kanchi Kanchipuram , also called Conjeeveram , city, northern Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India . It is located on the Palar River , about 25 miles (40 km) east-southeast of Arcot and on the road and rail routes between Chennai (Madras; northeast) and Bengaluru (Bangalore; west) in Karnataka state. From the 3rd to the 9th century CE , it was the Pallava capital, and from the 10th to the 13th century, it served as the late Chola government headquarters. An important Vijayanagar town from the 15th to the 17th century, it was conquered by Muslim and Maratha armies in the 17th century and by the British in the 18th century, after which it was twice sacked by the French.