There are over 40,000 temples in Tamil Nadu and each of these temples has its own purpose and a unique mythological story behind it. These historical temples attract archaeologists, historians, tourists and pilgrims all over the world. Most temples in Tamil Nadu are dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, either directly, or to their reincarnations. We have curated a list of these temples and the unique legends behind them for your next trip to Tamil Nadu, with Locations and Opening and closing hours. For more guides in Tamil Nadu tourism, visit Yatrigann.
Here is a list of the top 8 historical temples in Tamil Nadu.
1. Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameshwaram
The Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy temple is situated on Pamban Island in the town of Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. The temple holds special importance in Hindu culture since it is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples of Lord Shiva. In fact, the town is also famous for the Ram Setu or Adam’s bridge, which was built for Lord Rama to cross the ocean to get Goddess Sita from the Demon King Ravana. Pilgrims visit the temple and also enjoy sightseeing around the bridge.
Legend of the Temple
Historical Scriptures say that when Lord Ram came back from Lanka after defeating Ravana, he decided to establish the biggest shiva lingam to show remorse for killing a brahmin (Ravana). He sent Lord Hanuman to get the biggest lingam possible for the temple. While Lord Hanuman was getting the lingam, Goddess Sita established a mini version of that lingam made of sand so that lord Rama could worship while he waits. To this date, two lingams are worshipped in the temple of Ramanathaswamy.
Location: Arulmigu Temple, Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu 623526
Opening and Closing Hours: 4:30 am – 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm – 8:30 pm
2. Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai
Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple is located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Goddess Meenakshi (Parvati) and Lord Sundareshwar (Shiva) are worshipped in the temple. Built According to the ancient texts of Silpa, this temple dates back to the 16th century. However, it is speculated that this temple was in fact, rebuilt in the 16th century and has existed since the 1st Century itself. Indeed, it is one of the oldest temples in India dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Legend of the Temple
It is said that princess Meenakshi of Madurai, who was the reincarnation of Goddess Parvati, married Sundareshwar, who was the reincarnation of Lord Shiva in this temple. As a ruler of Madurai, she captured many neighbouring kingdoms and even the Indra Lok. When she proceeded to capture Kailash, Lord Shiva appeared before her and she instantly saw her soulmate in him. Later, Lord Shiva took the form of Sundareshwar to marry her at the location on which the temple is built.
Location: Madurai Main, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625001
Opening and Closing Hours: 9 am–7 pm
3. Brihadishvara temple,Rajarajeswaram
The Brihadishvara Temple, which is locally known as Thanjai Periya Kovil, or Peruvudaiyār Kōvil is dedicated to Shiva. Located on the South Bank of the Cauvery/Kaveri river in Thanjavur,Tamil Nadu, the Brihadishvara Temple is one of the largest historical temples in entire Tamil Nadu. It is popular for its unique Dravidian architecture.
Legend of the Temple
The construction of the temple started in 1010 AD. The temple was regarded as the tallest temple in India, but surprisingly enough, the construction lasted for only 7 years. The topmost dome of the temple or the Vimana weighs close to 80 tons. The unknown whereabouts of how the dome got up there still amaze archaeologists and people.That is not the only architectural shock about this temple. People say that the pillars o this temple make different sounds when recorded.
Location: Membalam Rd, Balaganapathy Nagar, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu 613007
Opening and Closing Hours: 6 am–12:30 pm, 4–8:30 pm
4. Jambukeswarar Akhilandeswari Temple
Jambukeswarar Temple is a shiva temple located in the Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu. LordJambukeshwara and Goddess Akilandeswari (Parvati) are worshipped in this temple. It is one of the 5 major Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu. The origination of the temple goes back to the 10th century. Later, the early Chola Kings renovated it.
Legend of the Temple
The story behind the temple is that when Lord Shiva was doing absolution or penance for the welfare of the world, Goddess Parvati mocked him for it. So, Lord Shiva told her to do her absolution on earth (ground) instead of Kailasha. She took the form ofAkilandeswari and performed her penance in the Jambu forest. There, she made a shiva linga from the water of river Kaveri/Cauvery for worshipping lord shiva. This gave the name ‘Appu Lingam’ (water linga) to the linga and Jambukeshwar to Lord Shiva.
