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Sacred Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Temples & Shrines

Madurai, Rameswaram, Srirangam, Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram, Murugan's six abodes, the Navagrahas and Velankanni.

Tamil Nadu Temples & Shrines at a glance

  • Itineraries13
  • In India13 itineraries
  • Destinations14 places
  • Trip lengths3 to 9 days
  • Trip stylePrivate, customisable
  • Best suited toFamilies from Chennai and across Tamil Nadu
  • Also suitsSenior pilgrims
Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
Kumbakonam
Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram
Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram
Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur

Tamil Nadu has more great temples than anywhere else in India, and most are within a day's drive of Chennai. The circuits that pilgrims follow here are centuries old: the five Pancha Bhoota temples of Shiva, the six abodes of Lord Murugan, the nine Navagraha temples around Kumbakonam, and the Divya Desams of Vishnu from Srirangam to Kanchipuram.

We plan around abhishekam and pooja timings, festival days such as Thai Poosam, Karthigai Deepam and Vaikunta Ekadasi, and full-moon Girivalam at Tiruvannamalai. Drivers who know each temple's darshan hours keep the days unhurried, and we choose hotels close to the main shrine. Velankanni and the Nagore Dargah are part of Tamil Nadu's sacred coast too.

Itineraries

Tamil Nadu Temples & Shrines: 13 itineraries

Grand Tamil Nadu Temple Tour9D / 8NKanchipuram · Chidambaram · Kumbakonam · Thanjavur
Pilgrimage toursCultural holidays

Grand Tamil Nadu Temple Tour

Tamil Nadu's great temples in one journey: Kanchipuram, Chidambaram, the Chola temples of Kumbakonam and Thanjavur, Srirangam, Madurai's Meenakshi and Rameswaram.

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Temples of Tamil Nadu8D / 7NChennai · Kanchipuram · Thanjavur · Madurai
Pilgrimage toursCultural holidays

Temples of Tamil Nadu

The great temple towns in one week: Kanchipuram's silk and shrines, the Chola masterpieces around Thanjavur, Madurai's Meenakshi and the corridors of Rameswaram.

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Madurai, Rameswaram & Kanyakumari Pilgrimage5D / 4NMadurai · Rameswaram · Kanyakumari
Pilgrimage toursFamily holidays

Madurai, Rameswaram & Kanyakumari Pilgrimage

A southern pilgrimage circuit linking Meenakshi Amman, the 22 sacred wells of Rameswaram with a drive to Dhanushkodi, and sunrise at India's southern tip.

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Arupadai Veedu: Six Abodes of Murugan6D / 5NKumbakonam · Palani · Madurai · Tiruchendur
Pilgrimage toursSenior-friendly holidays

Arupadai Veedu: Six Abodes of Murugan

Swamimalai near Kumbakonam, Palani's hilltop temple, Thiruparankundram and Pazhamudircholai around Madurai and the seashore temple at Tiruchendur, with Thiruttani as a day trip from Chennai.

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Pancha Bhoota Sthalam Yatra5D / 4NKanchipuram · Tiruvannamalai · Chidambaram · Tiruchirappalli (Srirangam)
Pilgrimage toursSenior-friendly holidays

Pancha Bhoota Sthalam Yatra

Shiva's five elemental temples: earth at Ekambareswarar in Kanchipuram, fire at Tiruvannamalai, space at Chidambaram and water at Thiruvanaikaval, with Srikalahasti (air) as a day trip from Chennai.

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Navagraha Temples of Kumbakonam4D / 3NKumbakonam
Pilgrimage toursSenior-friendly holidays

Navagraha Temples of Kumbakonam

All nine Navagraha temples around Kumbakonam with a driver who knows the darshan timings, plus the Chola temple at Darasuram.

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Srirangam & Trichy Temples3D / 2NTiruchirappalli (Srirangam)
Pilgrimage tours

Srirangam & Trichy Temples

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, Jambukeswarar at Thiruvanaikaval, the Rockfort Ucchi Pillayar temple and Samayapuram Mariamman.

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Tiruvannamalai Girivalam3D / 2NTiruvannamalai
Pilgrimage toursSolo travel

Tiruvannamalai Girivalam

Two nights at Tiruvannamalai for darshan at Arunachaleswarar, the full-moon Girivalam around Arunachala hill and quiet time at the Ramana Maharshi ashram.

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Chidambaram Nataraja & Pichavaram3D / 2NChidambaram
Pilgrimage toursCultural holidays

Chidambaram Nataraja & Pichavaram

Darshan at the Thillai Nataraja Temple, the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and a rowing boat through the Pichavaram mangroves, timed for Natyanjali on request.

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Tiruchendur & Kanyakumari Coastal Temples4D / 3NTiruchendur · Kanyakumari
Pilgrimage toursFamily holidays

Tiruchendur & Kanyakumari Coastal Temples

The seashore Murugan temple at Tiruchendur, then the Kumari Amman temple, Vivekananda Rock and sunrise at the southern tip of India.

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Velankanni Pilgrimage3D / 2NVelankanni
Pilgrimage toursFamily holidays

Velankanni Pilgrimage

Two nights at Velankanni for Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Our Lady's Tank and Morning Star Church, with an evening by the sea.

