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Tamil Nadu Temple Trail: Route Guide

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The painted gopuram of Madurai's Meenakshi temple
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Shore temples, French boulevards, Chola bronzes and gopurams painted like rainbows, south India's temple country in one southern sweep.

Tamil Nadu Temple Trail is a 460 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 6–8 days; the plan below is the 7-day version for January, built from 357 verified places, with real road-routed transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

6–8
days
460km
distance
5
Stops
357
curated stops

Plan your own version → 6-day plan · 7-day plan · 8-day plan · best time to go

The route

Chennai→ 60 kmMahabalipuram→ 100 kmPuducherry→ 170 kmThanjavur→ 130 kmMadurai

What you'll see

Kapaleeshwarar Temple
Witness intricate details on an ancient temple's towering gopuram.
Chennai
Shore Temple
Contemplate the weathered Shiva lingam in a holy hall.
Mahabalipuram
Manakula Vinayagar Temple
Feel the festive atmosphere near the beach at this beloved Ganesha shrine.
Puducherry
Brihadisvara Temple
Marvel at the towering grandeur of this Chola-era temple.
Thanjavur
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Admire the intricate architecture and sacred ambiance of the historic Meenakshi Amman Temple by the Vaigai River.
Madurai
Marundeeswarar Temple
Explore an 11th-century Shiva temple visited by Saint Valmiki.
Chennai
Draupadi Ratha
Behold this stunning monolithic rock-cut monument from the Pancha Rathas.
Mahabalipuram
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Marvel at rare stained glass in this Gothic Revival church.
Puducherry

Choose your length

6-day plan37 stops · 13.9 h transit6.2 stops/day · 2.3 h transit/daySee the full plan →7-day plan44 stops · 16.1 h transit6.3 stops/day · 2.3 h transit/daySee the full plan →8-day plan51 stops · 16.6 h transit6.4 stops/day · 2.1 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: November, December, January, February

The cool season — and December's Carnatic music festival fills Chennai's sabhas.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →