There are thousands of temples in South India alone—an area known for its confluence of Dravidian and Aryan architectural styles—and each seems more beautiful than the last. Some are intricately carved; others have highly elaborate inner sanctums. Some even have unique features like musical steps. While it’s difficult to cherry-pick the most beautiful temples in the country, here are seven worth a closer look:
This granite cluster of temples, named because they face the Bay of Bengal, were built around 700 A.D. Their design defied conventionality at the time because they were structural and not rock-cut. Visitors will find several miniature shrines and engravings throughout. An annual month-long dance festival takes place in front of the temple from December to January. mahabalipuram.co.in
This group of temples are both Hindu and Jain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The nagara-style temple architecture is distinctive, with tapered, convex towers and spacious inner sanctums. Once a site filled with 85 temples, only 25 remain (the rest were destroyed in the 13th century). The location of Khajuraho is quite remote— visitors can access it by taking the Khajuraho-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express train. At one time thick vegetation took over the ruins, giving it an aura of the Lost City in The Jungle Book.
Located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in Madurai, a city known for both its poets and temples, is this temple revered by locals. It has a checkered history: It was first built in the sixth century, then destroyed and rebuilt in the 16th century, but the grandeur of the temple’s 14 towers and its holy pond still remains. maduraimeenakshi.org
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Hailed by worshippers as the “Varanasi of the South,” this temple, located on an island off the coast of South India, is dedicated to the god Shiva. The sprawling complex spans over 15 acres and boasts one of the longest pillared temple corridors in the world with 1,200 granite columns. rameswaramtemple.tnhrce.in/
With an intricate entrance tower done primarily in the Tamil (Dravidian) architectural style, this temple is characterized by high towers and granite pillars with yali figures (hippogryphs characteristic of temple architecture). There are many relief sculptures and halls with Vishnu avatars; the complex had additions of towers in the 16th century, and is now the largest operational Hindu temple in the world, once topped by Angkor Wat in Cambodia. tamilnadu-tourism.in
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Dedicated to Shiva, this 1,800-year-old temple represents the element of water (there is a perennial spring nearby and the myth is that it will never run dry). An enormous outer wall stretches for well over a mile, and an inner corridor is graced with more than 700 intricately carved pillars.
This famous temple, dedicated to the Lord Shiva, is a gorgeous example of Tamil architecture, which is characterized by carved pillars and large gopuras or gatehouses that serve as entrances. The temple was built during the Chola period and completed in 1010 A.D. and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tower directly above the inner sanctum, built out of granite, is one of the tallest in South India. thanjavur.info
