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Tamil Nadu places to see
Mamallapuram
Mamallapuram Located 60km from Chennai, Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram was the
second capital and seaport of Pallavas. The seaport was built by Mahendravarman
during the 7th century AD. The Pallava chisels breathed life into stones. The
sculptures in Mamallapuram emphasize on blending mythology, epics and day today
life of the people. The most important of the architectural relics are the shore
temple, the five chariots, Arjuna's penance and the Mahishasuramardhini temple.
Mamallapuram can be reached by road that runs along the coast. Regular buses
operate from Chennai. Chennai is the nearest airport. Various types of accommodation
are available in plenty. But during weekends and seasons, hotels will be fully
booked.
Shore Temple: This beautiful temple built in the 7th century
AD represents the final phase of Pallava
art. The temple has two shrines, one dedicated to Vishnu in the reclining form
and the other to Shiva.
Arjuna's Penance: The open-air rock sculpture known, as Arjuna's
Penance is the largest bas-relief in the world. It depicts the penance of Arjuna
to obtain the legendary arrow Pasupathastra from Lord Shiva. The legend has
been carved on a rock measuring 80x30 feet. There are others who believe that
it represents Bhagiratha who brought the celestial Ganges to the earth. The
natural cleft in the center of the rock is conceived as the celestial Ganges
descending to earth. On the two wings of the rock are beautiful sculptures of
people, gods, birds and animals.
Five Rathas (Chariots): These are monolithic temples named
after the five Pandava Brothers, the heroes of epic Mahabharata. Each temple
represents different style of architecture and looks like a chariot. The architecture
of these Rathas reminds one of about the ancient Dravidian temples.
Mahishasuramardhini: This cave has two superb sculptures, Goddess
Durga on her lion mount vanquishing Mahishasura, the buffalo headed demon, is
one of them. This is considered as the crown jewel of Pallava sculptures. The
second is of Lord Vishnu reclining on the legendary serpent Anantha.
There are eight Mandapams situated in Mamallapuram within a radius of one kilometer.
The most famous are those of Mahishasura and Krishna. Salivan Kuppam, a cave
temple complex is four km north from here.
Sculpture Museum: The museum contains about 3000 sculptures
of wood, metal, brass etc. The sculptures are made by local artisans.
On the way to Mamallapuram, one can visit Cholamandal Artist's village (18km
from Chennai), Dakshinachitra (12km, Arts and crafts of Southern India), Covelong
Beach (38km) and Crocodile Bank (15km).
Tiger cave: This rock cut shrine dedicated to Durga is located
5km from Mamallapuram. The shrine might have been built in the 7th century.
The entrance of the cave resembles the mouth of a tiger.
Thirukkalukundram: This hilltop temple dedicated to Shiva is
located 14km from Mamallapuram. Everyday two eagles, believed to be from Varanasi,
visit the temple at noon.
Vedandangal: 53km from Mamallapuram, this bird sanctuary attract
visitors to watch thousands of water birds those congregate every year during
the season from Nov - Feb.
Kanchipuram
This city of thousand temples is situated about 76km from Chennai on the Chennai
-Bangalore highway. It was the capital of Pallavas during 6th - 8th centuries
and during this period the best temples were built. Later it became the citadel
of Cholas, the Vijayanagar kings, the Muslims and the British. Kanchipuram is
one of the seven sacred cities of India. Kanchipuram is also famous for its
pure silk fabrics woven from pure mulberry. The city can be reached by rail
and road from different places of the state. The nearest airport is Chennai.
Kailasanathar Temple: This is the oldest and perhaps the most
beautiful temple in Kanchipuram. The architecture reflects the simple early
Dravidian style. King Rajasimha built this temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in
the 7th century. There are 58 small shrines around the main shrine those honor
Shiva, Parvati, Murugan and Ganesh.
Ekambaranathar Temple: This is one of the largest temples in
Kanchi. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and covers approximately 12 hectares.
The Pallavas built this thousand-pillared temple in the 7th century. Later the
Cholas and the Vijayanagara kings improved it. Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar
dynasty built the 59m tall gopuram and the massive outer stone wall in 1509.
The mango tree in the temple yard, believed to be 3500 years old, has four branches
representing four Vedas. The tree still bears fruits.
Vaikuntaperumal Temple: This temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu,
is built shortly after the Kailasqnathar temple. Pallava king Nandivarman Pallavamalla
built the temple. The main shrine, on three levels, has images of Vishnu in
standing, sitting and reclining positions. Numerous inscriptions relating to
the wars between the Pallavas and the Chalukyas are found here.
