Tamil Nadu

" Devotion At Highest Levels ! "

" Tamil Nadu is also popular as 'land of temples' for its grand temples that are architectural masterpieces. There are 30,000 plus temples constructed by rulers of different dynasties over the years. These Tamil Nadu temples are standing testimony to the rich Dravidian art and culture. Each temple showcases a distinctive style, built by Chola, Pallava, Nayak, Pandya and Vijaynagar rulers, who were great patrons of art and architecture.

Temples Construction Under Different Dynasties

Pallavas
 The temples built under the regime of Pallavas are the oldest temples of Tamil Nadu, dating back to 700 AD. During their period the holy shrines were replicated out of caves. Pallavas had an art of constructing temples of stones.

Cholas
 From 900 AD to 1250 AD, the Cholas took responsibility for the construction of temples. They included many decorative mandpams (halls) and the temples were beautified with huge gopurams (towers).

Pandyas
 The Pandayas enhanced the artistic value of the temples of Tamil Nadu with their constant innovation. The Pandayas introduced high wall enclosures, superb gateway arches and huge towers.

Vijaynagar
 Tamil Nadu temples built during Vijaynagar dynasty has distinct style of architecture. It comprised of intriacately carved monolithic pillars.

Nayaks
 The splendid art architectural style in Tamil Nadu temple during the regime of Nayaks was marvelous. They added circulatory paths or prakarams.

 

 

Temples of Tamil Nadu

Chidambaram Kapaleeswarar
Amongst the most important and most visited temples in Tamil Nadu, Kapaleeswarar Temple in Chidambaram is a significant Saivite shrine. The dominant deity here is the cosmic dancer Nataraja (Ananda Tandava pose ; the Cosmic Dance of bliss).
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Meenakshi Temple
Meenakshi With one of the biggest temple complexes in the country, Meenakshi Temple is thronged by lakhs of pilgrims every year from every nook and corner. Situated in Madurai, this South Indian temple is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi.

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Madurai Murugan Temple
Dedicated to Lord Muruga, this temple of Tamil Nadu finds a place in the list of 33 important temples of Tamil Nadu. It is at a distance of 45 km from Chennai and 25 km from Chingleput.
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Rameshwaram Temple
For Hindus, Rameshwaram is as significant a holy destination as Varanasi in India.It is, infact significant for Shaivaites as well as Vaishnavaites.
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Kanyakumari Temple
Kanyakumari Temple is dedicated to Goddess Kanya, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati and is one of the most sacred temples of Tamil Nadu.

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Chayavaneashwara Temple
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Chayavaneashwara temple in Tamil Nadu attracts a largen number of devotees every year.
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Chennai Krishnapuram Temple
Krishnapuram temple houses numerous statues that would interests sculptures and other artistic minds. These have also mesmerised a lot of visitors to this temple.
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Kumbeswara Temple
This is the biggest and the oldest Shiva temple situated right in the middle of Kumbakonam city. The main deity of this temple is Lord Kumbeswara and the main Goddess is Sri Mangalambigai.
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Swamimalai Temple
The Swamimalai Temple is one of the six holy temples of Lord Subramanya. The temple is dedicated to Lord Swaminathan.
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St. Stephen's Church
It was consecrated by Rt. Rev. Turner, Bishop of Calcutta, on November 5,1830. It was named after the Governor because he was primarily responsible for its construction. It was opened to local people on communion on Easter,1831.
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Airavatheeswara Temple
This temple has found itself a places in the list of UNESCO World heritage Site. Raja Raja II built it between 1150- 1173 AD.
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Kailasamundaiyar Temple
The highlight of this temple are the inscriptions on the wall that are the oldest references to to Sankara Bhashyam, a commentary on Sankara's philosophy by Chidaananda Bhattaara. The inscription is written in Tamil language with a Sanskrit words in between written in Grantha characters.
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Nageswaran Temple
Built in the initial years of 11th century, this temple is an excellent example of Chola sculpture. It attracts many foreigners anxious to understand the rock wall edicts and study the sculptures.