Kallazhagar or Kallalagar Temple at Alagar Koil

This much venerated Divya Desam temple (not to be confused with the Koodalazhagar temple in Madurai) is one of the holiest Vaishnavite shrines in the south. 21 kms north of Madurai, about a 30 minute drive, it lies nestled close to the verdant Alagar Malai hills. It has been in existence since the Sangam Period and every dynasty since then has contributed to it. The existing structure is mainly late Pandian, Vijayanager and Nayakkan. It is home to some of the most exquisite Nayakkan era granite sculptures. A granite wall surrounds the entire complex. It has a 7 tier rajagopuram. There are many myths and legends around this temple. The outermost fortifications were destroyed by the forces of Hyder Ali, then Sultan of Mysore in 1757 when the temple was looted and ransacked. You see a remnant of that wall in the last set of pictures below. The remains of a giant gopuram can be seen. Pay attention to the construction of the structure which is exposed in the ruins.

Visited August 2019. Base Madurai

Temples of Tamil Nadu - An approach

As we have mentioned before, the temples of Tamil Nadu are numerous. They vary according to their antiquity, traditions, regions where they are found and styles.  Some are ancient and some are of recent construction. Some are active and some are not. Some are well known and others are not. How does someone who has very little knowledge, experience at least some of these temples when there are such a bewildering number to choose from?

The earliest existent temples are around 1500 years or older. Some temples have been constructed on the sites of older places of worship and as such the actual sites are older than the current structures. So one approach would be to concentrate on the antiquity of the temples. Here too it becomes complicated because many temples were not entirely built in a certain era or period in history. Their construction spans multiple centuries. They were built upon by different dynasties that ruled this land. So these temples are the end result of about 1500 years of constant renewal, renovation and addition. Some other temples were built in a certain, single era by a single king or dynasty and have remained more or less untouched since.

Most temples are active temples and are places of active worship. People who visit these temples should take care to be respectful and not offend people who worship at these temples. Having said that most Hindu temples are very tolerant and welcoming places, although some temples have areas that are restricted to Hindus only. Most older, active temples are owned and operated by the government. Initially independent institutions, they were, except for a very few, taken over by the government in the 1920s. Today they are administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Other temples which are not active are historical monuments and are administered by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) which is a an agency of the Indian Central Government or the Archeological Department of the Tamil Nadu Government. Access to these sites are generally less restrictive. Some have paid admission while others are free.

Temples can also be classified according to popularity and fame. If you type in "Temples of Tamil Nadu" or " Best Temples of Tamil nadu" or some such entry into a Google search you will end up with about 30 to 40 temples. These are but a handful of the temples in existence. They are well known because they are large and beautiful temples. To the faithful, they are also special due to their reputation as very sacred places of worship. It is difficult to define the line between well known and lesser know temples as it depends on the knowledge and experience of the person making these definitions. For the purposes of this blog we will define all temples that are not extremely well known as lesser known temples. It is an arbitrary and subjective definition.

Temples can be classified according to the main deity in the temple. There are temples dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, Shakthy, Murugan and Ganesha. The majority of the temples are either Saivite (Siva is the primary deity) or vaishnavite (the primary deity is Vishnu). Numerous other temples are dedicated to Murugan, frequently identified as the Tamil god.  There also Jain temples which are mostly inactive. In addition there also ancient churches and mosques too.

The temples can be classified according to literary mention too. There are about 276 temples that are dedicated in the 7th to 9th century Saivite canonical work the Thevaram. These are called the Paadal Petra Sthalams. These sites can be safely dated to that period. The vast majority of them are in Tamil Nadu. There are another 150 or so sites that are casually mentioned in the Thevaram and are called Thevara Vaippu Sthalams. The most important Vishnu temples are known as the Divya Desams. They find mention in the Vaisnavite Tamil canonical work the Naalaira Divya Prabantha. They are 108 in number and most of them are in Tamil Nadu. Then there are the Arupadai Veedu or the 6 abodes of Murugan. There are other groupings according to their importance. We will explore these further on.