Varadaraja Perumal Temple: Located on Hastagiri rock at the
end of Kanchipuram town, the temple is dedicated to Vishnu. The temple provides
glimpses of 16th century pillared pavilion with exuberant workmanship.
Kamakshi Amman Temple: This 14th century Chola temple is dedicated
to Goddess Parvati in the guise of Kamakshi, the presiding deity of Kanchi.
This is one of the three holiest places of Shakti worship in India. The other
two is being Madurai and Varanasi. The temple car festival is in Feb. - Mar.
Devarajaswamy Temple: Vijayanagara kings built this temple
dedicated to Vishnu. It has a beautifully sculptured pillared hall and a marriage
hall. Within the large temple tank a 10m statue of Vishnu is immersed. Once
in every 40 years the tank will be drained so that the statue could be viewed.
It was viewed last in 1979 and said to have had visitors over 10 million.
Vellore
The small town of Vellore surrounded by the hills of Western Ghats is
135km from Chennai. Vellore is best known for its fort and the Christian Medical
College. One can reach Vellore by road or rail from other parts of the state.
Fort: Built in the 16th century by a Vijayanagar Chieftain,
the fort is one of the finest examples of military architecture in this part
of the country. In 1676 Marathas occupied the fort for a brief period. The British
took control of it in 1760 after the defeat of Tippu Sultan. Inside the fort
there are several buildings and the Jalakanteswara Temple. The temple and the
fort are in excellent state of preservation.
Christian Medical College: Dr. Ida Scuddar, a medical missionary
started this world famous institution. This is one of the best hospitals in
the country.
Vellamalai: (18km from Vellore) Named after Valli, second wife
of Lord Murugan, the temple is dedicated to Murugan. Situated on the top of
a hill, the main temple is carved from a massive rock.
Thiruvannamalai (85km): This is a Saivite town where Shiva
is revered as Arunachaleswar. The temple that covers an area of ten hectares
is one of the largest in India. The temple was constructed in the 11th century.
But much of the structures were completed during 17th - 19th century. The legend
says that Shiva appeared on the hill as a column of fire. The Karthigai Deepam
festival celebrates this legend by lighting a great fire on the sacred hilltop
on the Karthigai (Full Moon) day of Nov./Dec.
Ramanashramam: This small ashram of Sri Ramana Maharishi draws
devotees of the Guru who died in 1950 after fifty years of contemplation.
Thiruthani: It is 82km from Chennai on the Chennai-Raichur
section of the Southern Railway. The temple is dedicated to Lord Subramanya
(Murugan). The temple has 365 steps leading to the shrine and each step is supposed
to be representing a day of the year.
Cuddalore
Located on the East Coast of Tamil Nadu, Cuddalore is the headquarters
of the district. It was an important British trading post and port. The most
important landmark in Cuddalore is Fort St. David from where Robert Clive worn
his spurs during the campaign against the French. Cuddalore is 192km from Chennai.
The nearest airport is Thiruchirapalli. It can be reached from any part of the
state by rail or road.
Chidambaram Nataraja Temple (44km from Cuddalore):
Chidambaram was a Chola capital from 907AD - 1310AD and the Nataraja temple
was erected during the later time of the administration. The temple complex
has four large gopurams. The north and south ones are 49m tall. The presiding
deity is Shiva in his aspect of as the cosmic dancer.
The Chidambaram temple is situated in the middle of the town surrounded by four
broad chariot streets. The temple gopurams have sculptures depicting 108 dance
postures of Lord Shiva. The temple complex is another fine example of Dravidian
architectural delight. The ten-day temple car festivals are celebrated in PRIL-May
and Dec.-Jan. The Natyanjali dance festival is in February and prominent performers
from all over the country take part in it.
Poompuhar: This ancient capital of Cholas is situated 40km
from Chidambaram. Originally known as Kaveripoopattinam, it had submerged underwater
except for a small village. The seven storey museum has a pictorial representation
of Silappatikaram in bas relief.
Parangi Pettai: It is 25km from Chidambaram. This port town
still has the ruins of the Dutch cemetery and the battlefield where the British
defeated Hyder Ali.
Pichavaram: This is a 3000-acre mangrove picnic spot located
about 15km from Chidambaram.
Viruddachalam: This is a major town located 45km from Chidambaram.
The ancient temple dedicated to Shiva as Virudhagreeswarar with his consorts
Periyanayaki and Ilayanayaki.
Gangaikonda Cholapuram: About 60km from Chidambaram and situated
on the Chennai-Tanjavur highway, Gangaikonda Cholapuram was the capital of Cholas
until the end of 13th century. The temple built in 1020AD is dedicated to Shiva.
