6 Awesome Hindu Temples in Tamil Nadu

Since the first few moments we landed in Tamil Nadu (southern region in India), we knew Hindu temples would have been the norm for the rest of our trip. A couple on the main street, five more around the corner and a last hidden one that nobody knows its precise location – those were literally the locals welcome words at every new town.

We loved the contrast of this new culture & aspects of religion we were thrown into. Different ideas, different perspectives and a much much more relaxed view on what living means.

Amazingly enough, finding information about Hindu temples (whether on the web or on site) seemed to be pretty hardcore, with some temples apparently not existing even in guidebooks. Crazy, uh? But don’t you worry, we’ve got you. If you plan visiting India and love discovering history “barefoot” – make sure to visit this 6 awesome Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu!

Rock Fort Temple

At around 7am in the morning, when our tuk-tuk driver dropped us in front of the complex main entrance, we discovered that around 450 steps where separating us from the actual Rock Fort Temple. Stunningly sitting on top of a boulder of 83m above the city level, the temple is the last stop on a long walk up to appreciate the Hindu culture.

Starting from the bottom, you’ll see small entrances to other rock cut cave temples on your way up – make sure to visit them! The first temple is dedicated to Ganesh (lower cave temple), the next two (Thayumanaswamy Temple & the upper cave temple) are dedicated to Shiva and the one at the top of the world to Ganesh. If you’d like to have the experience of being blessed by Ganesh, make sure to buy a small offer at the main entrance (you’ll see plenty of sellers) and then give it in the last top temple! Read more about in Trichy: A Stairway to Heaven!

PRO TIP: Like all Hindu temples you won’t be allowed to walk up with shoes so make sure to start before the hot midday sun.

Entrance Fee | 3 rupees
Camera Fee | 20 rupees

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

Once again, this beautiful vast temple is located just in the outskirts of Tiruchirapalli. The whole complex covers a total surface of 62 hectares but it can simply be visited in less than a couple of hours. Its huge towers (gopurams) around 60-65m tall are considered landmarks among the citizens. Trust us, the second you’ll enter the city you’ll see them!

Nowadays, is considered to be one of the largest functioning Hindu temples in the world featuring more than 50 shrines and 12 towers scattered around the complex. Anyhow, the complex blends completely with the surrounding city creating a unique environment in and around it.

Unfortunately, if you’re not hindu by religion you won’t be allowed to see the core of the main temple but plan to visit during the day and make sure to come back at night for an amazing show of lights, colors and prayers! Read more about in Trichy: A Stairway to Heaven!

Entrance Fee | FREE
Camera Fee | 50 rupees

Jambukeswarar Temple

Also located in Trichy and very close to the Sri Ranganathaswamy, we loved this temple because of the crazy beautiful cravings and… a welcoming elephant! Yes, at the entrance we were not only welcomed but also blessed by an elephant which supposedly represented Shiva (elephant goddess).

The entrance of the main temple was surrounded by trees, colorful gopurams (towers) and many many people welcoming us to their holy place. What a nice experience that was! In the main court, we also happened to be able to attend (on the side) at a holy prayer a priest was singing for a group who was on a pilgrimage. Read more about in Trichy: A Stairway to Heaven!

Entrance Fee | FREE
Camera Fee | FREE
Elephant blessing | FREE (free offer)

Shore Temple

This awesome temple complex is located in the far north of Tamil Nadu in the town of Mahabalipuram. The greatness of this site is that you get to see visit history right on the sea shore; the cold breeze of the ocean will make your stay super pleasant. In order to reach the site you need to walk a bit from the center of town but nothing too tiring, otherwise get a tuk-tuk for a couple of pennies.

Whilst there, we’ve been told by a couple of locals that there’s a legend about the place. In fact, legend says that the gods were so envious by the beauty of the site that they decide to flood it (the flood actually happened in the past) destroying the majority of the buildings. If you appreciate history and architecture this is definitely what you should be looking at. The carvings are simply impressive! Read more about in A Journey to Mahabalipuram!

Entrance Fee | 250 rupees (it also include entrance to the Five Rathas)
Camera Fee | 10 rupees

Airavatesvara Temple

This small temple is located in the off-the-beaten-track town of Kumbakonam. Definitely the highlight of our stay in town, you can’t quite say its close to the city center, as many people had advised us. The site is located around 5-7km out of town, just next to a very relaxing park where to chill after the long walk.

The great thing about this site is that is amazingly overlooked by foreign tourists (we did encounter a couple of nationals) and at the time of visiting we were left with the whole place to ourselves. What a gift! Make sure to give this place a visit if you can, the town of Kumbakonam is might not be worth more than a day but the Airavatesvara temple is a must. Read more about in Kumbakonam’s Movements

Entrance Fee | FREE
Camera Fee | FREE

Meenakshi Temple

Gorgeous, huge and unique. The three words we would use to describe this place. The site is located in the heart of Madurai city (walking distance from everything) and its an important center of pilgrimage for a great variety of devotees. It’s not rare to see weddings, funerals or other ceremonies happening just in front of its gates!

At the time of our visit, we were told that it was once possible to enjoy the landscape from the top of one of the outer towers but it was recently closed due to a suicide that happened. The inner part of the temple is beautiful and although some parts are fenced off for non-hindus, there’s still plenty to keep you busy a couple of hours. We believe that the highlight of this temple were the incredible vivid colored patterns present on every wall, floor and ceiling. What a sight! Read more about in Quick stop in Madurai

PRO TIP: If you want to see the whole site from a higher perspective, try asking to one of the many three storey shops around the site to let you access the roof, it seemed to be quite the norm.

Entrance Fee | FREE
Camera Fee | Camera not allowed