The Spectacular Tamil Nadu Temple Trail
A spiritual storyteller's delight, this could very well be the journey of your lifetime!
Glimpse into the storytrail
The largest Hindu temple in the world, where the city is built in & around the temple itself.
Revered as the living Vaikunth on earth.
The starting point of Rama Setu, the bridge engineered by Hanuman, where you can see the floating stones used to build the bridge between sea coast and Lanka.
The 5 magnificent Shiva temples, the 'Panch Bhoota Sthalams'. Meaning based on the 5 elements of nature.
The water element of Shiva, for instance.
Where Maa Parvati created a Shivling out of the waters of the Cauvery river.
As the goddess worshipped her husband (Lord Shiva) in this temple, even today at noon the 'Archakar' (chief priest) dresses like a female and does puja to Jambukeswara and cow.
The 'Big Temple', built out of stone alone, sans any foundation.
And this is just a trailer, picture toh abhi baaki hai, dost!
If you want to explore the full marvel of Tamil Nadu, you will need at least a month!
What we have here are the best possible short itinerary options. You can pick & choose what suits you best, and surrender to us.
What awaits you is our ancient , mystical culture at its best, and an adventure that you are unlikely to forget.
Itinerary
6N/7D
Trip starts in Coimbatore and ends in Madurai
Day 1
Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore
Land in Coimbatore, check into your hotel.
Spend the day at the one-of-its-kind spiritual space across the globe.
The Isha Yoga Center, situated at the foothills of Velliangiri, on the outskirts of Coimbatore, is the headquarters for Isha Foundation.
Teerthkunds
Don't forget to take a dip in one of the two Theerthakunds (energized water bodies) on the premises. It also increases your receptivity to the energies of the Dhyanalinga.
The Chandrakund, for women, is consecrated with a slightly feminine energy and the Suryakund, for men, is more masculine in nature.
The Chandrakund is embedded 30 feet below the ground, and approached by a descent of thirty-two massive steps.
The Suryakund is 20 feet below ground level, contains three rasalingas and lies underneath a stunning 20 ft brass and copper sculpture of the sun.
Day 2
Srirangam
Leave early morning, and reach the temple town in about 5 hours.
Check into your hotel.
Visit the spellbinding Srirangam temple, and the Jambukeshwara Temple.
Chances are this will end up as one of the most enchanting & a mystical trip of your life.
The magnificent Ranganathaswamy Temple
Take a bath, and head to the home to Lord Ranganatha, a form of Lord Vishnu in a reclining pose.
Srirangam Temple is located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
It is built on an island surrounded by the Kaveri and Kollidam rivers.
Sprawling an enormous 156 acres, Srirangam is the largest functioning Hindu Temple in the world. Considered the 'living Vaikunth on Earth', it has the unique distinction of being the most significant among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
The mystical Jambukeshwara Temple
Tamil Nadu hosts the 5 mystical Shiva temples, the 'Panch Bhoota Sthalams' (meaning 5 elements).
Jambukeshwara is a manifestation of the water element of Shiva, where Maa Parvati created a Shivling out of the waters of the Cauvery river.
As the goddess worshipped her husband (Lord Shiva) in this temple as Her Guru, even today at noon the 'Archakar' (chief priest) dresses like a female and does puja to Jambukeswara and a cow.
Day 3 & 4
Tanjore/Thanjavur
A drive of around 2 hrs from Srirangam.
Check into your hotel.
Thanjavur is an important centre of silk weaving in Tamil Nadu.
Thanjavur is also famous for the 'Thalaiyatti bommai' or 'Dancing dolls' ,which is a doll made from clay, wood or plastic.
Most of the Great Living Chola Temples, which are UNESCO World Heritage Monuments, are located in & around Thanjavur.
'The Big Temple'.
Take a bath, have a hearty breakfast, and head to the mighty & the astonishing Brihadeeshwara!
An architectural marvel that is the Brihadeeshwara, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument.
Known as the 'big temple', Brihadeeswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is amongst one of the largest temples in the world.
It is one of the greatest structures ever built. The architecture used is the interlock method where no cement, plaster or adhesive was used between the stones.
And make no mistake, this temple is 1000+ years old, has survived 6 earthquakes, and the temple tower is a whopping 216 feet high, making it the tallest in the world. The other structures built using this method, Big Ben and Leaning Tower of Pisa, are tilting with time but the Mandir, which is way older, has zero degrees inclination.
Gangaikonda Cholapuram
This temple shares the same design and name as the older Brihadeeswarar temple of Thanjavur, but it is smaller in size and more refined. Both the Brihadeeswarar temples are the largest Shiva temples of South India, part of the trip of the ‘Great Living Chola Temples’ along with the Airavastesvara Temple; also listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Darasuram Temple
Lying on the outskirts of the city, the town of Darasuram is best known for the Airavateshwara Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple was built in the 12th century by Raja Raja Chola. It houses shrines of Goddess Parvati, Lord Yama (god of death), Lord Subramanya and Goddess Saraswati, apart from an idol of Lord Shiva.
There is a small mandapam, raised from the ground with seven stone steps, which are said to emit different musical sounds when tapped.
The chariot design of the temple is said to be inspired by the Konark Sun Temple in Orissa.
The exotic Tanjore Fort
Thanjavur’s royal palace is a mixed bag of ruin and renovation, superb art and random royal paraphernalia. The mazelike complex was constructed partly by the Nayaks who took over Thanjavur in 1535, and partly by a local Maratha dynasty that ruled from 1676 to 1855.
The two don't-miss sections are the Saraswati Mahal Library Museum and the Art Gallery.
Hourly audiovisual displays (10.30am to 4.30pm) highlight Thanjavur’s sights, history and traditions in the attached cinema room.
A massive dead whale's full skeleton is found in this section.
