Temples and places to visit in Tamil Nadu covered on Xploreall. Each guide has timings, how to reach and a map, and links to the official temple or tourism website for current details.
Tamil Nadu Tourism says the state is home to over 33,000 ancient temples that show the Dravidian style of architecture, with most built in honour of Shiva, Vishnu and their consorts. Incredible India highlights three UNESCO World Heritage listings in the state: the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, the Great Living Chola Temples and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. The temple guides on this site, grouped below, are only a selection of what the state offers. Each one-line summary below is taken from the linked guide.
Shiva temples and the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams
The Pancha Bhoota Sthalams are five Shiva temples associated with the five elements. Three of them are covered here:
- Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchi is linked with earth, and its 172-foot Raja Gopuram was built by the Vijayanagara Empire.
- Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval near Tiruchirappalli is linked with water.
- Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram is linked with ether (akasha) and is dedicated to Shiva as Nataraja.
The other two, Arunachaleswara (fire) and Sri Kalahasti (air), are named on the Chidambaram and Jambukeswarar guides.
Arthanareeshwara Temple, Tiruchengode enshrines Shiva in the half-male, half-female form, and the guide says a climb of 1156 steps leads to the temple on the hill.
Murugan temples
- Tiruchendur is one of the six abodes of Murugan and lies near the Bay of Bengal.
- Palani is another of the six abodes, and its idol is said to have been made by Bogar from navabashanam.
- Swamimalai is where Murugan is said to have explained the meaning of Om to Shiva, and its sixty steps are each named after a Tamil year.
- Siruvapuri (Chinnambedu) is linked in the guide to the story of Lava and Kusa and to the devotee Murugammai.
Vishnu temples
- Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Srirangam lies on an islet formed by the Cauvery and Coleroon and has 21 towers across its prakaras, according to the guide.
- Sholinghur has a hill temple of Yoga Narasimha reached by about 1306 steps.
Ashram and fort
- Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai is built around the samadhi of Sri Ramana Maharshi at the foot of Arunachala hill.
- Udayagiri Fort stands on a 200-foot hillock at Puliyoorkurichi in Kanyakumari district and is managed by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
Planning a trip
Incredible India lists Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai among the state’s airports. Timings and entry rules differ for each temple and may change, so use the official temple or tourism website named in each guide before travelling.
All Tamil Nadu guides
- Arthanareeshwara Temple – Tiruchengode
- Arulmigu Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple – Sholinghur
- Ekambareswarar Temple – Kanchi
- Jambukeswarar Temple Thiruvanaikaval
- Murugan Temple – Tiruchendur
- Palani Murugan Temple
- Pancha Bhuta Sthalam
- Sri Balasubrahmanyam Temple – Siruvapuri
- Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple – Srirangam
- Swamimalai Swaminathaswamy Temple
- Thillai Nataraja Temple Chidambaram
- Tiruvannamalai Ashram Guide – Sri Ramanasramam 2025
- Udayagiri Fort – Complete Travel Guide
Looking for packages? See IRCTC tour packages that cover Tamil Nadu, or search stays on Hotels & Stays.
