12 Top Tourist Places in Tamilnadu

Tiruchendur Murugan Temple:
Tiruchendur Murugan temple is known as the second Arupadai Veedu of Lord Muruga. Lord Muruga won the battle with the asura, Surapadma and worshipped Lord Shiva in this sacred place. The temple is situated along the shores of the Bay of Bengal.tiruchendur murugan templeNormally, the Raja Gopuram will be in the eastern side of temples in Tamil Nadu. But in Tiruchendur alone the Raja Gopuram is in the western side. It is said that the Raja Gopuram was not erected on the eastern side since the sea is very close in the eastern side. tiruchendur murugan temple

Mela Gopuram has nine storeys and it is about 137 feet high above Yalimattam, 90 feet long north to south and 65 feet broad east to west. At the top of the Gopuram the width is 20 feet and the length is 49 feet. To indicate that the Gopuram consists of 9 storeys there are nine Kalasams (sacred copper pots) at the top of the Gopuram.
Location: Tuticorin

The Brahadeewarar Temple:
The Brahadeewarar temple, called the Big Temple, is dedicated to Lord Siva. It was built by the great Chola King Raja Raja 1 (985 -1012 A.D). it is an outstandingexmple of Chola architecture. Recognizing its unique architectural excellence, UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Monument.The 64. 8 Mt. tall vimanam (tower over the sanctum sanctorum) is testimony to the engineering skill of the Cholas. In keeping with the size of the temple, it has gigantic “Mahalingam” in the shrine, measuring 4 meters in height. A monolithic Nandhi chiseled out of a single rock, measures 5. 94 meters in length, 2.51 metres in breadth and 3.66 meters in height. it is the second largest Nandhi in India.

Just 1 km away from the Brahadeeswarar Temple is a magnificent palace, surrounded by huge fort walls. Dating back to the 14th century A.D., it was built partly by the Nayaks and partly by the Marathas. The art gallery has a fabulous collection of bronze icons, stone sculpture and pieces of art. The Collection is unique for its representation of Hindu gods and goddesses, myths and legends. The exhibits are priceless for their historical association.

Location:Thanjavur