The sanctum tower is very large and second only to that of the temple of Tanjavur.
The temple has beautiful sculptures of Shiva, Parvati and Saraswati. The lingam
is one of the largest in Southern India. The temple also has some excellent
bronzes of Chola age.
Tanjavur
Tanjavur town is the headquarters of Tanjavur district. It is situated
on the eastern coast of central Tamil Nadu. This ancient city's history goes
way back to the Sangham Age. Between 10th and 14th century this Chola capital
reached the zenith of its glory. Thanjavur has about 75 temples and the most
famous of them all is the Brihadeswarar temple.
Brihadeswarar temple: Rajaraja Chola built this great monument
of Chola architecture that is acclaimed as the grandest temple in South India.
This Saivite temple's tower over the sanctum rises to a height of 65.4m and
has a monolithic cupola on the top that weighs 80 tons. A gigantic monolithic
Nandi, the second largest of its kind in the country guards the portals of the
shrine.
The Palace: This palace with huge corridors, spacious halls,
arsenal towers and shady courtyards was partially constructed by the Nayaks
of Madurai in 1550 and partially by the Marathas. The Royal Museum in the palace
has a collection of royal memorabilia and an art gallery. It has a collection
of over 30,000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts. The Sangeetha Mahal in the palace
is an acoustically perfected music hall.
Archeological Museum: This is on the southern side of the temple
courtyard. The museum has some unique sculptures and photographs those show
the temple before restoration. It is worthwhile to have a peek at the exhibits
of the museum.
Darasuram: Located 30km from Tanjavur, the main attraction
of Darasuram is the Shiva temple. Rajendra Chola built this temple. The temple
has some fine sculptures.
Kumbhakonam: Situated 30km from Tanjavur, this town is famous
for its association with art, literature, music and dance. Kumbhakonam has four
large temples; two of them are Saivite while the other two are Vaishnava. The
temples are marked for their sculptures and carvings. The Mahamagam festival
celebrated once in every 12 years draws thousand and thousand of devotees.
Thiruvarur(55km): This is the birthplace of Saint Thyagaraja,
the great music composer. The Thyagarajaswamy temple in Tiruvarur has the largest
temple chariot in Tamil Nadu. The car festival is celebrated in April-May. During
the 10-day festival, the huge chariot is hauled through the streets.
Thiruvaiyaru (13km): It is here, the famous January international
musical festival is hosted in honor of Thyagaraja, the saint and composer.
Velanganni (95km): This renowned church dedicated to Virgin
Mary is an important Christian pilgrim center.
Nagore (80km): This is a famous Muslim pilgrim center. It has
the Dargah of Hazrat Meera Sultan Sayed Shahadul Hameed, a Muslim saint.
Thiruchirapalli
This city of ancient history before the Christian Era is 319km from Chennai.
Located on the banks of River Kaveri, Thiruchirapalli is the headquarters of
the district. It was a Chola citadel during the Sangham age. Though the Cheras,
Cholas, Pallavas, Pandyas, Chalukyas and Vijayanagar Empire contributed to the
monuments of Trichi, the Nayaks of Madurai built most of them. The city is connected
with other parts of the state by rail, road and air.
Rock Fort Temple: Thiruchirapalli's most famous landmark is
the Rock Fort Temple. The Nayaks of Madurai built the spectacular fort on an
83m high massive rock. The temple dedicated to Shiva is located at halfway.
The 344 rock-cut steps take one to the Uchipillayar temple dedicated to Vinayaka,
located at the top.
Srirangam: The Sriranganathaswamy temple dedicated to Lord
Vishnu in the reclining form is situate din Srirangam, 10km from Thiruchira
palli. The temple inscriptions date the temple's existence since 10th century.
Many dynasties contributed to the construction of the temple throughout. The
largest Gopuram that is 73m tall is completed in 1987. This temple at 60 hectares
with its seven walls and 21 gopurams is probably the largest and most sacred
Vaishnavite temple complex in India.
Sri Jambukeswara Temple: This temple dedicated to Shiva and
Parvati is as old as the Sriranganathaswamy temple. The temple is built around
a partially immersed Shiva Lingam honoring one of the five elements - water.
Lourdes Church: This church built in 1896 is modeled on the
neo-Gothic Basilica in France. An annual procession, the feast of Our Lady Lourdes
is held on the 11th February.
Nathwerwala Darga: This tomb of the popular Muslim Saint Nath-her
in an impressive building has 20m high dome with pinnacles.
NORTH
INDIA
