Tamilnadu Temples : Temples of Tamilnadu
Temples in Tamilnadu
There are over 30,000 Temples in Tamilnadu. "Don't live in a place where there is no temple" is the motto of the people of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, you cannot find a hamlet, a village, a town or a city here without a Temple in Tamilnadu, India. Each place and Tamilnadu temples has its own presiding deities. Almost all the Tamilnadu temples have similar features - the gopuram or the Portal Tower from all four directions, the vimanam or the Tower over the sanctum sanctorum, spacious halls and corridors.
Meenakshi Temple - Madurai
Pandya rulers lavished their skill and resources on the architecture of Madurai temple.It is a twin temple dedicated to Sundareswarar and his consort Meenakshi Amman. There are 11 gopurams, the most attractive of them being the one at the southern entrance rising to a height of 160 feet with a parabolic curve. Meenakshi temple is one of the very famous temples in Tamilnadu.
Ekambareswarar Temple - Kanchipuram
The golden city of Kanchipuram Ekambareswarar Temple is one of the seven sacred places of India. Kalidasa had extolled this holy centre as Navagreshu Kanchi. It is sacred for both Saivites and Vaishnavites. This City Of Thousand Temples consists mainly of two divisions-Siva and Vishnu Kanchi.
Nataraja Temple - Chidambaram
Chidambaram is hallowed by the aura of the famous shrine dedicated to Lord Siva as Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer. Here the Lord Shiva danced while blessing saints Patanjali and Vyagrapada, who were doing penance in the Thillai forests. This cosmic dance is a symbolic representation of the five-fold activities creation, preservation, destruction, veiling (Maya) and blessing. Nataraja temple is most famous temples in Tamilnadu.
Brihadeeswara Temple - Tanjore
Brihadeeswara Temple Tanjore is one of the best Tamilnadu temples in South India, built by Chola emperor Raja Raja I (985-1013 AD). This is the chola dynasty's finest contribution to Dravidian art. The construction is unique : the vimanam, known as Dakshina Meru, soars high while the gopuram remains stunted.
Arunachaleswara Temple - Thiruvannamalai
The Lord Siva Temple situated at the foot of a hill here is one of the largest and most important Siva shrines in the south. Sri Arunachaleswara Temple Thiruvannamalai is dedicated to Tejo Lingam or Jyothi Lingam (the first incarnation of God). Hence much significance is attached to Thiruvannamalai as one of the Pancha Bhutha Sthalas.
Ramanathaswamy Temple - Rameshwaram
Rameshwaram is an island situated on the tip of the Indian peninsula. This major pilgrim centre in South India is closely associated with Ramayana. It is also the seat of one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. The devout considers a pilgrimage to Kashi incomplete unless he or she visits Rameshwaram also and performs abhisekha for Sri Ramanatha with Ganga water. Ramanathaswamy Temple is one of the famous Tamilnadu temples.
