“She whose eyes are beautiful,” “She whose eyes are sensual,” “She whose eyes awaken desire” — this is how the temple’s name is translated. It refers to Shiva’s wife, the goddess of peace.
Her main name is Parvati, but, like all Indian deities, she is able to change it. In the Hindu tradition, a name is an image behind which a whole story or a personality trait is hidden.
Kamakshi is depicted with four arms. In two of her hands, the goddess holds a bow and a lotus, on which a green parrot sits. She brought all the local land under her control, making it sacred. Parvati embodies goodness, but she can also be very dangerous when it comes to putting an end to evil.
According to some accounts, the construction of the temple began in the 9th century; however, most sources date it to the 14th century. It is located in the city of Kanchipuram, or simply “Kanchi,” which, because of its abundance of religious sites, is called the “city of a thousand temples.” There are always many pilgrims here, whose distinctive feature is their red clothing.
The temple itself is small and compact. The shrines are not large in size, nor is the four-tiered “tower of fire.” A special feature of the attraction is its close contact with the animal world: there is a very large pond with fish here, and three temple elephants and many monkeys live on the grounds.
