South India - Tourist Attractions - Handloom Industry - Tamil Nadu
If you are planning on a traditional Indian style wedding then Kanchipuram is the place to get your wedding sarees and dhotis from. It is a couple hour drive from Chennai along the national highway. This route is frequented by adventurous bikers who usually travel from Chennai to Kanchipuram to revel in the historical landscapes of Kanchipuram.
‘Kanchi’ as the city is fondly called in Tamil means ‘The place where Lord Brahma worshipped Lord Shiva’. Kanchipuram was the cradle of civilization during the Pallavas reign and is among the seven sacred cities in Hinduism. This credit mainly goes to the Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple which is the oldest temple in Kanchipuram and was built by Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty.
The legend goes that the Kanchi weavers are descendants of the Sage Markanda who was the master weaver of the Gods and is said to have woven tissue out of a Lotus fiber. The silk sarees in Kanchipuram are woven out of pure mulberry silk thread. You will notice that in a Kanchipuram silk saree even if the saree tears the border of the saree remains intact. This is because the body and border are woven separately and attached together.
Watching the thread unfold from a string of silk to a beautifully woven silk saree in Kanchipuram is in itself a beauty to behold. You can take a drive from Chennai by car or a bike and visit the farms where this silk thread is cultivated, extracted and fed into the spinning weave.
Plan a trip to the land of Kanchi where the evocative and vibrant cultural history of South India stands and take back cherished memories and breathtaking experiences.