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Velankanni4D / 3NThanjavur · Velankanni
Pilgrimage toursCultural holidays

Velankanni, Nagore & Thanjavur

The Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur, then Velankanni's basilica and the Nagore Dargah, three faiths along the Kaveri delta coast.

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Tirupati & Chennai Temple Tour5D / 4NChennai · Kanchipuram · Tirupati
Pilgrimage toursSenior-friendly holidays

Tirupati & Chennai Temple Tour

Kapaleeshwarar in Chennai, the temples of Kanchipuram and then Tirumala, ideal for families travelling with elders.

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13 itineraries

How we plan

Planned with reverence

Darshan and prayer timings

We plan each day around opening hours, aarti, Mass or prayer times, and book darshan, puja or VIP entry where the temple allows it.

Paced for elders

Fewer hotel changes, ground-floor or lift rooms on request, wheelchairs, ponies, palkis or helicopters where available.

Food that respects your faith

Pure vegetarian, Jain, satvik or halal meals arranged where possible, and we tell you honestly where options are limited.

Registrations and permits

Char Dham and Amarnath registration, Inner Line and Tibet permits, and medical certificates where they are required.

Holy places

Places on these journeys

KanchipuramTamil Nadu
PilgrimageHeritageShopping

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram, the city of a thousand temples, was the Pallava capital and remains one of Hinduism's seven sacred cities.

Best forPilgrims, culture and shopping
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ChidambaramTamil Nadu
PilgrimageHeritageCulture

Chidambaram

Chidambaram is home to the Thillai Nataraja Temple, where Lord Shiva is worshipped as the cosmic dancer.

Best forPilgrims, dance and temple architecture lovers
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KumbakonamTamil Nadu
PilgrimageHeritageCulture

Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam, in the Kaveri delta, is a temple town of tall gopurams and sacred tanks, and the base for the Navagraha circuit: nine temples to the nine planetary deities scattered through the surrounding villages.

Best forPilgrims, temple architecture lovers
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ThanjavurTamil Nadu
HeritagePilgrimageCulture

Thanjavur

Thanjavur was the capital of the great Chola dynasty, and its Brihadeeswarar Temple, completed in 1010, is a masterpiece of granite engineering and part of the UNESCO Great Living Chola Temples.

Best forHeritage and architecture lovers
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Tiruchirappalli (Srirangam)Tamil Nadu
PilgrimageHeritageCity

Tiruchirappalli (Srirangam)

Tiruchirappalli, or Trichy, stands on the Kaveri and is home to some of Tamil Nadu's greatest temples.

Best forPilgrims, families, temple architecture lovers
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MaduraiTamil Nadu
PilgrimageHeritageCulture

Madurai

Madurai is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in India and grew around the Meenakshi Amman Temple, whose fourteen gopurams are covered in thousands of painted figures.

Best forPilgrims, culture, photography
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RameswaramTamil Nadu
PilgrimageBeachHeritage

Rameswaram

Rameswaram is an island town linked to the mainland by the Pamban bridges and is one of the Char Dham pilgrimages.

Best forPilgrims, families
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ChennaiTamil Nadu
CityHeritageBeach

Chennai

Chennai is Tamil Nadu's capital and the gateway to the south: a coastal city of Dravidian temples, colonial-era landmarks and Marina Beach, with a serious Carnatic music and dance scene every December.

Best forCity breaks, culture, food lovers
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KanyakumariTamil Nadu
PilgrimageBeach

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari sits at the southern tip of mainland India, where the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet.

Best forFamilies, pilgrims, sunrise watchers
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PalaniTamil Nadu
PilgrimageHill

Palani

Palani is one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan, the Arupadai Veedu.

Best forMurugan devotees, families
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TiruchendurTamil Nadu
PilgrimageBeach

Tiruchendur

Tiruchendur is the only one of Lord Murugan's six abodes that stands by the sea.

Best forMurugan devotees, families
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TiruvannamalaiTamil Nadu
PilgrimageHeritageCulture

Tiruvannamalai

Tiruvannamalai sits at the foot of Arunachala, the holy hill worshipped as Lord Shiva himself.

Best forPilgrims, spiritual seekers
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FAQs

Tamil Nadu Temples & Shrines: common questions

When is the best time for a Tamil Nadu temple tour?
October to March is the most comfortable. Plan around the big festivals if you want to see them: Karthigai Deepam at Tiruvannamalai (November or December), Vaikunta Ekadasi at Srirangam (December or January), Thai Poosam at Palani (January or February) and Kanda Sashti at Tiruchendur (October or November).
What is the dress code in Tamil Nadu temples?
Traditional dress is expected: veshti or trousers with a shirt for men, and a saree, half-saree or churidar for women. Some temples, such as Chidambaram, ask men to remove their shirts in the inner sanctum.
Can the tour start and end in Chennai?
Yes. Every Tamil Nadu itinerary starts and ends in Chennai by car or train, and we can add a pickup from your home.
More sacred journeys

Other faith journeys

Plan it with us

Plan your tamil nadu temples & shrines

Tell us the shrines, dates and who is travelling, and we send a day-by-day plan with a price.

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