Day 5
The mystical & the sacred Rameshwaram
Have a hearty breakfast, and head to the famed Rameshwaram temple.
There are sixty-four Tīrthas (holy water bodies) in and around the island of Rameswaram. According to Skand Puran , twenty-four of them are important. Bathing in these Tīrthas is a major aspect of the pilgrimage to Rameswaram and is considered equivalent to penance.
Twenty-two of the Tīrthas are within the Ramanathaswami Temple.
The number 22 indicates the 22 arrows in Rama's quiver.
Rameshwaram temple
One of the 12 Jyotirlings; also the only Shiva temple amongst the sacred Char Dhams.
The temple has the longest corridor among all Hindu temples in India. An architectural marvel, it was built by King Muthuramalinga Sethupathiy, and has 1212 pillars in the outer corridoor.
There are 22 Theerthams (holy water bodies) inside the temple where devotees bathe to atone for their sins.
The primary deity of the temple is Ramanathaswamy (Shiva) in the form of lingam. There are two lingams inside the sanctum: according to tradition, one built by Rama from sand, residing as the main deity, called the Ramalingam, and the other brought by Hanuman from Kailash, called the Vishvalingam. Rama is said to have instructed that the Vishvalingam be worshipped first since it was brought by Hanuman - the tradition continues even today.
Dhanushkodi
The 20 odd kms drive to Dhanushkodi from Rameshwaram is a sight to behold, with Arabian Sea on one side, and the Bay of Bengal on the other.
Dhanushkodi is the place where you can see the origin of the Ram Setu!
Lord Rama had ordered Hanumana to build a bridge which could carry His army across to Sri Lanka, where Ravana had kept Sita captive. As ordered, Lord Hanuman had obliged and it was here that the Ram Setu was built by the Nal & Neel, the 2 architects of the Vanara Sena.
Here you can see Ram Setu going in between the sea. At Ram Setu point Sea is still silent like a river without waves, as Lord Rama asked him at time of making Setu.
Rama used his bow's (Dhanush) end (Kodi) to break the bridge, hence the name.
You can also see and hold the coral stones that were used to create the bridge.
Kodanda Rama Temple
This is the only temple in india dedicated to King Vibhishan.
This is the place where Sri Ram coronated King Vibhishan as the king of Lanka before & after the war.
This temple is on the way to Dhanuskodi.
Believed to be more than 1000 years old, this ancient temple is also known for the fact that it withstood the massive cyclone of 1964 which had ruined the entire town of Dhanuskodi.
The name Kodandarama means Ram with a bow.
Maharishi Valmiki extols the temple, classifying it among the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams in the Vaishnavate tradition. It is also referred to as the Dakshina Ayodhya, signifying the Ayodhya of South India.
Agni Teertham
Among all 64 teerthams, the Agni Theertham is considered to be the foremost.
Legend has it that Goddess Sita, in an intent to prove her purity to her husband Lord Rama, asked his younger brother Lakshmana to light a fire. She sat inside the fire to prove what she intended to, and came out unhurt.
Lord Agni (God of fire) appeared to prove the same and Sita proved herself to be pure.
However, Lord Agni had to wash off his sin of having touched the Goddess and so he bathed in the sea and offered prayers to Lord Shiva.
Thus this place began to be called Agni Theertham. Taking a dip in Agni Theertham is believed to wash away all your sins.
Top it with a trip to the lovely Chetinad Mansions, Karaikudi
India's 10,000 forgotten mansions.
Once symbolic of the power and wealth of the Nattukottai Chettiar community, thousands of gigantic and glamourous mansions in Tamil Nadu now lie in ruins. The Chettinad mansions, as they are known, look exquisitely beautiful but are desolate.
More than 10,000 lavish mansions dot the Chettinad region, many of them spanning tens of thousands of square feet.
Today, Chettinad is famous for its fiery chicken Chettinad dish and the much sought-after antiques from Karaikudi, but most travellers remain unaware of these luxurious mansions spread over the remaining 73 villages in the region. Although most of them lie in ruins, a handful have been converted into heritage hotels and museums by enthusiastic owners who are working to keep the Chettiar legacy alive.
Day 6
Madurai
Last day of the trip.
3 hrs drive from Rameshwaram.
Check into your hotel.
Rest, have a leisurely breakfast.
And head to the massive & the mystical Shakti temple.
Meenakshi Amman temple
The Meenakshi Temple complex, extending over an area of 65000 sq m, is literally a city – one of the largest of its kind in India and one of the oldest too.
Meenakshi means the fish-eyed goddess and an aspect of goddess Parvati.
Secret of the Meenakshi Temple?
Within the temple, there's a hall adorned with remarkable musical pillars. When you strike these pillars gently, they produce a range of melodious sounds. In the early 19th century, a British engineer dismantled one of these pillars to find the secret.
Round it off with a trip to the Madurai Naicker Palace
This palace is a must visit for history lovers and those who love to explore architectural fineness of bygone eras.
It was built in 1635, by the King Thirumalai Nayak who had the vision of creating a masterpiece for royal stay. It was designed as a residence for the king by an Italian architect.
The sound and light shows are conducted every evening at the palace, making your trip to this palace even more exciting.
Explore the local Madurai markets
Madurai is known for its silk & cotton sarees. Chungudi saree or Madurai Sungudi is pure cotton fabric of Madurai , an exclusive textile creation traditionally crafted using tie and dye (using natural dyes) method by the Saurashtrians who migrated to Madurai under the patronage of King Thirumalai Naicker in the 17th century.
Step out in the evening and savour the local delicacies of this ancient temple town.
Day 7
Your trip ends here.
Take the flight back to Delhi.
The memories will last you a lifetime.
Gallery
Every picture tells a story. Provided you are willing to see.