Kanchipuram is a small, rural town about 75-km from Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. With the Sankara Mutt acting as the hub of Hindu activities and the temples, Kanchipuram is one of the most highly visited pilgrimage spots in India , and can rightfully be called the " Religious Capital of South India".

Kanchipuram was under the Pallavas from the 6th to 8th century AD and later became the citadel of the Cholas, Vijayanagar Kings, the Muslim and the British. It has been a center of Tamil learning, cultural and religious background for centuries. Kanchipuram has magnificent temples of unique architectural beauty bearing eloquent testimony to its glorious Dravidian heritage.

All the religious cities in India support one of the two sects in Hinduism - Vaishnavism and Shaivism, but Kanchipuram has blended itself equally to both the sects, dividing itself into Vishnu Kanchi, surrounding the Varadaraja Temple, and Shiva Kanchi, surrounding the Ekambareshwar (also spelt as Ekambareshwa) Temple, while the Kamakshi Amman Temple stands in between as a place of Shakti worship.

Kamakshi Amman Temple

India has three main cities where the Goddess Shakti is worshipped. Kanchipuram holds the most important rank among the three. In the same order, the three places are Kanchipuram, where the Goddess Kamakshi is worshipped, Madurai, where the Goddess Meenakshi is worshipped, and Kashi, where the deity is 'Visaalakshi'.

The Kamakshi Amman temple is the hub of all religious activities in Kanchipuram. The temple is also in closer control of the Shankara Mutt, unlike the other temples, which are governed either by the Department of Archeology, Government of India, or the Hindu Temples Department of the Tamil Nadu Government. The kings of the Chola Empire built the temple in 14th century AD.

The main tower over the sanctum (Vimanam) of the temple is gold plated. Also of significance is the Golden Chariot in this temple. The Golden Chariot is taken in a procession around the temple on Friday evenings around 7.00 p.m. This temple also features an Art Gallery with pictures depicting the history of Sri Adishankaracharya and the Shankara Mutt.

Kailashanathar Temple

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kailashanathar (also spelt as Kailashnatha) is one of the earliest temples built by the Pallava ruler Rajasimha Pallava and was completed by his son, Mahendra Varma Pallava in the 8th century AD. It is the oldest structure in Kanchipuram and the finest example of Pallava architecture in South India . The temple is situated among several low-roofed houses just over 1-km west of the town center.

Kailashanthar Temple, Kanchipuram, Tamil NaduOf all the temples in India, no other edifice has been so elaborately filled with all the 64 aspects of Lord Shiva. The temple is unique in its architecture and is viewed more as an architectural wonder than as a holy place. Hence, it is never crowded with locals. But, once in a year during Shivaratri festival large crowds visit the temple and there could be hours of waiting in long queues.

Ekambareshwar Temple

Ekambareshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, is one of the largest temples in Kanchipuram, spreading over an area of 12.14 hectares. This ancient temple is surrounded by a huge stonewall built in the early 16th century during the days of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Ekambareshwar temple is of hoary antiquity, beginning as a small fane, it has grown over the centuries into a large one with innumerable shrines, Mandapams, Gopurams and Tanks. It is considered to be one of the most ancient temples in India and has been in existence even prior to 600 AD. It enshrines many traditions.

Kumara Kottam

Kumara Kottam is located in between the Kamakshi and Ekambareshwar temples in the Somaskanda formation in the town of Kanchipuram. It is a well-visited temple with two Prakarams and a complete pantheon of Parivara Devatas enshrined in their respective shrines.

In the sanctum, Muruga is in a seated pose. Valli, Deivayani are absent here, but their festival idols are kept here. In accordance with the function of Creation he has assumed, his right arm is in Abaya pose, the upper hand holds the rosary, and the lower left arm is on the thigh in Katyavailambita pose with the left arm holding the Kamandalam. The posture is also called "Brahma Chattam".

Here only honey is used for ablutions. When one comes out after worshipping the main deity, one can see the festival idols. In the front part of the temple in the mirror room one can see the marble figure of Ramalinga Swamigal. Varadharaja Temple, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.

Varadaraja Temple

The Varadaraja temple is one of the important shrines of Sri Vaishnavites, also known as "Hastigiri" and is one of the celebrated Vaishnava Divya Desams, located in Vishnu Kanchi or "the Little Kanchi". Originally it was known as "Attiyuran". The main deity here is Varadaraja Perumal in a standing posture facing west and the Lord here is also known as "Devaraja", "Pranatharthihara", "Deva Perumal", "Athiyooran" and "Perarulalan".

Varadaraja temple with superb art has a magnificent history, which is associated with Sri Ramanuja, who used to serve here. Many miracles are said to have occurred. It was with his ministry that the temple, then already several centuries old, began to gain fame.

