Chitragupta Temple

Chitragupta Temple located in Kanchipuram is dedicated to Chitragupta who is a Hindu Deity. It is a rare temple in India that is dedicated to Chitragupta who is also known as the assistant of The God of Death, Yamaraja. The temple is a striking work of traditional architecture that is found in most of the temples in South India.

It has Rajagopuram which is three-tiered and a sanctum sanctorum. According to Hindu mythology, Chitragupta was born from a painting that Lord Shiva drew in detail and was appointed to keep an account of the good and the evil deeds of humans on earth to help maintain Dharma. He was therefore named Chitragupta, Chitra (painting/ picture) and Gupta (accountant).

The elegant temple was built during the 9th century by the Chola Dynasty. Further renovation and expansion work was taken over by several other kingdoms which ruled Kanchipuram after the Chola Dynasty. Today, the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department maintains the temple and promotes it as a major tourist attraction of South India.