I am Shyam Sundar Chandrasekaran, the self-proclaimed author of Kanchipuram on the Web. This site you have just visited was born four years ago as the result of a new HTML convert's urge to build a web page. The first version was very egoistically named "Shyam's Home Town - Kanchipuram". I guess I didn't quite know what I was up against. Eventually the ego diminished and the page became what it is today. Thanks to support from visitors like you (and a few flamers, as well) this page has become what it is today. On November 1st, 1999, this page enters its successful 5th year. This is my personal tribute to the city that made me everything I am today.

The numerous nice people who made it a point to drop a line or two of feedback, and quite a bit of help as well, made all this happen. Please bear with me while I take my sweet time thanking them individually.

These acknowledgments are in chronological order.

Mr.Sethu Subramanian & Family, Durban, South Africa, for their support and the books and other material they provided on Kanchipuram.

Mr.Mani Varadarajan, who kindly permitted me to use the picture of Sri Varadharaja Perumal from his Vaishnava Page. 

Dr. Kantharaj Murali, Singapore, who lent a hand at a very crucial moment. He was instrumental behind the move of this page to Geocities, where it has stayed for the past two years.

Mr. G. Ramesh, Chennai who helped me start the search for information on the Thirupparuthikkundram Jain Temples - Kanchipuram's almost forgotten treasurees. The interest he had taken in the subject encouraged me to visit these temples during my last India trip. 

Mr. Y. Malaiya, Colorado for pointing me towards more information on the Jain temples. 

Mr. Tom McGauley, Vancouver, Canada for sharing his photo collection on Kanchipuram. 

Mr. C.S. Sourirajan, Chennai, for volunteering with information regarding the Vijayaraghava Perumal temple. 

Mr. Ramesh Venkatraman, San Diego, USA for sharing one of his vintage pictures of the Kanchipuram skyline.

Mr. P.N. Srinivasan and Mr. P.N. Subbaiyan, partners of Shree Rashigapriya Silks and Sri Chitra Silks, Kanchipuram, for all the information about the Silk business.

Most importantly, I would like to thank my parents and relatives who reside in Kanchipuram for their co-operation and encouragement in bringing up this web page. They are now enthusiastic members of the team to make this page more informative in the near future. You have already seen their contribution to this page on the 'Events' and 'Silk Industry' sections. 

Not to forget the most important person of the 'family team', I would like to thank my brother, Prem Chander Chandrasekaran. He will be my official source of information, stationed in Kanchipuram, currently collecting information on all the remaining temples in Kanchipuram.