Temples of Tamil Nadu

The South Indian state of Tamil Nadu is famous for the rich cultural heritage and old/historic temples. It has one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples, one of the 18 Mahashakti peethas, 4 of the 5 Panchabhoota linga temples, all of the 6 Arupadai Veedu temples, etc. You can find information about the temples from other states here.

1. Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram – Dedicated to Lord Siva, it is one of the four Char Dham temples which are considered to be sacred for Hindus and is also one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples. It is one of the closest places to Srilanka and on the shores of Bay of Bengal. It is located around 560 kms from Chennai.

2. Meenakshi Temple, Madurai – Dedicated to Goddess Parvathi, it is beautiful with a colourful gopuram and located on the banks of Vaigai river around 455 kms from Chennai.

3. Kamakshi Temple, Kanchi – Dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi, it is located in Kanchipuram around 75 kms from Chennai and is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas.

4. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, Trichy – Dedicated to Lord Vishnu in reclining position, it is near Trichy and considered to be one of the biggest active Hindu temples. it is located around 330 kms from Chennai.

5. Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur – Dedicated to Lord Siva, it is also called Big Temple and is an engineering marvel constructed by the Cholas. It is around 350 kms from Chennai and around 55 kms from Trichy.

6. Arunachalam Temple, Thiruvannamalai – Dedicated to Lord Siva, it is one of the 5 Panchabhoota Linga temples representing the element fire. It is famous for the Giri valam or Giri Pradakshina where the devotees do a round of the Arunachaleswara hill for around 14 kms.

7. Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram – Dedicated to Lord Siva, it is one of the 5 Panchabhoota Linga temples representing the element sky. It is located around 230 kms from Chennai and 64 kms from Puducherry.

8. Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval – Dedicated to Lord Siva, it is one of the 5 Panchabhoota Linga temples representing the element water. It is located around 320 kms from Chennai and very close to the Srirangam temple near Trichy.

9. Ekambaranathar Temple, Kanchi – Dedicated to Lord Siva, it is one of the 5 Panchabhoota Linga temples representing the element earth. It is located around 75 kms from Chennai and very close to the Kamakshi temple in Kanchi.

10. Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchi – Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this temple is famous for its pond and also the Golden lizard.

11. Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchi – Dedicated to Lord Siva and located in Kanchi around 75 kms from Chennai.

12. Thandayudhapani Temple, Palani – Dedicated to Lord Murugan and is one of the 6 abodes of Lord Murugan(Arupadai Veedu). It is located around 485 kms from Chennai and 110 kms from Coimbatore.

13. Swaminatha Swamy Temple, Swamimalai – Dedicated to Lord Murugan and is one of the 6 abodes of Lord Murugan(Arupadai Veedu). It is located around 300 kms from Chennai near Kumbakonam.

14. Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur – Dedicated to Lord Murugan and is one of the 6 abodes of Lord Murugan(Arupadai Veedu). It is located around 635 kms from Chennai on the shores of Bay of Bengal and makes for a very beautiful view.

15. Subramaniya Swami Temple, Thiruparankundram – Dedicated to Lord Murugan and is one of the 6 abodes of Lord Murugan(Arupadai Veedu). It is located around 465 kms from Chennai near Madurai.

16. Solaimalai Murugan Temple, Pazhamudircholai – Dedicated to Lord Murugan and is one of the 6 abodes of Lord Murugan(Arupadai Veedu). It is located around 450 kms from Chennai near Madurai.

17. Subramanyaswamy Temple, Tiruttani – Dedicated to Lord Murugan and is one of the 6 abodes of Lord Murugan(Arupadai Veedu). It is around 85 kms from Chennai and 65 kms from Tirupati.

18. Airavateswara Temple, Darasuram – Dedicated to Lord Siva and was built by Raja Raja II during the 12th century AD and has highly ornate execution. It is located around 300kms from Chennai near Kumbakonam.

19. Sarangapani Temple, Kumbakonam – Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this is located in Kumbakonam which is around 300 kms from Chennai and had the tallest Gopuram before the Srirangam temple was built.

20. Bhagavathy Amman Temple, Kanyakumari – Dedicated to Kumari Amman, also called Bhagavathy Amman, it is located at the southern most town in India, Kanyakumari. It is also the place where the Indian Ocean meets Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.

21. Sripuram Golden Temple, Vellore – Dedicated to Maha Lakshmi or Lakshmi Narayanani, this temple is located around 145 kms from Chennai and spread across 100 acres.

22. Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram – Shore temple of Mahabaliburam also called Mamallapuram is located on the shores of Bay of Bengal sea around 60 kms from Chennal. It was built during the Pallavas reign in the 8th century CE.

You can find information about the temples from other states here.