Most beautiful temple in India

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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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Aabathsahayeswarar Temple at Aduturai near Kumbakonam
Aabatsahayeswarar Temple at Rudraganga near Thanjavur
Aadi Kumbeswarar Temple at Kumbakonam
Aaduturai Perumaal Temple at Tirukkoodaloor (Tiruvaiyaru) near Kumbakonam
Aatmanathar Temple at Aavudayar Koil near Pudukkottai
Aatmanatheswarar Temple at Tiruvalampozhil (Tirupponthurutti) near Kumbakonam
Abayapradhana Ranganathar temple at Karur
Abhirameswarar temple at Thiruvamathur near Villuppuram
Abhirami - Amritaghateswarar Temple at Tirukkadavur near Kumbakonam
Abhirami - Kalahastheeswarar Temple at Dindukkal
Achchaladheepeswarar temple at Mohanur near Karur
Adhi Madyarjuneswarar temple at Erakkudi near Tiruchirappalli (Kallagam)
Adhidheeswarar Temple at Vaniyambadi, Vellore Dt.
Adhimoolanathaswamy temple at Thirupalaithural near Srirangam, Trichy
Adhimoolaperumal temple at Pudupalayam, Tiruvanamalai district
Adi Jagannatha Temple at Tiruppullani near Ramanathapuram
Adi Kesava Perumal Temple at Chennai
Adi Parasakthi Temple at Melmaruvattur near Chennai
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Arani near Ponneri (Chennai)
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Arpakkam near Kanchipuram
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Chennai
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Kavathur near Madurantakam
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Korattur in Chennai
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Kuram (Injambakkam) near Chennai
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Meyyur (Sadurangapatnam) near Chingelput
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Peramandur (Arantangi) near Pudukkottai
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Pudupalayam near Ponneri (Chennai)
Adikesava Perumal Temple at Ramanjeri near Tiruvallur
Adikesava Perumal temple at Vilambar near Kallakurichi (Villuppuram)

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Adinathaswami Temple (Tirukkurukoor) at Alwar Tirunagari near Srivaikuntam (Tuticorin)
Adiratneswarar Temple at Tiruvadanai (Devakottai, Sivaganga district)
Aeri Katha Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu at Maduranthakam, Chingleput district
Agastheeswarar Temple at Arungulam near Tiruttani
Agastheeswarar Temple at Chennai
Agastheeswarar Temple at Chunampet near Madurantakam
Airavata esvara Temple at Darasuram near Kumbakonam
Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram near Kumbakonam
Airavatesvara Temple at Pazhanthandalam near Thiruneermalai (Chennai)
Airavateswarar Temple at Melaittirumanancheri (Tiruvelvikkudi) near Mayiladuturai
Akshaya Lingeswarar Temple at Keezh VeLur near Thanjavur
Aksheeswaraswamy Temple at Acharapakkam near Madurantakam
Alagarswamy Temple at Palayur near Tirumangalam (Madurai)
Alwar Temple in Iraniel at Iraniel near Padmanabhapuram (Kanyakumari)
Amanalingeswarar temple at Tirumurthimalai near Udumalpet (Coimbatore)
Amarapatheeswarar Temple at Sirukalathur (Pallavaram) near Chennai
Ambalavana Eswarar Temple at Angambakkam near Walajabad
Ambaleeswaraaswamy Temple at Nemali near Tiruttani
Ambravananathar Temple at Tiru (Vada) Maanthurai near Lalgudi
Ammaiappar Temple at Ambasamudram (Tirunelveli)
Ammainathaswami Temple at Cheranmahadevi near Tirunelveli
Amritaghateswarar Temple at Kuzhagar Kovil near Vedaranyam
Amritaghateswarar Temple at Tirukkadambur(Inanoykutyr) near Chidambaram
Amritakaleswarar Temple at Tirukkalayanalloor near Kumbakonam
Amudeswarar Temple at Tirusaikadu (Sirkali) near Chidambaram
Anaikatha Perumal Temple at Kalappal (Mannargudi) near Thanjavur
Ananta Padmanabhaswamy Temple at Chennai
Anantheeswarar Temple at Anantheeswaram near Chidambaram
Anantheeswaraswamy temple at Udalyarkudi near Chidambaram
Andal and Vadapatrasayee Temple at Srivilliputtur near Tirunelveli
Anekathanga Paadeswarar Temple at Kanchipuram
Angalamman temple at Melmalayanur near Gingee
Anjaneyar Temple at Chennai (Mylapore)
Anna Kamatchi Amman temple at Omandur near Trichy
Appakkudathan Temple at Tirupper Nagar near Lalgudi
Apparswamy Temple at Chennai (Mylapore)
Araianinatheswarar temple at Arakkandanallur near Tirukkovilur (Villuppuram)
Arangulanathar temple at Thiruvarangulam near Pudukkottai
Aranya Sundareswarar Temple at Keezh Tirukkattuppalli (Tiruvengadu) near Chidambaram
Arappaliswarar temple of Kollimalai at Valappurnadu near Namakkal (Salem)
Arasilinathar Temple at Arasili (Irumbai Maakalam) near Puducheri
Aratturai Nathar Temple at Tirunelvayil (Pennadam) near Villuppuram

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Aravindalochanar Temple at Tiruttolaivillimangalam near Alwar Tirunagari (Srivaikuntam, Tirunelveli)
Ardhanareeswarar temple at Rishivandiam near Kallakurichi (Villuppuram)
Ardhanariswarar Temple at Tiruchengodu near Salem
Ardhanatheswarar Temple at Pidagam near Ulundoorpet (Villuppuram)
Ariyathamman temple at Arani near Vellore
Arulvalla Nathar Temple at Keezh Tirumanancheri near Mayiladuturai
Arunachaleswarar Temple at Ariyathurai near Tiruvallur
Arunachaleswarar Temple at Nemam (Tiruninravur) near Arakkonam
Arunachaleswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai (Pancha Bhoota Stalam)
Aruneeswara temple at Karimangalam near Dharmapuri
Ashtabuja Perumal Temple at Pillayarpalayam near Kanchipuram
Ashtalakshmi Kovil|Ashta Lakshmi Temple at Chennai (Besant Nagar)
Avanashi Lingeswarar Temple at Avinashi near Coimbatore
Ayikudi Balasubramania Swami Temple at Ayikudi near Sengottai Tirunelveli
Aymoortheswarar Temple at Moongipattu near Ponneri (Chennai)
Ayyappan Temple at Chennai (Annanagar)
Ayyappan Temple at Chennai (Mahalingapuram)
Ayyappan Temple at Chennai (R A Puram)
Azhagamman Temple at Nagarkoil near Nagarkoil(Kanyakumari)
Azhaganathaperumal Temple at Kolur near Ponneri (Chennai)
Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple at Sengottai (Tirunelveli)
Azhagiya Nambi Temple at Tirukkarangudi near Nanguneri (Tirunelveli)
Azhagiya Perumal Temple at Uthukkottai near Tiruvallur
Azhagiyanathar Temple at Kalappal (Mannargudi) near Thanjavur
Azhagiyanathar Temple at Tiruaamaattur near Villuppuram
Azhagu Sadaimudi Nathar Temple at Kurangaduturai near Tiruvaiyaru

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Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple is a historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is
dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of
Meenakshi). Madurai's Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple was originally built by the Pandya King Kulasekara. This is the place where Lord Nataraja performed the dance raising his right leg.

The complex houses 12 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities, that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The tallest temple tower is 51.9 metre high.

Thousand Pillar hall of Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple was built with the oldest Nellaiappar Temple, Tirunleveli as a
model. The Aayiram Kaal Mandapam or Thousand Pillar Hall contains 985 (instead of 1000) carved pillars. The Thousand Pillared Hall was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569. He was the Prime Minister and General of Viswanatha Nayak of the first Nayaka of Madurai (1559-1600 AD).