Location:N Car St, Srirangam, Thiruvanaikoil, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu 620005
Opening and closing hours: 6 am–1 pm, 3–8 pm
5. Thillai Nataraja Temple
Thillai Nataraja Temple or the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple of Chidambaram is dedicated to Lord Nataraja (Dancing Form of Shiva), also known as the God of Dance. It is situated in Chidambaram town of Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.
Legend the temple
They say that once there was a group of saints in the Thillai forests who believed in magic more than they believed in Gods and planned to manipulate the Gods using spells and mantras. To enlighten them, Shiva took the form of a mendicant, and mendicant and Vishnu took the form of this mendicant’s wife, Mohini. Upon seeing the mesmerising couple, the wives of saints were enchanted. Enraged by anger and jealousy, the saints cast spells of snakes, and tigers on Lord Shiva. In response, Lord Shiva picked up the snake, skinned the tiger and wore them as garments and jewellery. After that, he performed the Anand Tandava (Dance of Bliss). The statue of Nataraj in the temple captures the moments of this Dance.
Location: Thillai Temple, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu 608001
Opening and closing hours: 6am-12pm, 4pm-10pm
6. Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Chennai
Built around the 7th century CE and based in Chennai, this temple is dedicated to Kapaleeshwarar (Shiva), and Karpagamal/Uma (Shakti). The most mesmerizing element of this temple is the dome, which is estimated to be 37 meters tall. It is said that the original temple was washed away by waves over many many years, and it was built again.
Legends of the temple
Among many other legends about this temple, the most famous one is the story of the peacock.Goddess Parvati worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of a peacock in this temple. Here, Shiva is in the form of Kapaleeshwarar, and Parvati is the Karpagambal.
Location: 234, Ramakrishna Mutt Rd, Vinayaka Nagar Colony, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600004
Opening and closing hours: 5 am–12:30 pm,4–8 pm
7. Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram
You may recognize this temple from the movie Two States when you visit Tamil Nadu. Among many other attractions in Mahabalipuram, this temple is magical in its way. The temple in itself is so beautiful that you won’t be able to take your eyes off it. However, the element of beauty here is the beach that is right beside the temple. It was built in 725 AD by Narsimhavaraman II of the Pallava Dynasty.
Legend of the temple
Medieval European travellers often wrote in their journals that there are 7 shore temples in Mamallapuram (ancient name of Mahabalipuram). They regarded these temples as a landmark for the port of Mahabalipuram. However, only two of these temples were known to people. This lead to many speculations. Ultimately, this theory was disregarded as the remaining 5 temples were nowhere to be seen. Interestingly enough, during the 2004 tsunami, the change in water levels briefly exposed rock-cut temples and sculptures under the water. Later, a team of divers and archaeologists found remains of another Shore Temple, which proved the theory of the travellers.
Location: Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104
Opening and closing hours: 8 am-5 pm.
8. Kumari Amman temple
Kumari Amman temple located in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu is the temple of Goddess Parvati regarded as Kumari. What is so special about this temple is that it is dedicated to the adolescent, unmarried form of the Goddess. The temple is also one of the 52 Shakti Peethas of India, which means, parts of Sati’s Corpse (Right Shoulder and Spine) fell at this location.
Legend of the temple
Legend has it that when Devas were captured by the demon Banasura, who could only be killed by an unmarried girl, Goddess Parashakti took the form of Kumari to kill Banasura. Another legend adds a story to this one, in which Lord Shiva fell in Love with Kumari and promised to marry her. However, he couldn’t reach the wedding on time. Disappointed, Goddess Kumari decided to take out her anger on the demons that captured the devas, which then led to the origination of the temple.
Location: Temple Road, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 629702
Opening and closing hours: 4:30am-12:30pm, 4pm-8:30pm.
FAQs
What is the Temple City of Tamil Nadu?
Kanchipuram is known as the temple city of Tamil Nadu. It has over 108 temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Apart from that, Kanchipuram is also popular for the Kanjivaram Silk.
Which is the richest temple in Tamil Nadu?
The Meenakshi Temple is the richest in Tamil Nadu. The average annual revenue of The Meenakshi temple in Madurai is over 60 million.
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