8 Places to Visit near Trichy within 100 kms (2024)

Srirangam, the beautiful river island, is one of the prominent places of pilgrimage in South India, and among the must include places in Tamil Nadu tour packages. About 13 km from Trichy, and 136 km from Madurai, it holds great cultural and religious significance in South India.

Nestled between the Kaveri River and Kollidam River, Srirangam is home to Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, the world's grandest operational Hindu shrine. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it is the foremost among the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu, and among the must-include places in Srirangam tour. Jambukeswarar temple, Uthamar Kovil, Uraiyur Vekkali Amman Temple, Samayapuram Mariamman Temple, Kumara Vayalur Temple, Gunaseelam Temple, Sri Vadivazhagiya Nambi Perumal Temple, and the Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Temple, etc. are some other tourist places in Srirangam.

The Chithirai car festival, Vasantotsavam, Jyeshtaabhishekam, Pavitrotsavam, Vaikunta Ekadashi, and Teppostavam are the popular festivals celebrated in Srirangam, Srirangam can be visited as part of Trichy packages as well.

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Thanjavur, also known as Tanjore, is one of the popular places of href='/tamilnadu/heritage' target='_blank'>heritage in Tamilnadu as it has a rich historical heritage and is a prism of ancient as well as the modern south Indian civilizations. It is situated about 170 km from Madurai, and 326 km from Chennai. Situated on the banks of River Cauvery, it is one of the top places to visit as part of Madurai tour packages.

The city was once the stronghold of the historic Cholas. Since then, Thanjavur has been one of the chief political, cultural and religious centers of South India. Thanjavur is famous for the Brihadeeswarar Temple built by Rajaraja Chola in the year 1010 AD. Also known as the Big Temple, Brihadeeswarar Temple is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and among the most important heritage sites in India. The temple is considered to be one of the best specimens of South Indian temple architecture and among the must-visit places as part of Thanjavur tour packages.

Apart from Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur and the surrounding areas have several important tourist attractions like Thanjavur Palace, Kumbakonam, Darasuram, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Thiruvaiyaru, Thirubuvanam, etc.

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At a distance of 12 km from Thanjavur and 35 km from Kumbakonam, Thirukandiyur is a temple town situated in Tamilnadu. The major attraction of Thirukandiyur is the Temple of Hara Sapavimochana Kandeswarar. The temple of Thirukandiyur is considered one of the 108 Divyadesams and is also known as Pancha Kamala Kshetram. As per history, the temple was built by Emperor Mahabali and is located between Kudamurutti and Vennar Rivers.

According to a legend, Brahma became very arrogant and feet superior to Shiva. Brahma once visited Kailas to meet Shiva. Parvathi, the wife of Shiva got confused and performed pooja to Brahma instead of Shiva. Lord Shiva plucked off one head of Brahma to avoid the confusion between the two. This resulted in Shiva incurring a Brahmahathya dosha. The skull of Brahma stuck to the hands of Shiva which he could not separate despite all efforts. All the food offered to him was consumed by the skull and it was never filled. Holding the skull, Lord Shiva came down to earth for Bikshatana with his skull bowl. It is believed that Lord Shiva prayed to Goddess Kamalavalli and Lord Vishnu at Thirukandiyur and attained salvation from Lord Kamala Nathan in this temple. Finally, the head fell down at this place and disappeared. At last with the help of Lord Vishnu, Shiva got salvation from the curse; hence this place is called Hara Sapavimochana Temple.

This temple is an excellent specimen of Dravidian style ...

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At a distance of 1 km from Samayapuram Bus Stand, 11 km from Srirangam, 19 km from Trichy, 66 km from Thanjavur & 317 km from Chennai, Sri Mariamman Temple situated at Samayapuram on NH-45 is one of the popular temples in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Sri Mariyamman Temple is dedicated to Samayapurathal or Mariamman, an incarnation of Goddess Shakti. The main deity in the sanctum is made of sand and clay and hence there are no abhishekams conducted to the main deity, but instead the abishekam is done to the small stone statue in front of it.

According to legend, the present deity was at the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam, and one of chief priests of the temple believed that the idol caused him illness and hence asked it to be removed from the temple. It is a common belief that such local deities have immense powers and they must always be satisfied by proper offerings and sacrifices.

According to history, King Vijayaraya Chakaravarthi built the present day temple in 17th century. The Goddess Mariamman has enormous powers over curing illnesses and hence, it is a ritual to buy small metallic replicas made with silver or steel of various body parts that need to be cured, and these are deposited in the donation box. Devotees also offer mavilakku, a sweet dish made of jaggery, rice flour and ghee. Persons affected by Chickenpox and Smallpox come to this place, stay here and pray the Goddess for speedy recovery. Abisheka Theertham is sprinkled on them after Pooja.

Car ...

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At a distance of 9 km from Kumbakonam and 37 km from Thanjavur, Swamimalai, situated on the banks of river Cauvery, is known for Sri Swaminatha Swami Temple dedicated to Lord Murugan. Swamimalai is famous for being one of the six Padai Veedugal (Battle Camps) of Lord Murugan, the others being Thiruparamkundram, Thiruchendur, Palani, Thiruthani and Pazhamudhircholai.