Ulahalanda Perumal Temple

Ulahalanda Perumal temple, situated about half a kilometre from the centre of the town near Kamakshi Amman temple is one of the oldest temples in Kanchipuram. The deity Ulahalanda Perumal in this temple represents the "Vamana Roopam", an incarnation of Lord Vishnu taken to save the Devas from the Demon king Mahabali. The deity Ulahalanda Perumal is depicted by a huge image of about 35 feet high.

By Air

Chennai is the nearest airport to Kanchipuram.

By Rail

Trains for Kanchipuram are available from Chennai, Chengalpattu, Tirupati, and Bangalore.

By Road

Kanchipuram is 75-km away from Chennai and is well connected by a network of roads. There are frequent buses from the city to Chennai, Bangalore and other places. For local transportation bicycles can be hired from the shops near the bus stand. Cycle Rickshaws and auto rickshaws are also available on hire to move in and around the city.

Located at a distance of 58-km from Chennai, Mahabalipuram has everything that makes a site memorable; tradition, history, piety, western annals, and current importance as a centre of tourism.
The proper name of the site is "Mamallapuram", after Mamalla, an honorific of the Pallava king, Narasimha Varman I (630-668), who created the earliest of its monuments. But it is popularly called "Mahabalipuram", or "The city of Bali", whom Lord Vishnu chastised for his pride and of whom there is a relief in one of the excavated temples here.

Mahabalipuram dates back to two thousand years, it contains nearly forty monuments of different types including an "open air bas relief" which is the largest in the world, for centuries it has been a centre of pilgrimage, it figures in the early annals of the British search for the picturesque in India in the 18th century, today it attracts shoals of foreigners in search of relaxation and sea bathing, and most strange of all, it has an atomic power plant for neighbour. A small library has been written on it. Over its history and that of its monuments a number of scholarly controversies rage.

Mahabalipuram was already a centre of pilgrimage when, in the 7th century Mamalla made it a seaport and began to make temples fashioned of rock. It was through Mahabalipuram that many Indian colonists, who included sages and artists, migrated to Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka's national chronicle, the "Mahavamsa" testifies to this fact.

Temple Of Sthalasayana Perumal

Immediately to the north of the bigger hill there is the temple of Sthalasayana Perumal, much enlarged in Vijayanagar times. By the very margin of the sea, with the waves often flowing at its foot, there is a magnificent fane with three shrines in an axial line, called the "Shore Temple".

To the west of the five Rathas there are three more rathas, two side by side. About 600 m north of Mahabalipuram, along the coast, is Saluvankuppam, where there are magnificent excavated temples and, near it, a rock Mandapa with tiger heads along its periphery, called the "Tigers Cave". Between Saluvankuppam and Mahabalipuram, less than 200m from the sea, stands another structural temple, the Mukunda Nayanar.

Each and every one of these monuments of different types, structural temple, excavated temple "cut out" temple, "open air bas relief", not to mention sculptures and Mandapas to be found here and there, is important and interesting. The Shore temple, the celebrated "open air bas relief" called "Arjuna's Penance", the Mahishamardhani and the Adivaraha "Cave" temples and the Five Rathas are the especial rewards of the visitor. All the monuments are Pallava except that the original Sthalasayana Perumal temple was expanded in Vijayanagar times. To the Chola days belongs a Mandapa at the entrance to the township.

The Shore Temple, MahabalipuramThe Shore Temple

The Shore Temple occupies a most extraordinary site, by the very margin of the Bay of Bengal so that at high tide the waves sweep into it and the walls, with their sculptures, have been eroded by the winds and waves of thirteen centuries. The European name for Mahabalipuram, since the first western visitor wrote of it in the 16th century, is the "Seven Pagodas".

There are not seven temples here. The number has been made up fancifully and even whimsically. Some of the Europeans believed that the sea has overwhelmed a part of the town containing some temples. But, there is no sunken city in the waves off Mahabalipuram. The European name, "Seven Pagodas", is irrational and cannot be accounted for.

The Shrines In The Shore Temple

There are three shrines in the Shore Temple. That facing the sea and another facing west into the township are Saiva. The one between is Vaishnava, with an image of Lord Anantasayi made of live rock. There are Vimanas over the Saiva (also spelt as Shaiv or Shaiva) shrines, but none over the third; it seems to have disappeared with time. There are Somaskanda reliefs on the walls of the Saiva shrine. In front of the eastern shrine there is a stone dhvajastambha, frequently under the waves. The light that shone on it at night must have been the last sight of home for thousands of Pallava citizens immigrating to South East Asia.

The Dhvajastambha and the Balipitha, which normally stand in front of the main shrine, are here located to the west of the shrine. There was a Prakara here, with small Nandis on its walls. Some of the Nandis still stand on the survivals of the walls.

