Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram, Hindu temple in Kanchipuram, India
Kailasanathar is a temple in Kanchipuram, India, built from carved sandstone and dedicated to the god Shiva. The complex includes a rectangular courtyard with colonnades, many small shrines along the walls, and a tall tower above the main sanctuary decorated with carved figures and reliefs.
The temple was built under King Narasimhavarman II in the early 8th century and stands as the oldest surviving stone building in the Dravidian style. His son later added a smaller shrine that connected the royal family with the religious architecture.
The name honors Kailash, the mythical mountain home of the god, and the temple still serves as a place for prayers and religious festivals. Visitors see worshippers walking through the courtyard and bowing before the smaller shrines while priests perform rituals with flowers and lamps.
The temple opens in the morning and evening, with cooler winter months more comfortable for a visit. Good shoes help when walking over the uneven stone floors, and the entrance lies on a quiet street away from the center.
The walls preserve traces of old murals that have faded today but once displayed bright colors. Some of the niches along the outside hold empty pedestals that once supported statues lost over the centuries.
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