Curator: Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray

Kamakshi’s Temple at Kanchipuram

Illustrated lecture by Ms Renuka Narayanan, former Arts Editor, The Indian Express and former Director, Indian Cultural Centre, Embassy of India, Bangkok who writes a weekly column on religion and culture for the Editorial Page of The New Indian Express

Chair: Prof. Nilima Chitgopekar

According to Indian metaphysics, Kanchipuram is the sole ‘mokshapuri’ or ‘salvation city’ in South India, the other six being wellnorth of the old boundary between the north and the south, the river Narmada. In this salvation city, the Kamakshi temple, dated variously to the Pallavas and the Cholas, is the physical and cultural hub and the only space focused on the Ambal or Devi, the sacred feminine energy. The talk introduces how this ancient monument lives through notions of sacred geography at ‘the court of the love-eyed goddess’, its animating concepts of ‘mokshapuri’, ‘shaktisthalam’ (space/sanctuary of the goddess) and ‘ghtika sthanam’ (seat of leaning) etc.