Satyavratashetram Devadhamam Mokshapuri Kanchipuram

Kanchi, the Southern Mokshapuri

An often-quoted and popular verse enumerates the Moksapuris (cities of liberation from the bondage of births and deaths) as seven in number: Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya or Haridwar, Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika or Ujjain, and Dwarka are the seven cities bestowing Moksha, i.e., deliverance.

Among these seven, Haridwar, Kashi, and Ujjain are sacred to devotees of Lord Shiva, while Ayodhya, Mathura, and Dwarka are holy to devotees of Vishnu. Kanchi, the southern Moksapuri, is sacred to devotees of Shiva, Vishnu, and Shakti alike. Kanchi, popularly known as Kanchipuram, is a city of great renown, as per the widely held saying, “Nagaresu Kanchi.”

The “Perumpanarrupadai,” an ancient work from the Tamil Sangam age, points to Kanchi as an ancient city of the world:

“Malartalai Ulagathullum palar tozha Vizhavu mempatta pazaviran moodur.”

These two lines in Tamil indicate that Kanchi is an ancient city of the world, renowned for the festivals celebrated by devotees of all faiths.

“Kanchi derives its name from Brahma, known as ‘Ka,’ who worshipped the divine in this sacred kshetram. Within that renowned city, nestled within a lotus pond, under the auspicious star of Thiruvonam (Sravanam), which is deemed as the very star of the Divine, Poigai Alvar was born. He composed the awe-inspiring ‘Mutal Tiruvantati’ pasuram, akin to a radiant lamp dispelling the shadows of the mind and uplifting the soul.” – Poigai Alvar