Tamil Nadu Temples top 5 Religious Temples You Should Not Miss to Visit

Tamil Nadu is one of the 29 states in India, Chennai being its capital, formerly known as Madras. It lies in the southernmost part of Indian peninsula
. By area Tamil Nadu ranks the eleventh largest state in India. As Tamil Nadu is one of the most fastly growing states of India it has numerous business enterprises which ultimately leads to higher number of employments. Its official language is Tamil and ranks 8^th in UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Tamil Nadu is home to many temples, and is known as The Land of Temples. “Don’t live in a place where there is no temple” is the motto of the people of Tamil Nadu. Here are top 5 temples of Tamil Nadu you should know about.

Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple: Located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River, in the temple city of Madurai lies an ancient temple, Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. The history of the temple dates back to thousands of years almost to 6^th century B.C and so is the reason why even after being so old, the

temple is the crowning glory of Tamil Nadu. It occupies 45 acres of land, each opening having its own entrance. Surrounded by 10 Gopurams (gateway towers), the tallest of all is the Southern Tower rising to a feet of 172ft, built in 1559. The temple is dedicated to Parvati (Meenakshi) and her consort Lord Shiva. The presence of Parrot in Meenakshi’s right hand is one of the distinctive features of the temple. The Tamil word Velli means silver and Ambala means a stage of altar. Nataraj being the dancing forms of Shiva, its massive structures are enclosed in these huge altars called “Velli Ambalam”. It was done by Lord Shiva on the request of Rajasekara Pandya, his sincere devotee. Nataraj is basically shown dancing with his left leg raised but in this sculpture it has his right leg raised.

Brihadeeswarar Temple: Located at Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva named Brihadeeswarar. It serves as an example of one of the finest architectural works during the Chola Dynasty. The entire temple structure is made out of Granite and is carved out of single solid rock weighing around 80 tons, and the Vimana or the temple tower is among the tallest of its kind in the world. Some of the special features of the temple are the Siva Lingam, 12 tall ft, the structure of the Nandi facing the sanctum also 12 tall ft, including the main feature of the temple its huge tower above the sanctum which is about 216 tall ft. The most important thing about this temple is its shadow that never falls on the ground at noon. Completed in mere 7 years till date it is the tallest temple and consists of musical pillars when tapped produces different music.

Rameshwaram Temple: Considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimage, it is located on Panbam Island. Panbam Island also known as Rameshwaram Island is connected to mainland India by Panbam Bridge. Located at the centre of the town and being dedicated to Lord Shiva this temple is said to be also closely associated to Lord Rama. As it is told that it was here only he built a bridge of stones to reach Sri Lanka to rescue his beloved Sita. Here Shiva is worshipped in the form of Jyotilringa meaning “pillar of light”. There are 64 Thirthas or holy water bodies among which 24 are important ones. Gandhamathan Parvatham, a hillock situated 3km to the north of the temple is the highest point which is a two storeyed building, where Rama’s feet imprint is found on the chakra. A pilgrimage to Varanasi is said to be incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple: Srirangam is considered at the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world, including Sri Ranganathaswamy temple which is also an important temples for the followers of Vishnu. It is the most important of all the Vishnu temples. Its architecture shows an outstanding phenomenon, area covering 156 acres having seven enclosures and 21 magnificent towers, a sight that would surely make one feel the beauty and serenity at its best.  Protected by an electrical fence the temple has a golden Gopuram and clothes used for religious purpose are also auctioned here and it also consists of a museum, a book shop and a library.

Palani Murugan Temple: Located in Pazhani, 100km southeast of Coimbatore is the famous temple The Hill Temple of Pazhani. It has been said that there is a story behind how Lord Murugan came to this place. When Narad Muni a famous Hindu god came to offer lord Shiva a fruit (the fruit of wisdom) he decided his wife to have it but in return Parvati wanted that his sons lord Vinayakar and Lord Subramanyam to have the fruit and since it could not be cut into halves they decided to award the fruit to the one who wins the race around the world and comes first. Lord Subramanyam set for the race on his peacock started to travel round the world while lord Vinayakar took a round around his parents stating them his world. This was how it’s said that the race was won by Lord Vinayakar and won the fruit. On return Lord Subramanyam found out to be cheated and sacrificed everything and came to this place to settle for. To pacify him Lord Shiva and Parvati said “Pazham Nee” meaning “You are the fruit” hence the name Palani is where it came from. Six pujas a day and the Golden Chariot on the top of the hill is the shrine.

These are the top holy and religious temples of Tamilnadu, which are visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees and tourists from nook and corner of the world. While you are in Tamilnadu, check out some of these temples, there architectural splendor, religious importance and the importance these temples play for Tamilnadu tourism.