1. 1. Chidambaram Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Chidambaram is one of the
five PanchaBoothaSthalas, each representing one of the five natural elements. Chidambaram
represents akasha (ether). The other four temples in this category are
ThiruvanaikavalJambukeswara (water) in Trichy, KanchiEkambareswara (earth) in Kanchipuram,
ThiruvannamalaiArunachaleswara (fire) in Thiruvannamalai and KalahastiNathar (wind) in
Kalahasti. The tandava represented in Chidambaram is Anandatandava, the cosmic dance of
Lord Nataraja (Shiva). Another important aspect in Chidambaram is of the Five Sabhas.
Chidambaram represents PorSabai or Ponnambalam. The other Sabhas are at Thiruvalangadu
(RathinaSabai - ruby), Madurai (Velliambalam - silver), Tirunelveli (ThamiraSabai - copper),
Kutralam (ChitraSabai - painting). All the main SaiviteNayanars -- namely
ThirugnanaSambandhar, Appar, Sundarar and ManickaVasakar -- visited this holy shrine and it is
said that they entered this temple from all the four cardinal directions, i.e. through the South,
West, North and East Gopurams, denoting the four different margas or pathways. The gold-
plated gopuram is the one of the main attractions of this temple. Chidambaram is supposed to
be the oldest of Saivite temples and all Thirumurai concerts conclude with the words
"Thiruchitrambalam".

2. 2. Sri Ekambaranathar temple, a very ancient and sacred temple of worship, is also considered a
big treasure of art and architecture, attracting a large number of pilgrims from over the world.
The four reputed Tamil Saivite saints ThirugnanaSambandhar, Appar, Sundarar and
Manikkavasagar, also known as the four divine saint-singers or Naalvar, have sung in praise of
the glory of Lord Sri Ekambaranathar. This one of 275 paadalpetrasthalams or Thirumurai
temples. Ekambaranathar temple is also one of the Pancha (five) BhoothaSthalams, and it
represents Earth. The raja gopuram, measuring 59 metres, is one of the tallest in south India.
The Ayiramkaalmandapam, a hall of a thousand pillars, is a special feature of the temple.
3. ArubathuMoovar Festival at Kapaleeswarar Temple, Chennai.
Situated in the heart of city of Chennai, Kapaleeswarar Temple is one of the 276 Paadal Petra
Sthalams (temples that are revered in the verses of SaivaNayanars of the 6th-9th century and
considered the greatest Shiva temples of the continent) of Thirumurai. This glorious temple is
closely associated with the child-saint Sambandar, one of the 63 Nayanars, who is believed to
have performed a miracle by bringing back to life AngamPoompavai, daughter of a merchant
SivanesaChettiar, who had died of snakebite. The presiding deities are Kapaleeswarar and
Karpagambal.ArupathuMoovar festival, a part of PanguniUthiram, is celebrated to honour the
Saivite devotees, namely the sixty-three Nayanars. The procession takes the Nayanars in a
palanquin decorated with ornaments and flowers. Appar, Sundarar, ThirugnanaSambandar are

3. carried in a separate palanquin. Idols of Kapaleeshwarar and Karpagambal and other deities are
decorated with fragrant flowers and are taken in procession.
4. Detail of a carving at Darasuram Temple. The temple of Airavateswara in Darasuram is an
architectural wonder. It was built by RajarajaChola II in the 12th century. This one of four
great temples built by the Chola dynasty. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it is a
storehouse of artwork. The main Mandapam is in the form of a chariot drawn by horses. The
pillars of the mandapam are beautifully decorated with exquisite carvings. Well maintained
by the Archaelogical Society of India and protected by UNESCO as world heritage site, the
Darasuram temple is 3 km from Kumbakonam, Tamilnadu.

4. 5. Main mandapam at Darasuram Temple near Kumbakonam.

5. 6. AnugrahaSandeswaramoorthi at GangaikondaCholapuram. This is the sculpture of
AnugrahaSandeswaraMoorthi (Lord Shiva) at GangaikondaCholapuram, a masterpece of
Chola architectural splendour. It was built by RajendraChola, son of the great Rajaraja, from
1012-44. It is a replica of the Big Temple at Thanjavur but with still greater detail and
perfection. This was the capital of the Cholas during the reign of RajendraChola. Visitors
should not miss this beautiful sculpture near the north entrance, depicting Shiva and Parvathi
garlanding the saint Sandeswara.
7. GangaikondaCholapuram - a general view. The majestic and well maintained UNESCO World
Heritage Site of GangaikondaCholapuram.

6. 8. GangaiKondaCholapuram, Kala samharamoorthi. Kalanthakar or Kala samharar -- the aspect of
Shiva depicted as slaying the god of death -- is one of the AstangaMoorthams (64 forms) of Lord
Siva. This beautiful artwork finds pride of place in one of the niches of GangaiKondaCholapuram
temple.
9. GangaikondaCholapuram, Adalvallan. The sculpture of Adalvallan (Lord Nataraja) dancing along
with Kali and Bhringimuni attended by ganas and KaraikkalAmmaiyar playing cymbals, is one of
the masterpieces of Chola architectural excellence.

7. 10. Nataraja at Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram. Dancing Shiva as Nataraja at Kailasanathar
Temple, one of the earliest and most remarkable temples of the Pallava dynasty. It was built in
the 7th century by the Pallava king Rajasimha. This temple is an excellent example of early
Dravidian architecture.
11. Restored artwork at Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram. KailasanatharTemple at
Kanchipuram, one of the significant contributions of the Pallava dynasty, has various wonderful
postures of Lord Nataraja. It was built in sandstone by the Pallava King Rajasimha in the 8th
century. This temple is protected and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is said
that Kailasanathar Temple was a great inspiration for RajarajaChola to build the Big Temple at
Thanjavur.

