N

ON
TEMPLES
OF
SOUTH INDIA
MEENAKSHI  According to legend, the sacred Suyambulingam
discovered by the king of Gods indira at
AMMAN Kadambavanam, was later enshrined by him in
TEMPLE Madurai. Many historical evidences of the temple
have been found dating back from early A.D. 
 The temple was restored to its pristine glory in the
late 14th century when the Hindu Kings came back
to power in Madurai.
 The temple which has five entrances, covers an area
847 feet (254.1 meters) long and 792 feet (237.6
meters) wide in the North South direction, the
circumference of the Adi Veedhi which is the path
within the great walls is 830 feet (249 meters) on the
east west and , measuring 730 feet (219 meters)
from North South direction.
 Architect: Viswanatha Nayak
 Architectural styles: Dravidian architecture
 Other names : Meenakshi Sundareswarar
Temple,
 BRIHADESWARA TEMPLE
 Thanjavur emerged as the stronghold of Tamil culture in the eleventh century, with
Chola King Raja Raja I at the helm. The Cholas built more than 70 temples in
Thanjavur, with the most outstanding one being the Brihadeswara Temple (known as
the Big Temple).
 The temple, which turned 1,000 years old in 2010, is a symbol of the unrivaled power
and might of the Cholas. It's also one of the oldest temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in
India.
 The esteemed architect and engineer of the temple was Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja
Perunthachan as stated in inscriptions found at the temple.
 The temple was built using a measure of 13/8-inch called an angula (24 units
equalling 33 inches called a hasta, muzam, or kishku).
 This temple is the first building fully built by granite and finished within
5yrs[1004AD – 1009AD].
 Architectural styles: Dravidian Architecture
 Date built: 11th century AD
 Creator: Raja Raja Chola I
 Other names: Brihadeshwara Temple Big Temple
 Important festivals: Maha Shivaratri
  Sarangapani is the largest Vishnu temple in
SARANGAPAN Kumbakonam and has the tallest temple
I TEMPLE tower in the town.
 The central shrine of the temple is in the
form of a chariot drawn by horses and
elephants, with openings on either side,
showing the descent of Sarangapani from
heaven in the chariot.
 Sri Sarangapani Temple is considered one
among the three major shrines of Lord
Vishnu and it was renovated during the
period of Nayaka Kingdom of 16th century.
 Sarangapani temple consists of only one holy
tank,known as "Porthamarai Kulam“.
 Architectural styles: Dravidian
architecture
 Festival deity: Aravamuthar
 RAMANATHASWAMY TEMPLE
 Ramanathaswamy Temple is a Hindu
temple dedicated to god Shiva located
on Rameswaram island in the state of
Tamil Nadu, India.
 Creator: Pandya and Jaffna kings
 The temple in its current shape is believed
to have been built during the 17th century,
while Fergusson believes the small
vimana in the west corridor belonging to
the 11th or 12th centuries. The
contribution of the Jaffna kings of the
Sethupathy dynasty to the temple was
considerable.
 There are about 1212 pillars in the outer
corridor. Their height is about 30 feet
from the floor to the center of the roof.
The main tower or rajagopuram is 53 m
tall. Most pillars are carved with
individual composition.
 THILLAI
NATARAJA  Thillai Natarajah Temple, Chidambaram or
TEMPLE, Chidambaram temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord
CHIDAMBARAM Shiva located in the town of Chidambaram, East-Central
Tamil Nadu, South India.
 The newer part of the temple is around a thousand years old
but no one knows how old the older part of the temple is.
People say it is 3,500 years or more.
 One thing about Chidambaram is the Nataraja, but the main
deity is an empty space. This temple was consecrated by
Patanjali himself. Patanjali is known as the “Father of
Modern Yoga.”
 Arudra Darshan
One well-known aspect at Chidambaram is the Arudra
Darshan in the Tamil month of Margazhi. Rudra means a
roarer, or someone who is very effervescent – more than
effervescent, a roar. Arudra means stable; not the roaring
kind but absolutely stable. Rudra also suggests movement
and creation. Arudra suggests a certain inertia.
 Proper name: Chidambaram Thillai Natarajar-
Koothan Koil
 Primary deity: Nataraja (Thillai Koothan -
 ANNAMALAIYAR TEMPLE
 Annamalaiyar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the
deity Shiva, located at the base of Annamalai hills in the
town of Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India.
 Proper name: Arulmigu Annamalaiyar
Thirukoil
 Sanskrit transliteration: Arunachaleswara
 It was begun by king Krishnadevaraya (1509–29 CE) of
the Vijayanagara dynasty, and completed by Sevappa
Nayaka (1532–80 CE).The inscriptions indicate that the
tower was built at the behest of Sivanesa and his brother
Lokanatha in 1572 CE. The south tower is called
Thirumanjangopuram, and the west, Pei Gopuram.
Ammani Ammal, a Sanyasini, built the north tower which
carries her namesake.
 The temple is situated at the bottom of the Annamalai hills,
and faces east, lying over 25 acres.
 The main shrine of Annamalaiyar faces east, housing
images of Nandi and Surya, and is the oldest structure in
the temple. Behind the walls of the sanctum, there is an
  The temple is enclosed by 7 concentric walls
SRI
with a total length of 32,592 feet or over six
RANGANATHAS
miles. These temple has 21 gopurams (towers),
WAMY TEMPLE
39 pavilions, fifty shrines, Ayiram kaal
mandapam (a hall of 1000 pillars) and several
small water bodies inside.
 The complex houses shrines of dozens of forms
of Vishnu including Chakkarathazhwar,
Narasimha, Rama, Hayagreeva and Gopala
Krishna. There are separate shrines for
Ranganayaki and the major saints in the
Vaishnava tradition, including Ramanuja.
 The Hall of 1000 pillars (actually 953) is a fine
example of a planned theatre-like structure and
opposite to it, "Sesha Mandap", with its
intricacy in sculpture, is a delight and made of
granite was constructed in the Vijayanagara
period (1336–1565) on the site of the old
 TIRUMALA SRI VENKATESWARA TEMPLE

 Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple(also known as

Thiruvengadam) is a famous Vedic temple in the hill town of
Tirumala, near Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra
Pradesh, India. It is the richest temple in the world in terms
of donations received and wealth, and the most-visited place
of worship in the world.
 Date built:Earliest records date to 300 BC
 According to some evidence the history of the temple dates
back almost 2,000 years.
 In 1517, Krishnadevaraya, on one of his many visits to the
temple, donated gold and jewels enabling the Vimana (inner
shrine) roofing to be gilded.
 Important festivals:Brahmotsavam, Vaikunta Ekadasi, Ratha
Saptami
 Architectural styles:Dravidian architecture
 THE  The Chamundeshwari Temple is located on
CHAMUNDES the top of Chamundi Hills about 13 km from
HWARI the palace city of Mysore in the state of
TEMPLE Karnataka in India.The temple was named
after Chamundeshwari or Durga, the fierce
form of Shakti, a tutelary deity held in
reverence for centuries by Mysore Maharajas.
 The temple has a seven storey tall Gopura
decorated with intricate carvings. The deity of
the goddess is said to be made of gold and the
temple doors of silver.
 The temple has a quadrangular structure.
 On top of the sanctum sanctorum is a small
tower or Vimana that can be seen from
outside the temple. During the 10 daylong
Dasara festival special prayers are offered to
the Goddess.
PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE
 Padmanabhaswamy temple is located in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India .
 It is the richest Hindu temple in the world.
 The temple has a dhwaja stamba (flag post) that is
about 80 ft high and is covered with gold plated
copper sheets.
 The temple architecture stands out for its work in
stone and bronze. The temple interiors are
adorned by beautiful paintings and murals.
 The temple also has some interesting structural
features in the form of Bali Peeda Mandapam and
Mukha Mandapam. These are halls, decorated
with beautiful sculptures of various Hindu deities.
 This temple is a blend of the Kerala and
Dravidian styles of architecture.
 In 1729 the great ruler Marthanda Varma became
the king of Travancore. He took the steps to
renovate the Temple.
MADE BY:-
Gaurav
Class- VII