Tamil Nadu is a big state and has many regions. In ancient times these regions were different kingdoms. As such the temples can be classified according to region also. The very south including the area around Madurai and further south is Pandian country.  To the Northeast of it and with the delta of the River Kaveri as it centre including the ancient city of Thanjavur, is the Chola country. Further north along the coast the area around the current state capital of Chennai is known as Thondai Nadu. To the West, closer to the Western Ghats is the Kongu. Then there are areas like Nadunadu or centre country sandwiched between the Thondai and the Chola lands.

With this background, let us explore these temples over the next several posts.

Thiruparankundram Madurai

This ancient temple is found on the outskirts of Madurai set against a granite hill. It is a rock cut cave temple with some unique features. Unlike other temples where there is only one deity in the sanctum sanctorum (the Karuvarai), this temple has five deities - Siva, Vishnu, Murugan, Ganesha and Durga. It is revered as an important Sivasthalam (Paadal Petra Sthalam) as well as one of the most important Murugan temples (it is one of the Aru Padai Veedu). A large temple has been built over the centuries around the ancient original cave. As it is set against the hillside, it does not have the traditional prakarams(Circumbulatory enclosures). Amazing temple. Must see if you visit Madurai. If you have time and energy go up the hill and visit the Kasi Visvanathar temple for some amazing views.

Visited in August 2019. Base Madurai

Koodalalagar or Koodal Azhagar Temple Madurai

This is an important Vishnu temple in Madurai very close to the Meenakshi Amman temple. It is a Divya Desam temple. Very ancient, it is mentioned in the Sangam Literature of the 1st century BCE to 2nd century CE. But the current structure was originally built by Pandian kings between the 9th and 12th centuries (with some Chola input) and extensively renovated during the Vijayanagar and Nayakkan periods between the 14th and 16th centuries, it has layers of history embedded in it. There is an inscription from the 8th century. The sanctum has 3 levels and is one of only two temples where you can see Lord Vishnu in all 3 poses - sitting (on the main level), lying (on the second level) and standing ( on the 3rd level). There is a small fee to access the upper levels. The style of the Vimanam (it is eight sided - Ashtanga Vimanam) suggests the 10th century. Absolutely stunning architecture. Look carefully at the sculptures and you may be able to see that they were crafted at different time periods.

We visited in August 2019. Base Madurai.

Introduction - Lesser Known Temples and Other Sites of Tamil nadu

The southern state of Tamil Nadu in India is known for its temples. It is often called the Land of Temples. Numerous temples big and small exist here. The Hindu and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu is said to have 38,615 temples on its roster according to sources. There are others too. The tradition of temple building in the Tamil country is several hundred years old. You find ancient temples here as well as very modern ones. Some are active places of worship while others are historical sites that are not active or partially active. The sites of some of these temples are very ancient and their dates of origin are obscure. The structures that we see today are up to 1500 hundred years old or older. Most temples are Hindu temples belonging to the Saivite or Vaishnavite traditions. There are places of worship belonging to other faiths that are very old too. All these sacred places are very important from cultural, artistic and architectural points of view. Some are well known, while others are less well known.

Our objective is to highlight these sites, mostly temples, that are less well known, through a series of posts over time. Some posts will highlight a particular temple or site while others will be about subjects that are related. These subjects might relate to history, an architectural element, iconography or other cultural aspect that might make the experience of visiting these places more meaningful. Others will concentrate on helping travellers plan their trips to visit some of these remote locations  Your reason for visiting might be religious, spiritual or due to curiosity to learn about a culture and civilization that is several hundred, perhaps thousands of years old. Whatever your reason and motivation might be, we invite you to visit this intriguing land. There is more to Tamil Nadu than what the basic travel guides will tell you. You might be an Indian from the cities or a foreigner. If you are are foreigner, you might be a diaspora Indian or Tamil person wanting to know more about your heritage or someone wanting to learn about this ancient culture. Whatever your background maybe, you might find these posts interesting.

These are mostly temples and sites we have visited. These posts are not meant to be comprehensive guides. They are introductions for the reader to explore further. I hope to give you some insight and tips if you ever plan to visit.