8. 12. Dakshinamoorthy at Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram is an aspect of Lord Shiva that depicts
him as the great teacher of yoga, music and the wisdom of the shastras.
13. A general view of Kailasanathar temple

9. 14. Brahmotsavam at Parthasarathi Temple, Chennai. The Parthasarathi Temple is an 8th century
Hindu Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, located at Triplicane, Chennai. It is one
among the 108 divyadesams or holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. The name 'Parthasarathi' in Sanskrit
means 'charioteer of Arjuna', and Lord Krishna is worshipped in that role in this temple. This
temple is the oldest structure in Chennai. During the month of Chithirai (April-May), the grand
car festival of Brahmotsavam is celebrated and devotees recite Tamil Vedam and
NalayiraDivyaPrabandham, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by the 12 Alvars or
Vaishnava poet-saints.
15. Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram. The Shore Temple (built in 700-728 AD)
stands against the background of the Bay of Bengal. It belongs to a period when the
constructional style of the Pallavas was at its peak in decorative beauty and intrinsic quality. Its
pyramidal structure is 60 feet high and sits on a 50-feet square platform. There is a small temple
in front, which was the original porch. It is made of finely cut local granite. One of the group of
monuments at Mahabalipuram, it has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and
isone of the oldest structural (versus rock-cut) stone temples of South India.

10. 16. Temple Tank at Sirgazhi Temple. Sirgazhi temple is one of the most important temples for
Saivites as it is the birthplace of the Saiva saint Tirugnanasambandar, the foremost of the
SaivaNayanars, belonging to the 7th century. Thirugnanasambandar, as an infant, is believed to
have been fed with the milk of wisdom by the divine mother Parvati on the banks of the temple
tank. The child Sambandar started singing the anthology of Thevaram hymns from then on,
commencing with "TodudaiyaSeviyan". This is one of 275 Padal Petra Sthalams or Thirumurai
temples. The temple has three vast courtyards with high walls of enclosure. There are two sets
of seven tiered gopurams in the outer walls of the enclosure. The temple is about 25 km from
the town of Kumbakonam.

11. 17. Side entrance at Thanjavur Big Temple. The Great Chola Temples of southern India are an
exceptional testimony to the development of the architecture and the ideology of the Chola
Empire and the Tamil civilization in southern India. They represent an outstanding creative
achievement in the architectural conception of the pure form of the Dravida type of temple
(characterized by a pyramidal tower). The great temple of Tanjore was built in a few years, from
1003 to 1010, during the reign of the great king Rajaraja (985-1014), the true founder of the
Chola Empire, which spread throughout the whole of southern India, part of ancient Ceylon and
the Maldive and Laccadive archipelagos
18. Wall panel at the Thanjavur Big Temple. The Brahadeewarar temple at Thanjavur, called the Big
Temple, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was built by the great Chola King Raja Raja I (985 -1012
A.D). It is an outstanding exmple of Chola architecture. Recognizing its unique architectural
excellence, UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Monument as "Great Living Chola
Temples". The temple structure is of granite. The 64.8 m vimanam (tower over the sanctum
sanctorum) is testimony to the engineering skill of the Cholas. It is a jewel among of the four
great Chola temples. The others are at GangaiKondaCholapuram, Darasuram and
Thirubhuvanam.

12. 19. A temple relief depicting Appar bearing Sambandar's palanquin at Thirukadaiyur Temple, Tamil
Nadu. This is one of the AshtaVeerattasthalams -- the eight places where Lord Shiva materialized
in his furious aspect -- and here Lord Shiva saved Markandeya from Yama, the god of death. This
temple belongs to DharmapuramAadinam (Mutt). This temple deities are sung of by the Tamil
trinity, i.e, Appar, Sundarar and ThirugnanaSambandar. The presiding deity is
Amruthakadeswarar. His consort is Abhirami. AbhiramiAndhathi was written here by
AbhiramiBhattar. The temple is in line with the grand temple architecture of the Cholas and
occupies a vast area of 11 acres with five Prakarams, imposing temple towers and large and
spacious Mandapams. In the figural gopuram, the story of close association of Appar (bearing
palanquin) and ThirugnanaSambandar (sitting in the palanquin) is well depicted. Thirukadaiyur is
about 15 km from Karaikal.

13. 20. Thirukazhukundram near Chengalpet, Tamil Nadu is an ancient Saivite temple dedicated to Lord
Shiva in the aspect of Vedagiriswarar. It is one among 275 Padal Petra Sthalams or Thirumurai
temples. The main attraction here is the large temple located atop the mountain, which houses
the deity of Lord Shiva as Vedagiriswarar. The temple at the foothills is dedicated to
Thirupurasundari Amman, Parvathi, the consort. It is surrounded by four gopurams, which
resemble the temple architecture of ThiruvannamalaiAnnamalaiyaar temple. Saiva saints Appar,
Sundarar, Manickavasagar and ThirugnanaSamandhar -- collectively known as 'Naalvar' -- came
to this place and sang the praises of Lord Shiva. Until 1998, the mystical birds -- a pair of vultures
-- used to appear every noon at Thirukazhukundram.
21. ThiruporurMurugan Temple, about 45 km from Chennai, is an ancient temple dating back to the
Pallava period and dedicated to Lord Kandaswamy.

14. 22. VaikunthaPerumal Temple, Kanchipuram was constructed shortly after the Kailasanathar temple
was built. It was built by the Pallava king Nandivarman and was completed in the 7th century
AD. There are three different levels of the main shrine. The sculptures of Lord Vishnu in the
main shrine are quite massive in size and depict the Lord in sitting, standing and reclining
postures. It is one of the 108 DivyaDesams dedicated to Lord Vishnu.