Etymology
According to legend, the name Kanchi is derived from Ka referring to Hindu god Brahma and anchi referring to his worship of Hindu god Vishnu at this place. The earliest inscription from the Maurya period (325 - 185 BCE) denote the city as Kanchipuram where king Visnugopa was defeated by Samudragupta Maurya (320–298 BCE). Patanjali(150 BCE or 2nd c. BCE) refers to the city in his Mahabhasya as Kanchipuraka. The city was referred by various Tamil names like Kanchi, Kanchipedu and Sanskrit names like Kanchipuram. The Pallava inscriptions from (250 to 355 CE) and the inscriptions from the Chalukya dynasty, refers the city as Kanchipura. Jaina Kanchi refers to the area around Tiruparutti Kundram. During the British rule, the city was addressed as Conjeevaram and later as Kanchipuram. The municipal administration was renamed Kancheepuram, while the district holds the name Kanchipuram.
Read more about this topic: Kanchipuram
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
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