Tiger Cave
This seventh century temple, 5 km north of Mamallapuram is dedicated to goddess Durga. This rock cave has a small mandapam with a crown of carved yali heads as a highlight.

Tirukkalikundram
This pilgrimage centre situated 14 km from Mamallapuram has a Shiva temple situated at the top of a hill. The 550 steps leading to the top of the hill are to be climbed bare-footed. A legend narrates that every noon two eagles come here from Varanasi (Benaras). The top encompasses a view of the Bhaktavatsaleshvara Temple, rocky hills and rice paddies.

Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram - the place where the artisans weave the most fantastic silk saris famous the world over? But besides saris did you know that ancient Kanchipuram, the city of thousand temples, is one of the seven most sacred pilgrim centers for the Hindus? In fact there are just about 126 temples remaining in Kanchi and a few more in its outskirts.

The city was the capital of the Early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC and a Pallava capital between the 6th and 8th centuries.Given its illustrious past, it is not surprising that Kanchi was a major seat of Tamil learning as well as an important place of pilgrimage for, Kanchi occupies pride of place amongst the pious Buddhists, Jains and Hindus. Today, apart from its temples, this small town is also known for its thriving handloom industry. The silk weavers of Kanchi settled more than 400 years ago have given it an enviable reputation as the producer of the best silk saris in the country. Woven from pure mulberry silk, the saris in dazzling colors are embellished with fine gold thread (zari) and are available in every imaginable design and variety, which can make the job of selection quite challenging.

Like most pilgrimage places in India, here too, temple festivals are held throughout the year and apart from the temple car (ratha) festivals which are held in January, April and May, there are other days when the idols in the temples are taken out in procession on their respective vahanas or vehicles.

Kailasanatha Temple
The oldest temple in Kanchi was built by Pallava king, Rayasimha towards the end of seventh century and its frontage was later built by his son, King Varman III. The remains of the eighth century murals hint at the magnificence of the original temple. There are 58 small shrines honoring Shiva, Parvati and their sons Ganesha and Murugan. In the inner sanctum of the temple is a prismatic lingam- the largest in Kanchi and the third largest in Asia. This Shiva Temple is perhaps the most beautiful temple of Kanchi reflecting the freshness and simplicity of Dravidian architecture.

Shri Ekambaranathar Temple
Spread over an area of 12 hectares this temple is dedicated to Shiva. Raja Krishnadevaraya of Vijaynagar constructed the 59 m high gopuram and the massive outer stone wall in 1509, though the Pallavas, with later Chola extensions originally started construction. The hall inside contains 1000 decorated pillars of which 540 are decorated. The temple actually derives its name from Eka Amra Nathar, meaning Lord of the mango tree. The branches of the old mango tree in the temple premises are believed to represent the four Vedas (sacred Indian scriptures). The inscription nearby states that the tree is 3500 years old.

Kamakshi Amman Temple
This magnificent temple is dedicated to goddess Parvati. The marriage hall to the right of the entrance has ornate pillars. To the front of the marriage hall is the main shrine that has been recent plated with gold. Images of deities are taken out for a procession through the streets during the car festival, held in February/ March. Celebrations are held in October/ November to celebrate the goddess' birthday.

Devarajswami Temple
Erected by the Vijaynagars, this enormous temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The sculptured pillared hall serving as a marriage hall commemorates the wedding of Vishnu and Lakshmi. One of the most notable features of the temple is the long chain carved out of a single stone.A 10 m high statue of Vishnu has been immersed in the large temple tank whose water is drained every 40 years so as to view the statue. This last took place in 1979, when 10 million people visited the temple.

Vaikunta Perumal Temple
The temple is dedicated to Vishnu. The lion pillars on the walkway inside the outer wall represent the first phase of the architectural evolution of the grand 1000 pillared halls. Carvings on the walls represent historical events of the temple with the eighth century script explaining them. The main temple shrine contains images of Vishnu as standing, sitting and reclining.