Till some decades ago parts of the temple were under sand. The sea is an ever-present danger. A semi-circular groyne wall has been built to the east. But what is notable is the fact that the temple has survived all these centuries. Built by Narasimha Varman II Rajasimha, the maker of the Kailasanatha temple in Kanchipuram in the 8th century, this is one of the earliest structural temples in Tamil Nadu.

By Air

Chennai (58-km) is the nearest airport with both domestic and international terminus. Chennai is connected with all the major places in India through the numerous domestic flights. International flights operate from various parts of the world to Chennai.

By Rail

The nearest railway stations are Chengalpattu (29-km) and Chennai (58-km). From these stations one has to take road to reach the Mahabalipuram.

By Road

Buses are available from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai to Mahabalipuram daily. The road to Mahabalipuram is good. Tourists can also hire a taxi from Chennai.

The Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur is an architectural wonder and reflects the artistic skills of the erstwhile Chola rulers who ruled peninsular India in the early medieval period. Built by the Chola king Rajaraja I in the 11th century, it is one of the tallest temples in the world. It was so designed that the Vimana never casts a shadow at noon at any part of the year.

The origin of the magnificent Brihadeeswara temple goes back to the late 10th and the early 11th century, when Rajaraja Chola, the great Chola ruler, ruled a kingdom that spread through a large part of peninsular India. Rajaraja Chola, like other Chola rulers, was a great patron of art and architecture. During the time of the Cholas, most of the magnificent temples as well as exquisite bronze sculptures in South India were created. The style and grace of these sculptures and temples, and an eye for the minutest of the details, till today, is without parallel.

The temple is kept open from 5:30 in the morning to 12:00 in the noon. The temple usually remains closed during the noon hours, and reopens in the evening at 4:00 p.m. The temple closes in the night after the last pujas are performed by 8:00 p.m.

By Air

The nearest airport is at Trichy (65-km).

By Rail

There is a railway junction in Thanjavur. It is well connected with Trichy, Chennai, Madurai and Nagore.

By Road

Thanjavur is well connected by road with all the major towns and cities in Tamil Nadu and also with Kochi , Ernakulam , and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Bangalore in Karnataka . There are regular bus services for visiting all places of interest in and around Thanjavur. Tourist taxis are also available.

Rameshwaram (also spelt as Rameswaram) is a pilgrimage centre of nationwide importance, as Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva here on his way back from SriLanka. The temple is in the island of Rameshwaram, the Banares of the South , connected to the mainland by a bridge. The deity here constitutes one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India.

The Sacred Pilgrimage To Rameshwaram

A pilgrimage to Rameshwaram is among the important injunctions laid on the Hindu from time immemorial. The great temple of Sri Ramanatha is connected by tradition with Kashi. A pilgrimage to Kashi is not considered complete without a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram. In olden days groups of pilgrims, many of them quite old, walked huge distances to the two temples, taking months and years, and some failing to survive the rigours and dangers of such incredibly long journeys. Men and women knew this cost might be exacted of them, but they repaid it cheerfully.

The Rameshwaram pilgrimage has long been a tradition in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, and has passed into folklore. Many kings of old prided themselves on having planted columns of victory in Rameshwaram-Krishna III the Rashtrakuta, in the 10th century; the Hoysala, Vishnuvardhana, in the 12th century.

Everything in and near Rameshwaram is traditionally connected with incidents in the "Ramayana". The Kashi pilgrimage is considered complete not only after worship in the Sri Ramanatha temple but also after a bath in Dhanushkodi, a tip of the island where the Bay of Bengal, called the "Mahodadhi" in ancient times, joins the Indian Ocean, or Ratnakaram, its beautiful old name "Dhanushkodi", in Tamil the "end of the bow", takes its name from a tradition that Sri Rama, at the request of Vibishana, his friend, destroyed the bridge to Sri Lanka with the end of His bow. Dhanushkodi was affected in a cyclone a few years ago.

The Great Temple Of Sri Ramanatha

The temple of Sri Ramanatha, which has over the centuries grown into its present gigantic dimensions, stands on the eastern shore of an island, which is shaped like a conch, which Lord Vishnu bears in one of His hands. No field is ploughed or oil presses any where in the island. A magnificent railway bridge, over a kilometre long and constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century, connects it with the mainland.

To help the pil grims walking incredible distances, philanthropists used to construct rest houses at intervals along the way. The last of them before Rameshwaram was Thangachimadam, a few kilometres away on the island. Modern means of transport have made these rest houses superfluous. But in their time they were most useful, even vital. The Sethupathis of Ramanathapuram, of which the district Rameshwaram is an administrative part, were called the "guardians of the Sethu", the bridge which, according to tradition, was built for Sri Rama to cross over into Sri Lanka when He set out to recover Sita.

