[citation needed] The earliest references to Kanchipuram are found in the books of the Sanskrit grammarian Patanjali, who lived between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE.

[16] The city finds mention in the classical Tamil language Sangam literature dated 300 BCE like Manimegalai and Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai.

[17] While it is widely accepted that Kanchipuram had served as an Early Chola capital,[18][19] the claim has been contested by Indian historian P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar who wrote that the Tamil culture of the Sangam period did not spread through the Kanchipuram district and cites the Sanskritic origins of its name in support of his claim.

[15] Kanchipuram grew in importance when the Pallavas, wary of constant invasions from the north, moved their capital south to the city in the 6th century.

[24] Xuanzang, a Chinese traveller who visited Kanchipuram in 640, recorded that the city was 6 miles (9.7 km) in circumference and that its people were renowned for their bravery, piety, love of justice and veneration for learning.

[35] The city remained with the Pandyas until 1311 when the Sambuvarayars declared independence, taking advantage of the anarchy caused by Malik Kafur's invasion.

[28][36] After short spells of occupation by Ravivarman Kulasekhara of Venad (Quilon, Kerala) in 1313–1314 and the Kakatiya ruler Prataparudra II, Kanchipuram was conquered by the Vijayanagara general Kumara Kampana, who defeated the Madurai Sultanate in 1361.

[14] The inscriptions in four languages – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Sanskrit – record the genealogy of the Tuluva kings and their contributions, along with those of their nobles, towards the upkeep of the shrine.

[14] His campaign was successful and Kanchipuram was held by the Golconda Sultanate until its conquest by the Mughal Empire led by Aurangazeb in October 1687.

[14] Soon after, the priests at the Varadharaja Perumal, Ekambareshwarar and Kamakshi Amman temples, mindful of Aurangazeb's reputation for iconoclasm, transported the idols to southern Tamil Nadu and did not restore them until after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.

[38]The popular 1780 Battle of Pollilur of the Second Anglo-Mysore War, known for the use of rockets by Hyder Ali of Mysore, was fought in the village of Pullalur near Kanchipuram.

[42] It has been postulated that the granite required for the Varadaraja Perumal Temple might have been obtained from the Sivaram Hills located 10 miles east of Kanchipuram.

In 2015, Kanchipuram district registered the highest rainfall of 182 centimetres or 71.65 inches in Tamil Nadu during Northeast Monsoon season.

From the state delimitation after 1967, seven of the ten elections held between 1971 and 2011 were won by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

[63] He was the first member of a Dravidian party to hold that post and was the first non-Congress leader to form a majority government in post-colonial India.

[66] During the rule of King Narasimha Varma in the 7th century, the city covered about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) and had a population of 10,000.

[72] The concepts of the verandah in the front yard, garden in the backyard, ventilation facilities and drainage of rainwater were all introduced for the first time,[72] while the Tiruvekka temple and houses of agricultural labourers were situated outside the city.

Industrial developments occupy around 65 hectares (160 acres), where most of the handloom spinning, silk weaving, dyeing and rice production units are located.

89.06 hectares (220.1 acres) are used for transport and communications infrastructure, including bus stands, roads, streets and railways lines.

[89] Daily bus services are provided by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation to and from Chennai, Bangalore, Villupuram, Tirupathi, Thiruthani, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Salem, Coimbatore, Tindivanam and Pondicherry.

[21] The head works is located at Orikkai, Thiruparkadal and St. Vegavathy, and distributed through overhead tanks with a total capacity of 9.8 litres (2.2 imperial gallons).

With the gradual resurrection of Hinduism during the reign of Mahendra Varman I, the Hindu educational system gained prominence with Sanskrit emerging as the official language.

[101] Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya and Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE) are the two Deemed universities present in Kanchipuram.

[108][109] According to Hinduism, a kṣhetra is a sacred ground, a field of active power, and a place where final attainment, or moksha, can be obtained.

The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Poigai Alvar, Peyalvar, Bhoothathalvar and Thirumalisai Avar.

The temple is one of five called Pancha Bhoota Stalams, which represent the manifestation of the five prime elements of nature; namely land, water, air, sky, and fire.

Kandapuranam, the Tamil religious work on Muruga, translated from Sanskrit Skandapurana, was composed in 1625 by Kachiappa Shivacharya in the temple.

[126][127][128] A related claim is that Adi Sankara came to Kanchipuram, and that he established the Kanchi matha named "Dakshina Moolamnaya Sarvagnya Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam" in a position of supremacy, namely Sarvagnya Peeta, over the other mathas (religious institutions) of the subcontinent, before his death there.

[130] Some notable Buddhists associated with Kanchipuram are Āryadeva (2nd–3rd centuries) – a successor of Nāgārjuna of Nalanda University, Dignaga and the Pali commentators Buddhaghosa and Dhammapala.

[131] According to a popular tradition, Bodhidharma, a 5th/6th-century Buddhist monk and founder of Shaolin Kung Fu was the third son of a Pallava king from Kanchipuram.