Most beautiful temple in India

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Tamil Nadu is also home to many beautiful hill stations. Popular among them are Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Coonoor, Topslip, Valparai, Yelagiri and Manjolai. The Nilgiri hills, Palani hills, Shevaroy hills, Kolli Hills and Cardamom hills are all abodes of thick forests and wildlife.

Mukurthi National Park & Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve are the two tiger reserves in the state. Mudumalai National Park, The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary and Arignar Anna Zoological Park are popular with wildlife lovers. The mangrove forests at Pichavaram are also eco-tourism spots of importance.

Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of peninsular India, is famous for its distinct and beautiful sunrise, Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar's statue built off the coastline.

The prominent waterfalls in the state are Courtallam, Hogenakal, Papanasam, Manimuthar, Thirparappu, Pykara and Silver Cascade.

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Airavateswara temple, Kumbakonam

The Great Living Chola Temples (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) at Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram were built by the Cholas between the 10th and 12th centuries CE and have a lot of similarities.

Darasuram is located 3 km from Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for the Airavateswara temple constructed by the Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century AD. The vimana is 28 m high. The front mandapam itself is in the form of a huge chariot drawn by horses. The temple has some exquisite stone carvings. The main deity's consort Periya Nayaki Amman temple is situated adjacent to Airavateshwarar temple.

The main mantapa is called Raja Gambira as the elephant draws the chariot. The ceiling has a beautiful carving of Shiva and Parvathi inside an open lotus. All the dancing poses of Bharatanatyam are carved in the stone. They are referred to as the Sodasa Upasaras. There is a carving showing the village womenfolk helping in the delivery of another female, who has both her hands on the shoulders of the two ladies, who are pressing their hands and the abdomen of the lady to help her deliver. 'These are very skillful and artistic works of superb style. This may give a glimpse into the social conditions of the past. The stone image of Ravana carrying Kailas is a fine specimen of workmanship. One finds sculptures of Buddha, Bhikshatana, Saraswathi without her Venna, and a sculpture of Ardhanarishwara Brahma and Surya. The paintings on the walls have been repainted during the Nayak periods.

At the very entrance to the temple two Dwarapalakas, Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi, are imposing figures, giving vivid anatomical expressions of the exuberance of youth. In front of the temple, there is a small mandapa, which can be reached by three steps in the form of a ladder. The steps are stones, which give different musical sounds when tapped. All the seven 'swaras' can be had at different points.

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Palani (Pazhani) Muruga (Subrahmanyan) temple

Tamil Nadu's most popular pilgrim centre is located atop of Sivagiri hills in Dindigul district. The Garbagriham is surmounted by a gold gopuram, most admirably worked.

Vibhuthi (sacred ash) and pancha amritham (literally, 'the five nectars' - a traditional preparation of fruit pulp and molasses) are considered holy and distributed to devotees after being offered to the Lord Subrahmanyan in the hill-temple.

How to reach

Palani is 60 km from Dindigul. The hill station Kodaikanal is nearby. From Kerala, Palani can be reached via Kollengode (Palakkad) and Pollachi. Steps are hewn into the rock, besides a wide path meant for the ascent of elephants, up the hill. The hill top temple is 30 min walk away. Rope way is an added aminity for the pilgrims.

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Nellaiappar Shiva temple

The temple is known for its musical pillars and brilliant sculptural splendours. This temple houses a shrine to Shiva and Parvati covering a 14 acre area. Near Tirunelveli, are the nine Vaishnavite temples dedicated to Vishnu (the Alwar Nava Tiruppatis), the Krishnapuram Venkatachalapati temple with its brilliant sculptural work, Tiruchendur with its grand and imposing temple dedicated to Subramanya, and Kutralam a popular tourist resort with its charming waterfalls and abundand natural beauty. The region between Tirunelveli and Kutralam abounds in natural splendour. Mention must be made of Tenkasi, Papanasam and Ambasamudram. The inscriptions in the temple dating back to 950 AD.

The musical pillars in the Mani Mandapam which produce sound in various pitches when struck (7th century AD by Nindrasir Nedumaran or Koon Pandyan), the Somavara Mandapam, the 1000 pillared hall, and the Tamra sabha with intricate wood work, and the Vasantha Mandapam are some of the noteworthy points in this temple. Lifelike sculptures adorn several of the mandapams in the temple, noteworthy ones being in the Sangili Mandapam which links the temples of Nellaiappar and Kantimathi in this vast temple complex.

Tamra Sabhai: The Copper Hall of Dance is a brilliant work of art, and is housed within the inner precincts of the temple.

On the occasion of Arudra Darisanam (occuring in the Tamil month of Margazhi - Dec 15 - Jan 15), the images of Nataraja and Sivakami are housed here, and elaborate worship protocols are observed during the enactment of the Cosmic Dance of Shiva. A shrine to Sandana Sabhapati (adorned with sandal paste) is located right behind the Tamra Sabha and to a visitor walking towards the Tamra Sabha, the combination of these, i.e. the vision of Sandana Sabhapati seen through the Tamra Sabha presents a brilliant spectacle.

Arudra Darisanam attracts huge crowds here.The temple charriot is a massive one, second supposedly only to Tiruvarur. The Bhrammotsavam here lasts for an extended period of time during the Tamil month of Aani (June 15 - July 15).

Other festivals: Navaratri, Tirukkalyanam in Aippasi, (Oct 15 - Nov 15) and Arudra Darisanam.

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Thiruvannamalai Arunachala temple

Thiruvannamalai is the Tejo Sthalam among the Pancha Bootha Sthalams representing Fire. The others are - Tiruvanaikavil (Appu sthalam - water), Kanchipuram (Prithvi sthalam - Earth), Kalahasti (Vayu sthalam - Air) and Chidambaram (Akasa sthalam - Space).

