Tamil Nadu is the land of temples. It is a living museum of styles that originated in the seventh century. One can see huge temple complexes with towering gopurams (gateways). Hindu architecture is vigorous while Muslim architecture is virtually nonexistent. The Dravidian temple styled is quite different from other styles. 'Gopurams' are a major part of the Dravidian architectural style. Temple architecture catalogues the tastes of successive dynasties.

Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Mamallapuram  located on the Bay of Bengal means "the town of Mamalla", the great wrestler. Mammalla is the other name of the Pallava ruler Narasimha Varma who built many of the temples here. The name Mahabalipuram means "the town of the great king Bali" the king from whom Lord Vamana begged three yards of land. This town was an ancient port of the Pallava kings in the 7^th century. Hence the name has a twin connotation implied.

The rock carvings here are divided into three zones, the main group of carvings on the slopes of the hill, the shore temple of the east and the Pancha Ratha (five Chariot) temples to the south. Made between 5^th and 8^th centuries the temples are among the earliest examples of monumental architecture temples in South India. Most of the cave temples are carved out of the granite hill that is close to the sea. The Five Rathas are located south of this area. The shore temple is located right next to the sea. Besides the famous shore temple there are 14 cave temples, 8 monolithic Rathas and many other small rock sculptures and the monuments are floodlit during night. The Mamallapuram Dance Festival is held here during January and February.

There are tours operated by both ITDC and TTDC from Madras covering Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram and Thirukkazhukumdriam.

How to get there.
By Air: The nearest airport is in Chennai.
By Train: The nearest railway station is in Chengalpattu (Chingleput), 29 kilometers west of Mamallapuram and 60 kilometers  south of Chennai. It is easy to get a bus or taxi to Mamallapuram.
By Bus: From Chennai, private buses leave from Parry’s corner (next to the High court Building) at the intersection of NSC Bose Road and Popham’s Broadway. State buses to Mamallapuram leave from Broadway station.

Kanchipuram
Ancient Kanchipuram, the city of thousand temples, is one of the seven most sacred pilgrim centers for the Hindus. There now remain about 126 temples in Kanchi and a few more in its outskirts. The city was the capital of the Early Cholas as far back as the 2^nd century BC and a Pallava capital between the 6^th and 8^th centuries.

Rameswaram
The holy island town of Rameswaram 167 kilometers from Madurai is connected to mainland India by the Pamban bridge. This pilgrim centre is sacred to both Saivites and Vaishnavites and befittingly, the temple here is one of the grandest in the country. Known as the temple with the longest corridor in India (1220metres.), the Ramanathaswami temple is built at the spot where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva after he slayed Ravana, the King of Lanka, who had abducted his wife Sita.

San Thome Cathedral Basilica 
San Thome at the southern end of Marina derives its name from St Thomas, the apostle of Christ who is believed to have come to Madras sometime during 52 AD. He was killed on St Thomas Mount just outside the city in 78 AD and was interned in San Thome beach where a church was later built. Several years later, another church was built further inland and his mortal remains were transferred from the old church to the new one. In 1606 the church was rebuilt as a cathedral and in 1896 it was made a basilica. The beautiful stained glass window at the basilica portrays the story of St Thomas and the central hall has 14 wooden plaques depicting scenes from the last days of Christ. In the cathedral is a 3ft. high statue of Virgin Mary which is believed to have been brought from Portugal in 1543.

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