Temples of Tamilnadu

Kapileshwar Temple ? A visit to this one of the most ancient temple of Chennai will give you a glimpse of the glorious past of the city. The present form of the temple is the revamped form of the original one which was immersed in the sea. Tamil Nadu saw the rule of several rulers who contributed to its architectural beauty by building great temples and monuments. This temple was constructed by the Pallava in the 8th century.

Over looking the Bay of Bengal, the Shore Temples are the beautiful temples which were constructed at the sea shore in the 8th century . There were other temples which were also built at the same time at the sea shore but only the Shore temples could stand the test of time. They were carved in granite and their architectural beauty is simply praise worthy. Their architecture is of Dravadian style. Located in a small village in Tamil Nadu, Mahabalipuram, Rajasimha constructed them during their rein.

Arjuna's Penance is a magnificent open air bas-relief statue attracting tourists from far and wide. Bas- Relief is a kind of carving or sculpture in which the figures are raised a few inches from a flat background to give a three-dimensional effect. Erected in the town of Mahabalipuram which is known for its ancient architecture, it was built in the 7th century. Towering to the height of 43 feet, the bas-relief is popularly known as 'The Descent of Ganga'.

Pancha Rathas ? the perfect model of monolith Indian rock-cut style of? architecture. Situated in the temple town Mahabalipuram, its history dates back to the late 7th century. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Pancha Rathas are the cave temples built by the Pallava Ruler Narsimha during his rein. During that era, rock-cut style of architecture was very famous in South India and several other structures were also built in this style.

Sarangapani is one of the highly revered temples of South India visited by a large number of devotees every year. The temple? was built in the honour of Lord Vishnu, the protector of the Universe. He is considered as the prime God of the Vaishnava traditions of Hinduism. It is located in the famous temple town Kumbakonam which falls under Tanjavur district. It is ancient temple which was given a face-lift in the 16th century.

Darasuram Airavatesvara Temple - The Heavenly Abode Where Sight And Sound Leave You Enchanted. The biggest highlight of the Darasuram temple is one of the set of steps next to the first structure. These steps when tapped make amazing musical sound. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is a World Heritage Monument and was constructed by Raja raja II in the 12th century.

Ramanatha Swamy Temple is located in the holy town of Rameshwaram which holds sheer importance? for Hindus. It is said that the pilgrimage to Banaras is incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram.? Ramanatha Swamy Temple is the most important temple of the town. It is believed that a visit to this temple helps you attain salvation. It is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.

The Hanuman Temple is famous for the 'floating stone' which was used aeons ago for building the Sethu Bandanam, the bridge between India and Lanka. Hanuman occupies a prized place in the Great Indian Epic, the Ramayana. He was? ardently devoted to Lord Rama and helped him rescue his consort goddess Sita from the Rakshasa King Ravana. Ravana was extremely powerful and was blessed with several boons.

Gandamandana Parvatham is a hillock located at a distance of 3 km from Rameshwaram. The place houses a Chakra which has the footprints of lord Rama. The hillock offers picturesque view of the entire island Rameshwaram.

Kanyakumari Amman Temple is not only famous for its architectural beauty but also for its? picturesque location. It is located on the shore where the three oceans meet: the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. It is dedicated to goddess Bhagavathy Amman, an incarnation of goddess Parvati. The foundation of the temple was laid by the Pandyas.

Located in the heart of Kanchipuram, the Varadharaja Perumal Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is one of the 108 shrines of the Lord. Its popularity attracts numerous devotees throughout the year. It is believed that this temple was once the abode of the celebrated Hindu scholar, Ramnujacharya. The temple is the manifestation of the great devotion of the Cholas towards Lord Vishnu.

The shrine of the Sri Adhikesava Perumal Temple houses the idol of Lord Adhikesava Perumal in a standing posture. The temple is also known as ' Ashtabujankaram' temple because the lord has eight hands loaded with powerful aayudhas(weapons). The weapons in the right hands are Chakra, knife, Pushpa and Arrow whereas the left hands are armed with Shanka, Bow, Gada and Khadga.

Kailasanatha Temple, Kanchipuram, is one of the finest temples built by the Pallavas King Rajasimhain in the 8th century. His son Mehendra Verma Pallava also made his contribution to the temple by extending it further. You must see it to believe that its architectural uniqueness leaves one? enchanted. The striking features of its architecture reflects the typical South Indian style of art architecture.

Covering an area of 20 acres, the Ekambaranath Temple is the largest temple of Kanchipuram which has a great legend attached to it. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Pallavas, the Cholas and the Rayas made wondrous contributions to give the temple its present form. It is believed that if a woman who does not have a child offers earnest prayer at this temple, her prayer never goes unanswered.

Situated in the Kanchipuram town of Tamil Nadu, the enchantinf Kamakashi Amman Temple is an abode of the goddess Kamakshi, one of the forms of goddess Parvati(Lord Shiva's consort). The temple was built by the great Pallavas who are still remembered for constructing such a captivating architectural jewel. Contrary to the standing pose of the goddess in most of the temples, the goddess Parvati is seated in Padmasana posture(sitting posture)in Kamakshi Amman Temple.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva and located in the ancient town of Gangai Konda Cholapuram, the Gangai Konda Cholapuram temple was built by the Chola King Rajendra Cholan to celebrate his victory over the Gangetic Plain in the 11th century. Earlier he had built the Brahedeeswarar temple in Thanjavour and the Gangai Konda Cholapuram Temple of Kanchipuram is a replica of that temple.

Steeped in sheer architectural beauty, the Brihadeshwar Temple is devoted to the lord Shiva. It is located in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. The Raja Chola built it in the 10th century during their hey-days. Seeing its incredible beauty, UNESCO declared it as a World Heritage Site. You must pay a visit to this ancient Hindu Temple to see the passion of the Cholas for art and architecture.

The architectural beauty of Tamil Nadu can be best seen in its temples and Srirangam Temple is one of the most impressive temple amongst all. It is also called Sri Ranganathaswamy temple and is devoted to Lord Ranganatha Perumal. This Hindu temple is located at a distance of 5km from Trichy. No one knows about the year of construction of this temple.

Cocooned in aesthetic significance which speaks oodles about the greatness of the traditional Dravadian style architecture, Meenakshi? Sundareshwar temple is located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The temple was built in the honour of the goddess Meenakshi, the consort of Lord Shiva. The word Meen means fish and Akshi means eyes. Originally it was? constructed by Kulasekara Pandya but the brownie points for its lavish aura goes to the Nayaks who was a great ruler of Madurai.