| Tamilnadu Temple
History and Architecture: The Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Vijayanagar rulers and
the Nayakas have made immense contributions to temple
art in Tamilnadu. |
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Pillayarpatti:
The familiar image of Karpaka Vinayakar, is from the
ancient rock cut temple at Pillaiyarpatti near Karaikkudi. Located nearby is the hill
temple of Shanmukhanathan at Kunnakkudi. |
| Tevara Paadal Petra
Stalangal: Regionwise index of 275
ancient Shiva temples glorified by the hymns of the tamil saints of the 1st millennium
CE with complete details on history, architecture, festivals etc. |
Murugan temples of
Tamilnadu: Regionwise index of 54 ancient
Murugan shrines with complete details on history, architecture, festivals etc. |
Divya Desams of
Vishnu: Regionwise index of 108 shrines dedicated to Vishnu
glorified by the hymns of the Tamil Alwar saints of the 1st millennium CE with complete
details on history, architecture, festivals etc. |
| Ancient Shiva
temples revered by the hymns of Manikkavacakar: Complete details on shrines
associated with the life of Manikkavacakar the saint
poet of the 1st millennium CE. |
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Srirangam:
The largest and among the grandest temples in India and a treasure house of art, Srirangam
enshrines Vishnu - Ranganatha in a reclining posture
and its entrance is crowned with the loftiest tower in India. |
| Tiruvannamalai:
Among the grandest temples in India, Tiruvannamalai
has a hoary tradition of festivals, the most important of which is Kartikai Deepam. |
Meenakshi
Sundareswarar Temple at Madurai
is an ancient center of worship as well as an art gallery of vast proportions. Rich in
traditions, festivals & art, Madurai is second to none in representing the rich
cultural heritage of India. |
Chidambaram:
Experience the grandeur of the temple and the tradition of festivals at Chidambaram, enshrining Shiva, as Nataraja,
the Lord of Dance. |
| The Kamakshi Amman temple at Kanchipuram -
the ancient city of temples is one of the leading centers of Shakti worship
in Tamilnadu. Also here are the Ekambreswarar
temple, the Varada Raja Perumaal temple, Kumarakottam and many more. |
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The southernmost tip
of the subcontinent - is home to the ancient shrine of Kanyakumari. At Tiruvattaar
and Tirupatisaaram in Kanyakumari
district worship is offered in the Kerala Tantram protocol. |
| Srivilliputtur:
This vast temple in Southern Tamilnadu is the birthplace of
Andal, one of the 12 Alwars and author of the revered Tiruppavai hymns. |
Rajagopala temple at
Mannargudi: The grandest temple to Krishna in India is located at Mannargudi near Thanjavur in Tamilnadu. |
Azhagar Koyil near
Madurai: Known as Tirumaalirumcholai, this
shrine has been venerated by the hymns of the Alwars. |
| The Aarupadai Veedu
Shrines of Tamilnadu are ancient Murugan
shrines referred to in Sangam period Tamil literature. |
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The hill temple
of Palani enshrining Murugan is one of the most visited
temples of Tamilnadu and is rich in legend and tradition. |
| Kumbhakonam
is an ancient pilgrimage center in Tamilnadu housing the Kudandai Kaaronam, Kudamookku
, Kudandai Keezhkottam, Sarangapani
and Ramaswamy temples. |
Mayiladuturai:
The ancient temple town of Mayiladuturai has several temples, the foremost of which are
the Mayuranathar and Parimala
Ranganathar temples. |
Ancient temples of
Chennai: The modern city of Chennai has in
its midst, four ancient temples dating back to the 1st millennium CE. |
| Periya Koyil:
The most imposing temple Vimanam in India, is that of the Brihadeeswarar temple at Thanjavur, built by the Chola
ruler, Raja Raja Chola I the great. This architectural marvel is one of
the popular tourist destinations in the state. |
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Gangaikonda
Cholapuram, Daarasuram, Tribhuvanam temples were built by the Chola Kings who succeeded Raja Raja Chola. The first of
these is modeled along the Thanjavur temple; the Daarasuram temple is built in the form of
a chariot. |
| Pancha Bhoota
Stalangal: Tiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvaanaikkaval,
Kalahasti and Chidambaram
are five grand temples enshrining Shiva as a manifestation of the five elements. |
The Tyagaraja temple at Tiruvarur is one of the
ancient heritage sites of India and is a representation of the religio-socio-cultural
history of the Tamil region for a time period spanning a millennium and a
half. |
Pancha Sabha Temples:
Chidambaram (gold), Madurai
(silver), Tirunelveli (copper), Tiruvalankadu (ruby) and Kutralam
(picture) are revered as the five Cosmic Dance halls of Shiva. |
| In and around Tiruchirappalli
are the Rock Fort temple, Uraiyur,
Samayapuram, Tiruvaanaikkaval,
Srirangam, Uttamar
Koyil, Vayalur etc. |
The Murugan
shrine at Marudamalai., the Avinashi Lingeswarar temple are located near Coimbatore.
Also near Coimbatore is the Perur Patteeswarar temple. |
At Mahabalipuram
near Chennai, is the Stalasayana Perumaal temple.
Nearby are Tiruvidandai and Tirukkalunkunram, all three temples are over 1200 years
old. Also nearby is the Murugan shrine of Tirupporur. |
| The Samayapuram Mariamman temple near Tiruchirappalli
and the Tiruverkadu Karumariamman temple near
Chennai are centers of Shakti worship. |
Alwar Nava Tirupati:
Nine ancient shrines in Tirunelveli are closely associated with Nammalwar.
The first of these is Sri Vaikuntham and the last is Alwar Tirunagari. |
Eight of the nine Navagraha stalams in Tamilnadu are temples
dedicated to Shiva; 7 of which are associated with the Bhakti movement of the 1st
millennium. |
| Sirkazhi
near Chidambaram is one of the most revered Shivastalams
in Tamilnadu and is home to the Saiva saint Tirugnanasambandar. Also
located in Sirkazhi is the Trivikrama temple revered by
the Alwars. |
|
The Tamilnadu Temple
Index: Follow this pointer to an index of over 1000
temples of the state of Tamilnadu arranged alphabetically. |
