Kancheepuram District

Kancheepuram District

Kanchipuram, Kanchi, or Kancheepuram is a district in the northeast of Tamil Nadu, adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. It is bounded in the west by Vellore and Thiruvannamalai districts, in the north by Thiruvallur District and Chennai District, in the south by Viluppuram District. It lies between 11° 00' to 12° 00' North latitudes and 77° 28' to 78° 50' East longitudes. The district has a total geographical area of 4,432 km² and coastline of 57 km. The town of Kanchipuram is the district headquarters.

The history of Kanchi can be traced back to several centuries before the advent of the Christian era. The place finds its name in Patanjali's Mahabhashya, written in the second century B.C. Manimekalai, the famous Tamil classic, and Perumpanattu Padai, a great Tamil poetical work, vividly describe Kanchipuram city, as it was at the beginning of the Christian era. Pathupattu, one of the sangam literatures, reads that the king Thondaiman Ilandirayan ruled this town around 2500 years ago.

Kancheepuram District had been administered by the Pallavas, Cholas, Vijayanagar rulers and the British before Independence. It was a part of Tondaimandalam, a division of the ancient Tamil country, roughly comprising the present day districts of Kancheepuram, Chennai, Tiruvallur, Vellore and Thiruvannamalai. The capital of Thondaimandalam was Kancheepuram city. From the 3rd to the 9th century A.D. Kanchi was the capital of the Pallavas who ruled over the territory extending from the river Krishna in the north to the river Kaveri in the south. The Pallavas fortified the city with ramparts, moats, etc., with wide and well laid out roads and fine temples. They were a great maritime power with contacts with far-off China, Siam, Fiji, etc., through their chief Port Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram). The Cholas ruled this region from the 10th century to the 13th century. Kings of Vijayanagar dynasty ruled from 14th century to 17th century.

Subdistrict     Chengalpattu, Cheyyur, Kanchipuram,
Madurantakam, Sriperumpudur, Tambaram,
Thirukachukundram and Uthiramerur

Largest city     Kanchipuram 

    Revenue Divisions                         3

    Taluks                                          8

    Blocks                                         13

    Corporation & Municipalities         10

    Town Panchayats                        24

    Revenue Villages                       1137

    Panchayat Villages                     648