5 Most Popular Temples To Visit in Tamil Nadu

It is no wonder that Tamil Nadu is a city of temples. There are a lot of temples to visit in Tamil Nadu. There are nearly 33,000 temples that are scattered all over the state and most of them are destroyed by Kings of the British Kingdom. Here, you will find some popular temples that feature magnificent art & architecture.

# Meenakshi Temple

The Meenakshi temple is one of the most beautiful temples in Tamil Nadu. It is an excellent example of traditional sculptures & magnificent architecture. The statue of goddess Meenakshi is believed to be made out of a single piece of emerald. The origin of this temple is not known certainly but it is renovated by several kings during the Nayak period. This amazing temple is dated back to the 17th century. An interesting story behind the temple is Goddess Meenakshi got married to Lord Shiva and that function took place in Madurai. Hence, she got the name Meenakshi.

# Rameshwaram Temple

It is said that the Rameshwaram temple is formed when lord Rama prayed to god Shiva to get this blessing and ask to forgive him. This Rameshwaram temple also boasts various interesting stories. The temple has a strong sand linga which was developed by Lord Hanuman when he brought a shiva statue from Himalaya known as Vishwalingam.

The corridor of this temple is quite long of about 3000 feet. Rameshwaram temple is famous for holy water bodies which are in the form of wells and tanks. Visitors and devotees have to stand in a long queue to get sacred Theerthams which resembles the 22 arrows from Rama’s Quiver.

# Kumari Amman Temple

It is not surprising that there are many Amman temples in our city, of which, Kumari Amman temple is one of the sacred pilgrimage places and is the top 10 temples in Tamil Nadu. Here, goddess Amman is said to pour her blessings to every devotee that visits this temple. It is believed that she has great powers thus people ask for various daily prayers. Kumari Amman is an incarnation of Parvathi who is the virgin Goddess of Kanyakumari. This ancient temple was developed in the 8th century. Although it was built by Pandya kings, it was renovated by Chola and Nayak rulers. It is believed that she is an extinguisher of an evil who is in the form of a demon, Banasura. Here, the blue idol is known as Devi Kanya who has a sparkling nose jewel.

# Nagannathaswamy Temple

It is one of the famous temples in Tamil Nadu. Here, devotees from different parts of the city visit the Naganthaswamy temple. It is a special temple for those who want to get rid of Raghu Doshas. Here, Lord Raghu is worshiped in this temple especially during Shivarathri to bless the devotees. Here, devotees provide milk Abhishekam to Raghu which will turn out to blue.

The sacred water bodies in this temple namely Vasishta Theertham, Indira Theertham, Prugu Theertham, Kannuva Theertham, Suriya Pushkarani, Gowthama Theertham, Kula Theertham, Gowthama Theertham.

Some of the popular poojas that are done in this Raghu temple include Arthajama pooja, Uchikkala, Irandam Kala, Kalasandhi, Ushakkala, etc.

# Brihadeeswarar Temple

Brihadeeswarar temple is also known as Periyar Kovil, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Interestingly, the Brihadeeswarar temple is known as the largest temple in Tamil Nadu.

It was developed in 1010 C.E. still, now it is the best temple to visit in Thanjavur.