South India Temple Tours

An epitome of architectural beauty holding great religious importance, Varadharaja Perumal Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is one of the 108 Sree Vaishnavite shrines where the lord is worshiped as Varadaraja. It is believed that the Hindu saint Ramanuja once lived in this temple. The marvellous architectural beauty of the temple is the result of the contributions and efforts of the Pallavas, Cholas and the Vijayanagar Kings. The foundation of the temple was laid by the Cholas in 1053 in a place called Vishnu Kanchi in Kanchipuram. This place also has many other Vishnu temples, but Varadharaja Perumal Temple is the most popular. The temple covers an area of 23 acres. Kanchipuram Idli(steamed rice cake) is offered as prasad in the temple. It is an idli with spices added to it.

Depicting the height of human creativity, the view of the stone chains in the hundred pillared mandapam of the temple is a sight to behold. The towering tower of the temple is exquisitely carved. Another striking feature of the structure is the main shrine with beautifully carved lizards, which are gold plated. The Vijayanagar rulers beautified the temple in the 16th century with amazing carvings, pillared verandahs, monolithic pillars and a huge hall.

There is a pond in the temple, which houses a shrine dedicated to the deity Atthigiri Varadar. The idol of the deity is meticulously carved out of a special type of wood known as Atthi wood. And the interesting thing is that the idol of the deity is preserved under the pond and is brought out once in 40 years and worshiped for a few days.