do it verbally and mentally, but from the heart, our tendency is to complain, our tendency is to find fault in others. Our tendency is to blame, either the environment or people around us for the inadequacies we have. Yes, you can complain and you can convince the whole world of the truth that justifies your dilemma, but there is a problem. You make Zero spiritual advancement by doing so. Why should we try to convince people of this world, how we are right and how the difficulties I am going through, are not my fault? We get nowhere.
tat te ’nukampam su-samiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak
“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 chapter 14 verse 8)
This was spoken by Lord Brahma. He knows, when difficulties come, we have to, with folded palms, thank God, thank Krishna. Now for difficulties to actually be difficulties. It cannot be the difficulties that we select. "Krishna, I will surrender to you with this difficulty or that difficulty. I have a whole list of difficulties, and which will help me surrender." The problem is this. If it is on your list, it is not really a difficulty. The real difficulties are things that come, that really we don't want, really we didn't expect. Even if we did expect it, it was what we were praying not to happen.
Getting stripped naked in the assembly of gurus was not on Draupadi's list, but it was worse than death. She took shelter of Krishna. Being bereft off all of his wealth, his reputation. Be rejected by his family members and all of his friends, was not on the list of the Avanti Brahmana. It was just the medicine that the doctor ordered, for him to surrender to Krishna wholeheartedly. Follow in the footsteps of the great souls. Today, it is very hot in this very beautiful mandap. There is not much circulation of air. Are any of you suffering? This might not be what you travelled all across the world for, to come to South India, to be under the cool ocean breezes, under the palm trees. It is a perfect arrangement, to take shelter of hearing the glories of the Lord.
Many obstacles came in Lord Brahma's execution of his yajna. First, the great river came, the massive river, massive river that was just going to wash away the entire yajyashala. Then Brahma took shelter of the Lord, and Lord Narayana appeared as Vega Sethu. The Lord appeared as a deity sleeping on Ananta-Sesa. He was like a dam that stopped the flow of the river, Meghavati River.
Then, demons created complete darkness. How do you perform yajna in complete darkness? Lord Brahma took shelter of the Lord, and the Lord appeared in another form, Deepak Prakash, and created wonderful light. Then the demons sent a ferocious beast, Sharabha (snake) and the Lord appeared with eight arms (Ashtabhuja) and killed the demon in the form of Ashtabhuja. Then all the other demons were just gathered around, just harassing Brahma, trying to do everything possible to stop this yajna. Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared on the call of Brahma. These are self-manifesting deities, of all of these forms of the Lord, here in Kanchipuram. With Lord Krishna's grace, we will visit some of these temples.
Most importantly, Brahma continued performing his yajna. At the successful conclusion of the yajna in which he prayed with pure devotion for Lord Vishnu to appear, because please understand, it is not just the ritual of the yajna that invokes the presence of the Lord. It is the feeling, the intention in which it is being offered. That is why yajnas by Brahmans who really don't care anything about you, are just doing it for money, the affect is very minimal. Brahmanas who are performing in a spirit of compassion, to help you. Who are doing it with great faith and devotion,their offerings are very pleasingly accepted by the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada says that "Lord Krishna does not accept what you offer Him. Krishna accepts the purpose in which something is offered. Krishna accepts the intention of your heart." Therefore it is very important to have very pure-hearted priests and very pure-hearted pujaris, because the intentions and the purpose and the purity of their offerings is very much, what the Lord is accepting.
Lord Brahma completed his yajna, and from the fire came a magnificent Vimana. Within that Vimana, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His beautiful four-arm form. Because He came to the world to be the king of all bestowers of blessings, His name is Varadaraja.
It is this Varadaraja Swamy who is the predominating deity of Vishnu Kanchi. Everyone, please be sure you do go for the darshan and offer your prayers of love and devotion because Lord Varadaraja will bestow blessings upon us. What should we ask for? We should not ask the absolute truth for mundane things of this world. We should ask the absolute truth Sri Varadaraja, for the highest blessing. The blessing of eternal service to His devotees, the blessing of pure, unalloyed love, unconditional in all circumstances. From that time of Satya Yuga, Lord Sri Varadaraja Swamy is one of the most prominent deities on earth, worshiped by great acaryas. Sri Ramanujacarya resided, here in Kanchipuram. He daily worshiped Sri Varadaraja with great love and devotion.
Kanchipuram was the historical capital of the Pallavas. It was under Pallavas from 6th to 8th century A.D. and later became the citadel of Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. During the 6th and 7th centuries, the Pallavas built some of the best temples in the city. Kanchipuram was also a great seat of learning. many scholars both in Sanskrit and Tamil flourished here. Yuan Chwang, a famous Chinese traveller visited the city in the 7th century and said that this city was 6 miles in circumference and famous for piety and veneration for spiritual learning. Kanchipuram is the birthplace of Canakya Pandita, author of Niti-sastra (civic laws) and minister of the Maurya empire.
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