Four Brahmotsavams are celebrated every year, the most famous of which is the one celebrated during the Tamil month of Karthikai (November/December). The ten day event culminates on the day of Karthigai Deepam. On that evening, a huge lamp is lit in a cauldron with three tons of ghee at the top of the Annamalai hill.

Every full moon night, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Shiva by circumbulating (14 km) the Arunachala hill barefoot. On the yearly Chitra Powrnami (full moon) night in the Tamil calendar year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit the temple.

The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was built between the 16th and the 17th centuries by the kings of the Vijayanagara empire. The temple is famous for its massive gopurams.

The 11 tiered East Rajagopuram towers to a height of 217 feet, while the fortified walls pierced with 4 gopura entrances offer a formidable look to this vast temple complex . The Pei Gopuram, Tirumanjana Gopuram and Ammanaiammal gopuram are the other three. The 1000 pillared hall and the temple tank were built by Krishna Deva Rayarar of Vijayanagar. Each of the prakarams has a huge Nandi and several towers such as the Vallala Maharaja Gopuram and Kili Gopuram.

How to Reach

A railway line between Vellore (near Chennai) and Villupuram passes through Thiruvannamalai.

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Veera Raghavar temple, Tiruvallur

It is one of the 108 sacred shrines of Vaishnavites. There is a pond nearby this temple, where the tank festival is held. There is a Siva temple near this shrine which is also quite popular among the locals. There is also a 40 feet tall Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman temple, where the murti (deity) is made of a single green granite stone.

Tiruvallur is located north of Chennai.

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Murugan temple, Thiruchendur

The seashore temple is in the Thoothukudy district of Tamil Nadu, 55 km from Tirunelveli.

Festivals

Brahmothsavam in the month of Magha (February – March), Vasanthothsavam for 10 days in Chaitra (April – May), Visaka Visakam for 12 days in Vaisakha (May – June) and Skandha Sashti in Asvini (October – November) are celebrated in this temple. Besides these, there are two Maha Utsavams called, in Tamil, as Aavanipperunthirunaal and Maasipperunthirunaal being conducted and celebrated in a grand fashion during Simharavi ie.,Tamil month of Aavani (August-September) and Kumbharavi ie., Tamil month of Maasi (January-February) respectively. These are 12 day festivals which happen twice every year, during the above said periods.

Naazhi Kinaru (sacred well), is outside the temple at a distance of 100 m south of the temple. Devotees are allowed to bathe by scooping out the water with a vessel and the water in the well never dries up. Despite the temple being on the seashore, the water is not salty.

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Rajadirajeswarar Temple at Mannargudi near Thanjavur
Rajagopala Temple at Mannargudi near Thanjavur
Rajagopala Temple at Tiunangur (Sirkali) near Chidambaram
Rajagopalaswamy Temple at Mannarkoil near Ambasamudram (Tirunelveli)
Rajagopalperumal Temple at Manimangalam (Vandalur) near Tambaram
Rajarajeswari Temple at Nanganallur (Chennai)
Rajendra Choleeswarar Temple at Arantangi near Pudukkottai
Rama (Kolavalvilli) Temple at Tiruvelliyangudi near Kumbakonam (Divya Desam)
Rama Temple at Kodiakkadu (Mannargudi) near Thanjavur
Rama Temple at Poovannur (Mannargudi) near Thanjavur
Ramachandraswamy temple at Padavedu near Arani (Vellore)
Ramalinga Chowdambigai Amman Temple at Tevaram near Bodinayakkanur (Madurai)
Ramalingeswarar Temple at Chennai (Teynampet)
Ramalingeswaraswamy Temple at Karnizhampattu near Tiruvallur
Ramanatha Eswarar Temple at Athipattu near Ponneri (Chennai)
Ramanathar Temple at Ramanadeeswaram near Tiruvarur (Paadal petra stalam)
Ramanathaswamy Temple at Porur near Chennai
Ramanatheeswarar Temple at Tiruvarameswaram (Mannargudi) near Thanjavur
Ramanatheeswarar temple at Anniyur near Villuppuram
Ramaswamy Temple at Cheranmahadevi near Tirunelveli
Ramaswamy Temple at Kumbakonam
Ramaswamy Temple at Padmanabhapuram (Kanyakumari) near Nagarkoil(Kanyakumari)
Ramaswamy Temple at Pappankulam near Ambasamudram (Tirunelveli)
Rameswaram Temple at Rameswaram (Jyotirlinga Kshetram,, Longest Corridor)
Ranganathaperumal Temple at Devadanam near Ponneri (Chennai)
Ranganathar Temple at Tirubhuvanam near Kumbakonam (Divya Desam)
Ranganathar Temple at Tirumandankudi (Tiruvaiyaru) near Thanjavur
Ranganathaswamy Hill temple at Singavaram near Gingee
Ranganathaswamy Temple at Karamadai near Coimbatore
Ranganathaswamy Temple at Tiruneermalai (Pallavaram) near Chennai
Ranganathaswamy tcmple at Vasishtapuram near Pennadam (Vriddachalam, South Arcot)
Ranganathaswamy temple at Pallikondaperumalkoil near Gangaikondacholapuram (Aduturai)
Rathnagireeswarar temple at Sivayam near Kulittalai (Tiruchirppalli)
Ratnagireeswarar Temple at Chennai (Besant Nagar)
Ratnagireeswarar Temple at Tirumarugal near Tiruvarur
Ratnasabhapathi Temple at Tiruvalankadu near (Cosmic Dance, Ratna Sabha)
Renukambal Temple at Padavedu near Arani (Vellore)
Rishabanadheeswarar temple at Melsevur near Gingee
Rishabha Deva Jain Temple at Vijayapuri near Erode