By Air

The nearest airport is at Madurai, at a distance of 154-km.

By Rail

Rameshwaram is well connected by trains from all the major cities of India.

By Road

State transport buses are available from the railway station to the various places in and around Rameshwaram. For local transportation taxis, auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and tongas are available. Also city bus service is available in the island.

Madurai or the "city of nectar" is the oldest and second largest city of Tamil Nadu. This city is located on Vaigai River and was the capital of Pandyan rulers till the 14th century. The Pandyan king, Kulasekhara had built a gorgeous temple around which he created a lotus shaped city. Mythology says when city was being named; Lord Shiva blessed the city and its people. On the auspicious occasion some Divine nectar ("Madhu") fell from the matted locks of Shiva and hence the city was named "Madhurapuri". This sacred town of south attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors from India as well as abroad.

Madurai's Pilgrimage - Meenakshi Temple

The life of Madurai revolves around the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple. This magnificently carved temple is the main attraction of Madurai and its huge Gopurams towers over the city. Meenakshi temple has a thousand pillared 'Mandapam'. Precisely there are 985 pillars and each of them is delicately and exquisitely carved. Among these are the musical pillars, which produce music when tapped. Surprisingly, these musical pillars are carved out of a single granite rock. The temple has been a hub of Tamil culture and has been sponsoring literature, art, music, and dance in the region for a long time. The temple also has an art museum. The city apart from temple is crammed with shops, street markets and temples, pilgrims choultries, hotels and restaurants. Though Madurai is considered as pilgrimage but it has also developed as a business centre and is famed for its traditional handicrafts in bronze and brass.

Koodal Azhaar Temple

One of the most ancient temples in Madurai, Koodal Azhagar temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. In this temple he is seen in various postures sitting, standing, reclining one over the other. There are intricate woodcarvings in here, including one of Lord Rama's coronation.

By Air

Madurai has its own airport and there are flights, which connect the city with Chennai, Tiruchirappalli. The airline services have at least one flight daily from Madurai to Chennai. From there one can take flight to anywhere in India.

By Rail

Madurai has one of the major railway junctions of South India. It is connected with the all the major tourist as well as religious places in Tamil Nadu. Though there are not many trains, which connect the city with major cities of India such as, Madurai is easily accessible from any part of the nation.

By Road

There are good motorable roads, which connect this, second largest city of Tamil Nadu with other parts of the state as well as other places in India. Madurai has five bus stands, which cater to the needs of the people.

Coimbatore is one of the most industrialised cities in the state. Popularly known as "The Textile Capital of South India" or "The Manchester of the South", the city is situated on the banks of the river Noyyal. Located in the shadow of the Western Ghats, Coimbatore enjoys a very pleasant climate the year round, aided by the fresh breeze that flows in through the 25-km long Palakkad gap.

Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary

Anamalai wildlife sanctuary is about 90-km from Coimbatore and is situated at an altitude of 1,400 meters in the Western Ghats near Pollachi. The area of the sanctuary is 958-sq-kms. An ecological paradise, this sanctuary encompasses a National Park. It has just recently been renamed Indira Gandhi wildlife sanctuary.

Black Thunder Amusement Park

Black Thunder, a water sports and amusement park is situated about 40-km from Coimbatore on the Ooty main Road. When you need time off from the rest of the world, time to be with your family, time to share moments of adventure and fun with friends, time for children to experience fun and joy, time to take a break- Black Thunder is your destination.

Perur Patteeswaraswamy Temple

Perur Patteeswaraswamy temple built by Karikala Cholan is located 7-km west of Coimbatore near river Noyyal. Coimbatore has many temples out of which the Perur Patteeswara Swamy temple is the most popular one. The temple upholds huge statues. The significance of Perur temple in earlier days is unfolded in the poetic creations of Arunagiri Nather and Kachiappa Munivar.

Marudamalai Temple

About 12-km away from Coimbatore railway station is the Marudhamalai temple of Lord Muruga. The temple is situated on the Marudamalai (Maruda is the colloquial form of Marunthu, which means medicine and Malai means mountain) mountain and is one of the most visited temples in the region, the reason being that the presiding deity, known as "Dandayuthapani" is believed to have performed several miracles here.

By Air

Peelamedu airport is 10-km from the city, which operates regular flights to Bangalore , Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi and Madurai.

By Rail

Coimbatore is a major railway junction on the Southern Railways and has trains to Chennai, Rameswaram, Madurai, Bangalore , Mumbai, Kanyakumari, Kozhikode, Mettupalayam, Kochi and Delhi.

By Road

Coimbatore is connected by road with all major places in South India. For local transportation, city buses, taxis and auto rickshaws are available. State Transport Corporation ply mini luxury coaches between various points in the city and airport.