Each pillar is carved and is a monument of the Dravidian sculpture. There is a Temple Art Museum in the hall where icons, photographs, drawings, and other exhibits of the 1200 years old history are displayed. Just outside this mandapam, towards the west, are the Musical Pillars. Each pillar, when struck, produces a different musical note. The kalyana mandapa, to the south of the pillared hall, is where the marriage of Shiva and Parvati is celebrated every year during the Chithirai Festival in mid-April.

Festivals

The most important festival associated with the temple is the Meenakshi Thirukalyanam (The divine marriage of Meenkashi) that is celebrated in April every year. During that one month period, in which most Tamil Nadu temples celebrate their annual festivals, there are a number of events including the The Thiruvizhah (Chariot festival) and Theppa Thiruvizhah (Float festival) are celebrated. Apart from this, major Hindu festivals like Navrathri, Shivrathri are celebrated in a grand manner. Like most Shakti temples in Tamil Nadu, the Fridays during the Tamil months of Aadi (July 15 - Aug 17) and Thai (Jan 15 to Feb 15) are popularly celebrated with thousands of devotees thronging to the temple. In every Tamil month some festive occasions will happen in the temple like Aavani Urchavam, Maarghazi Urchavam, Navaraathri, etc.




How to Reach

Madurai Airport is 9 km from the city and the Railway station.

From Arapalayam bus stand, buses to places of western Tamil Nadu like Theni, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem operate and Periyar bus stand is where only city buses and private buses to major cities operate. It has good road connections to all major cities. National highways passing through Madurai are

NH 7 : Bangalore – Salem – Dindigul – Madurai – Tirunelveli – Kanyakumari

NH 45B : Trichy – Madurai – Thoothukudi

NH 49 : Madurai – Rameswaram

NH 49 Extn : Madurai – Theni – Bodi – Kochi.

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Rock fort or Ucchi Pillayar koil, is a combination of two famous 7th century Hindu temples, located atop of a small rock in Trichy, India. Geologically the 83 m high rock is said to be one of the oldest in the world, dating over 3 billion years ago, and mythologically this rock is the place where Lord Ganesh ran from King Vibishana, after establishing the Ranganathaswamy deity in Srirangam.

The smooth rock was first cut by the Pallavas but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who completed both the temples under the Vijayanagara empire. The temple complex is composed of two parts: a Shiva temple (Thayumanaswamy) carved in the middle of the rock and a Pillayar (Ganesh) temple at the top portion of the rock. The Shiva temple is the bigger one, housing a massive stone statue of Shiva in the form of Linga along with a separate sanctum for goddess Parvati. The Ganesh temple is much smaller with an access through steep steps carved on the rock and provides a stunning view of Trichy, Srirangam and the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam.

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Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam

The temple is near Trichy in Tamil Nadu, India is dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu. It is the first and foremost among the 108 Divya Desams, the holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. The temple is built on an island in the middle of the River Cauvery. The temple chariot festival is famous during the 21 day Vaikunta Ekadasi when the Vaishnavite text, Tiruvaimozhi is recited before Lord Vishnu. ThiruKalyana festival during Tamil month of Panguni is celebrated with pomp and glory.

The temple occupies an area of 156 acres with a perimeter of 1,116 m making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world. In fact, Srirangam temple can be easily termed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world (Angkor Wat being the largest non-functioning temple). The temple is enclosed by 7 concentric walls with a total length of over six miles. These walls are enclosed by 21 Gopurams (Towers), the largest of which was completed in 1987 and measures 73 m in height. Among the marvels of the temple is a "hall of 1000 pillars" (actually 953). Non-Hindus can only go up to the sixth wall but not inside the gold topped sanctum sanctorium.

Though the term Kovil is generically used in Tamil to signify any temple, for many Vaishnavas, the term Kovil exclusively refers to this temple, indicating its extreme importance for them. Apart from the main shrine of Ranganathar, the complex also houses shrines of dozens of forms of Lord Vishnu including Sudarshana Chakra, Narasimha, Rama,Hayagreeva, Gopala Krishna, separate shrines for Ranganayaki and dozens of other shrines for the major saints in the Vaishnava tradition, including Ramanuja. On most days, the devotees are treated to Chakra pongal (a type of sweet made with jaggery, pulses and rice), Puliyodarai and thayir sadam (rice with yogurt/curd) prasadam (offering).



