The Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the goddess Kamakshi. Its date is uncertain. It may have been founded between the fifth and eighth centuries by the Pallava kings, and the Cholas may have built it in the fourteenth century. It was modified in the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the temple is in the Dravidian style on about 5 acres (2 hectares).
The sanctum holds a seated Kamakshi. Smaller shrines honor Bangaru Kamakshi, Adi Shankara and Saraswati. The Gayatri Mandapa has 24 pillars, said to represent the 24 syllables of the Gayatri Mantra, and a Sri Yantra stands in front of the idol. The temple is one of the 18 main Shakta pithas.
The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham administers the temple. Its festival season in Masi, from mid-February to mid-March, includes a chariot festival and a float festival.
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