Srirangam

Srirangam, the abode of the Supreme Lord, Sri Ranganatha, the reclining form of Lord Vishnu, is situated in an island surrounded by the revered river Cauvery, near Tiruchirappalli. Lush green mango groves, banana gardens, Coconut groves add color to the island. Srirangam is the foremost among the eight shrines of Lord Vishnu.

It is one of the most important among the 108 pilgrim centres in the whole of India. The shrine has glorious spiritual and cultural hertitage and is held in great reverence by all Hindus, particularly the vaishnavites. The entire complex is full of architectural marvel. It draws a lot of devotees from all parts of the world. The 'Rajagopuram' is 236 feet high with 13 tiers and is the tallest temple tower in Asia.  

Rockfort

The 83m high Rock Fort is the only outcrop in the otherwise flat land of the city. The rock is one of the oldest in the world-approximately 3.800 million years, which makes it as old as the rocks of Greenland and older than the Himalayas. The sheer abruptness of its rise is a thrill in itself, but the actual centre of attraction is not the fort itself, of which very little remains, but the temple at the summit. 344 steps hewn out of rock lead to the top where there are inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century.B.C. Hardly anything remains of the ramparts but the Main Guard Gate is still intact. The fort played an important part during the Carnatic wars and according to an inscription, mainly contributed to lay the foundations of the British Empire in India.

At the top of the rock is the Uchipillaiyar Koil, a temple dedicated to Lord Vinayaka from where one can enjoy a panoramic view of Tiruchirappalli. A flight of steps leads to the Mathrubutheswarar of Thayumanaswami temple, dedicated to Lord Siva where the lingam is a projection of the rock itself. Below the Siva temple are the two Pallava cave temples that have beautiful sculptures of the 6th and 7th centuries. At the foot of the Rock Fort are a tank and a pavilion which are used during the float festival of the temples. Near the tank is the house where Robert Clive lived when he was in Tiruchirappalli and there is an 18th century Church built by Reverend Schwartz of Denmark.

The Rock fort Hillock is said to be 230 crore years old. The materials like Quartz used in glass making and felspar used in ceramic are found in this Rock formation  

Vellankanni

Vellankanni is a small hamlet on the shores of Bay of Bengal. It lies at a distance of 14 kms from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. The sacred Basilica of Our Lady of Health, situated here, is one of the most important Christian Pilgrimages in India. It draws pilgrims from all over the world irrespective of caste and creed. The awesome building is adorned with Gothic style architecture and is a marvel in itself. Mysteries and miracle-stories are common here and the church is held in high-esteem for its wish-fulfilling power. The sidewalls are beautifully decorated with biblical incidents. What is more peculiar is that, pilgrims here follow many Hindu ways of offering which includes tonsuring of heads and ear-boring.  

Nagore

This Famous Holy Saint was born in Manickkapur near Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of U.P. on a blessed Friday early morning in the Arabic month of 10th Jamathul Akhir Hijiri 910 (1491-A.D.)The Holy Saint was the 23rd lineal descendant of the Holy Prophet MOHAMMED (S.A.W the peace upon him). His father was HAZARATH SYED HASAN KHUDDOOS SAHIB and his mother BEEBI FATHIMA.

THE DARGHA is located 78 km from Thanjavur. The tomb is almost MORE THAN 500 years old and is topped by a golden dome and flanked by 5 minarets. It is just 4 km to the north of Nagapattinam. Nagore (sometimes spelled Nagoor) is a town in the Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located approximately 4 km north of the city of Nagapattinam. Nagore has a population of approximately 30,000. A prominent five-acre dargah (Muslim shrine) dedicated to the 16th century saint Nagore Andavar (literally "the Lord of Andavar"; also popularly called Meeran Sahib or Qadir Wali) is located there, and serves as a pilgrim center. The 14-day Kandhuri Urs (also spelled Kandoori or Kandhoori) festival, dedicated to the saint, is held there annually. .  

Navagraha temples

Navagraha temples are a group of nine temples, devoted to the nine celestial bodies, referred to in the Hindu astrological beliefs. In Sanskrit, Nava means nine, and Graha denotes energy, planet or spiritual body. The nava grahas are Suryan (Sun), Chandran (Moon), Mangala (Mars), Budhan (Mercury), Guru (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu (Ascending Lunar node) and Kethu (Descending lunar node). Sitting here in Switzerland on a cold and snowy day, it feels nostalgic to think of the sunny days back in India, when I visited the Navagraha temples with my parents and sister.  

Kanyakumari

The name of this place has been christened after the virgin goddess - Kanyakumari Amman. Mythological stories depict that Goddess parvati under the disguise of Devi Kanniya did a penance in one of the rocks in this area to reach the hand of Lord Shiva. This place is also a popular pilgrimage. The tourists who visit this southern most tip of India would certainly enjoy the exuberant scenes of the sunsets, the sunrises especially on full moon days. The nature of the sand in the beaches of Kanyakumari is unique as it is multicolored.

Lakhs of tourist, round the year are lured by the serene beauty of this place and the spectacles of sunrise and sunset. Though sunrise can be viewed throughout the year, sunset is visible only from October 15 to March 15 from this southernmost tip. But one can view both sunrise and sunset throughout the year from atop a hill called Murugan Kundram which offers a panoramic view of Kanyakumari. The sunset and moonrise can be seen almost simultaneously on full moon days from the same spot. It is a unique spectacle.  

Madurai Mennakshi Temple

The enormous temple complex is dedicated to Shiva, known here as Sundareshvara and his consort Parvati or Meenakshi. The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the entire credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayaks. The Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and left a majestic imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi - Sundareswarar Temple.

The temple complex is within a high-walled enclosure, at the core of which are the two sanctums for meenakshi and Sundareshwara, surrounded by a number of smaller shrines and grand pillared halls. Especially impressive are the 12 gopuras. Their soaring towers rise from solid granite bases, and are covered with stucco figures of dieties, mythical animals and monsters painted in vivid colours.

Temple Towers

There are 12 temple towers(Gopurams). The outer towers are the landmarks of Madurai. They are:

* East Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 161'3". This Gopura has 1011 sudhai figures.

* South Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 170'6". This Tower has 1511 sudhai figures.

* West Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 163'3". This Tower has 1124 sudhai figures.

* North Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 160'6". This Tower has lesser figures of sudhai than other outer towers.

 

Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram is an island situated in the gulf of manner at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. A very important pilgrim centre of the Indians. Rameshwaram is the place from where Lord.

Rama, built a bridge across the sea to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to cleanse away the sin of killing Ravana. Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage which is known as the Varanasi the south.

Rameshwaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Benaras is incomplete without a Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram. The presiding deity is the Linga Of Sri Ranganatha, which happens to be one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of India. Rameshwaram is also popularly referred to as the 'Benaras of the south'. In order to attain Moksha it is believed that the visit to Rameshwaram is mandatory.  

Vellore - Golden Temple

Sripuram - The Golden Temple was built in a short span of 7 years. It was inaugurated on August 24, 2007. The consecration ceremony was witnessed by thousands of devotees. Since then, the temple has attracted hundreds of thousands of devotees; often breaching the 1 lakh mark on special occasions. The temple has also changed the face of the village Thiruamalaikodi and nearby Vellore. In the coming years, the temple envisages to create a positive influence on the immediate society and ultimately bring change.