Kāñcīpuram (also called Kāñchī, Kachi, or Conjeevaram) stands as one of the seven sacred cities (mokṣa-purīs) of India and is counted among the 108 Divya Desams — the sacred abodes sung by the Āzhvārs. The presiding deity is Varadarāja Perumāḷ (Dēva Perumāḷ), celebrated in the Divya Prabandham by Tirumalisai Āzhvār, Tonḍaraḍippoḍi Āzhvār, Tirumazhisai Āzhvār, and others, whose pāsurams extol the infinite grace of Bhagavān enthroned upon the Hastigiri hill.
For Sri Vaishnava tradition, Kāñcīpuram carries particular importance as the city of Rāmānuja's early life. The great bhāgavata Kāñcīpūrṇar (Tirukkachchi Nambi) served Varadarāja Perumāḷ there and relayed to Rāmānuja six answers that Perumāḷ Himself communicated — one of the pivotal episodes in Rāmānuja's spiritual journey. Rāmānuja studied Vedānta under Yādavaprakāśa at Kāñcīpuram before receiving dīkṣā from Periya Nambi.
The Varadarāja Perumāḷ temple complex is among the grandest Divya Desam temples in the world, with towering rājagopurams and a rich heritage of utsavams. Kāñcīpuram also houses the Athi Varadar — a sacred arca-vigraha made of fig wood (atthi) — who is brought out for darśana once every forty years, drawing millions of devotees. The city thus embodies the living continuity of the Sri Vaishnava sampradāya from the Āzhvār age through Rāmānuja down to the present.