How to Reach

Trichy has an international airport about 8 km from the city. Trichy Railway Junction has routes to Madurai, Rameswaram, Erode, Tanjore and Chennai. Currently there are 4 platforms in operation. There is frequent bus services to Srirangam from Trichy (6 km).

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Badrakaliamman temple at Mecheri near Salem (Mettur Dam)
Balandeeswarar Temple at Mangadu near Chennai
Balasubramaniaswami temple at Alavaippatti near Rasipuram (Salem)
Balasubramaniaswami temple at Kabilarmalai near Namakkal (Salem, 2nd Century AD)
Balasubramaniaswamy Hill temple at Vennaimalai near Karur (Tiruchirappalli)
Balasubramanyaswamy Temple at Andarkuppam near Ponneri (Chennai)
Balasubramanyaswamy Temple at Chennai (Teynampet)
Balasubramanyaswamy Temple at Chinnambedu near Ponneri (Chennai)
Balasubramanyaswamy Temple at Uthiramerur near Chennai
Balasundareswarar Temple at Manampathi near Kanchipuram
Balavinayagar Temple at Ambattur (Chennai)
Bangaru Kamakshi Temple at Tanjore near Thanjavur
Betrayaswami temple at Denkanikotta near Hosur
Bhagavati temple at Valvechaghoshtam at Valvechagoshtam near Padmanabhapuram (Kanyakumari)
Bhagawan Temple at Ponnivadi near Dharapuram (Coimbatore)
Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple at Sholinghur near Tiruttani
Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple at Tirukkannamangai near Tiruvarur
Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple at Tiruneermalai near Chennai
Bhaktavatsalaperumal Temple at Tiruninravur near Arakkonam
Bhaktavatsalar Temple at Tirukkazhunkundram near Mahabalipuram
Bhashyakaraswamy and Adikesava Perumal Temple at Sriperumpudur (Tiruvallur) near Chennai
Brihadiswara Temple at at Gangaikondacholisvaram
Bhimeswarar Temple at Aathalaiyur near Nagappattinam

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Bhimeswarar Temple at Vishar near Kanchipuram
Bhoomeeswaraswamy temple at Marakkanam near Dindivanam
Bhoomeeswaraswamy temple at Omandur near Dindivanam
Bhoominathaswamy Temple at Veeravanallur near Ambasamudram (Tirunelveli)
Bhoothalingaswamy Temple at Bhoothapandi near Nagercoil(Kanyakumari)
Bhootapureeswarar Temple at Sriperumpudur (Tiruvallur) near Chennai
Bhoovarahaswamy temple at Srimushnam near Vriddachalam (South Arcot)
Bhrammapureeswarar Temple at Ambar (Peralam) near Tiruvarur
Bhrammapureeswarar Temple at Perunagar near Kanchipuram
Bhrammapureeswarar Temple at Sirkali near Chidambaram
Bhrammapureeswarar Temple at Tiruchattamangai near Tiruvarur
Bhrammapureeswarar Temple at Tirukkadavur Mayanam near Mayiladuturai
Bhrammapureeswarar Temple at Tirukkolili (Tirunellikka) near Tiruvarur (Vidanga Stalam)
Bhrammapureeswarar temple at Bhrammadesam near Villuppuram
Bhulokanathaswamy Temple at Tirumangalam near Mayiladuturai
Bindhu Madhavarayaswamy temple at Thuthipattur near Ambur (Gudiyattam, Vellore)
Brahmapureeswarar temple at Thiruppathur near Tiruchirappalli (Siruganur)
Brihadeeswarar Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram near Tanjavur
Brihadishwara Temple at Tanjavur (Masterpiece of Dravidian Architecture)