The temple of Swaminatha is very ancient one and believed to be existed before 2nd century BC. It is said that Parantaka Chola I upgraded this temple. The temple was greatly damaged during the Anglo-French war between Hyder Ali and British in 1740.
The presiding deity Lord Murugan is depicted here as expounding the meaning of Pranava mantra 'Aum' to his father Lord Shiva. According to legend, Brahma disrespected Murugan at the time of visiting Mount Kailash. The child Muruga got angry with Brahma and asked him how he was creating living beings. Brahma said that he was creating with the help of the Vedas. On hearing the reply, Muruga asked Brahma to recite the texts from Vedas. At that time Muruga stopped Brahma and asked him to explain the meaning of the Pranava Mantra. Brahma could not reply and hence Muruga got him imprisoned and took up the role of the creator. Devas requested Shiva to negotiate with Muruga to release Brahma.

Shiva came to Muruga and asked him to release Brahma from imprisonment. Muruga refused to release him stating Brahma was ...

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At a distance of 500 m from Thirubhuvanam Bus Station, 9 km from Kumbakonam and 50 km from Thanjavur, Thirubhuvanam is well known for Kampahareswarar Temple, also known as Sarabeswarar temple. It is an ancient temple situated in Thirubhuvanam on Mayiladuthurai - Kumbakonam road.

The Kampaheswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva; the temple enshrines Kampaheswarar as the presiding deity, worshipped in the form of a Shiva Linga. According to legend, Shiva is believed to have relieved Kampa (quaking) of a king haunted by evil spirits on account of the king killing a Brahmin by mistake. This led to the name of Kampaheswarar.

The temple was built by Kulottunga Chola III (1178-1216), to celebrate a military victory. However, Pandyan kings have completed the construction of this temple. The architecture of the temple resembles Brihadeshwarar Temple of Thanjavur, Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram and Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple. It is believed that the temple was the last holy place to have been built by the Chola Kings.

The temple follows the Dravidian style of architecture. Similar to Brihadeswarar Temple, the vimana of the temple is extremely high compared to the Rajagopura. The 130 ft high tower (gopuram) of the sanctum sanctorum boasts several exquisitely carved sculptures. There are two gopuras and two enclosures, inner sanctum, artha mandapa, maha mandapa and mukha mandapa. The inner sanctum is a square-shaped structure. The Vimana has six ...

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At a distance of 36 km from Kumbakonam, 45 km from Thanjavur and 96 km from Trichy, Sri Rajagopalaswamy Temple is a Vaishnavite shrine located in the town of Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu.

Sri Rajagopalaswamy Temple is dedicated to Rajagopalaswamy, an incarnation of Lord Krishna. The temple was first constructed by Kulothunga Chola I. Successive kings of the Chola Empire, Rajaraja Chola III, Rajendra Chola III and kings of Thanjavur Nayaks, Achyuta Devaraya expanded the temple. The temple contains inscriptions of the Hoysala kings and some Vijayanagara grants and many records of the later Nayaks and Marathas. The Thanjavur Nayaks made the temple as their dynastic and primary shrine and made significant additions.

The temple is spread over an area of 23 acres and is one of the important Vaishnavite shrines in India. The temple is called Dakshina Dwarka along with Guruvayoor by Hindus. The sanctum of the temple enshrines a 7 feet high image of Vaasudeva with his consorts Sri Devi and Bhoodevi. The Utsava murthi idol is of exquisite beauty and is adorned with precious jewellery and colourful flowers. Along with him are his consorts Rukmani and Satyabhama.

The temple also has 24 shrines, 7 mandapams, 9 theerthams, 16 gopurams and 7 prakarams that were constructed by Kulothunga Chola I. The temple complex has intricate carvings and depicts the architecture grandeur of Cholas and Thanjavur Nayaks. The present shrine along with a 1000-pillard hall and the big compound wall ...

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At a distance of 17 km from Srirangam, and 20 km from Trichy, Kallanai Dam, also known as the Grand Anicut, is an ancient dam situated in Srirangam. It is one of the prominent Srirangam tourist places.

The Kallanai Dam, constructed by Karikala of the Chola dynasty in 150 CE, built across the flowing Kaveri River. During the 19th century, the British remodeled this dam. It holds the distinction of being the fourth oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structure globally and the oldest one in India that is still functional. Its primary purpose was to divert water from the Kaveri to the fertile delta region for irrigation through canals, as well as to the northern delta branch known as Kollidam/Coleroon.

Made of unhewn stone, the Kallanai Dam measures 329 meters in length, 20 meters in width, and 5.4 meters in height. Remarkably, the dam remains in excellent condition and served as a model for later engineers, including Sir Arthur Cotton's 19th-century dam on the Kollidam, a major tributary of the Kaveri. The ancient irrigation network irrigated approximately one million acres of land.

Visitors to the Kallanai Dam can enjoy a picturesque view of calm waters and lush vegetation. Adjacent to the dam, there is a small park that locals often visit for picnics. Additionally, a section of the river is accessible to visitors, allowing them to enter the River Kaveri and swim alongside ...

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