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Attraction
The colossal 216-foot granite pyramid spire housing a massive 12-foot-high Shiva Lingam, decorated entirely with multi-century old Chola murals.
Attractions in Thanjavur (Brihadeeswarar Temple)
2 places to see, with what each one is and how long it takes.
Attraction
The historic palace quarter located nearby, hosting the legendary Saraswathi Mahal Library filled with rare palm-leaf manuscripts and ancient art collections.
Elsewhere in Tamil Nadu
Not in Thanjavur (Brihadeeswarar Temple) — these are in other towns across the state.
Attraction
Man-made, dug in the 1860s, and star-shaped only from the air. The five-kilometre perimeter road is the good part, so hire a bicycle. Boats are rowed or pedalled and the queue at the boat club is long on weekends.
Viewpoint
The long seafront walk lined with statues and food stalls.
Attraction
Built rather than carved, around the year 700, and among the oldest structural stone temples in south India. The sea has been eating the carving for thirteen centuries, so the detail is soft. The 2004 tsunami drew the water back far enough to expose other structures offshore.
Experience
The historic UNESCO World Heritage steam toy train that winds scenic tracks across deep gorges, high bridges, and dark pine valleys.
Viewpoint
The tip where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean.
Attraction
The inner sanctum under a gold-plated roof, holding the Nataraja bronze and, beside it, the curtained empty space worshipped as ether. Ask a Dikshitar priest when the curtain is drawn back.
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Attraction
The city's oldest temple, an 8th-century Pallava sandstone masterpiece.
Attraction
The grand seaside Marian basilica at the heart of the pilgrimage.
Attraction
The sanctum under a gilded vimana, with the Sri Chakra that tradition credits to Adi Shankara set before the seated Kamakshi. Non-Hindus are not admitted to the innermost part.
Attraction
Srirangam (Ranganathaswamy Temple)
The massive 73-metre-high monumental base tower gateway, dominating the southern skyline with its multi-tiered structural reliefs.
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Attraction
Madurai (Meenakshi Amman Temple)
Nine hundred and eighty-five pillars rather than a thousand, put up in 1569 and now used as the temple museum. Every column is carved differently, which is easier to take in along the edges than in the middle.
Experience
The beach break and surf schools that made the town a surfing hub.
Attraction
An island memorial reached by ferry, with a giant Thiruvalluvar statue alongside.
Viewpoint
Madurai (Meenakshi Amman Temple)
The sacred golden lotus stepwell tank inside the complex, surrounded by historic columned corridors and painted murals.
Attraction
Five temples cut from one granite ridge in the seventh century, each in a different form — the carvers appear to have been working through the possibilities. None was finished, and the Pandava names were attached long afterwards.
Attraction
The atmospheric ruins of a town washed away by a 1964 cyclone.