There are numerous temples in Tamil Nadu and all of them are easily accessible either by buses or by taxis. Some of them are given here:
Tiruvotriyur temple of Tamil Nadu:
This is a very ancient temple, which is about 10 km on the Northern Trunk Road. It was built during the Chola period. It was rebuilt by Rajendra Chola I. It is said that Pattinathar of the Siddhars attained salvation here and his Samadhi too could be seen here. Here, the presiding deity is Thyagarajaswami. During Chola period, it was a Vedic centre and the temple architecture is superb.
Thiruvanmiyur Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This old temple is situated in Thiruvanmiyur on the road to Mamallapuram. It was built in the 11th century by the Cholas. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Marundeeswarar. It is said that the author of Ramayana, Valmiki worshipped here.
The name is due to his association. "Valmikiyur" in due course became "Vanmikiyur" and finally "Vanmiyur", There is also a shrine dedicated to Valmiki. Pamban Swamigal samadhi is also found near this shrine.
Thirupporur Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga and is situated about 40 km south of Chennai. Several inscriptions can be found in this temple. `Soora Samharam`, the defeat and salvation to the demon Soorapadman is an important festival of this temple.
Pallavaram cave Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This temple has very special historical importance. Several prehistoric tools can be seen here. It is situated in Pallavapuram. Mahendra Varma Pallavan has built this rock-cut cave temple on the slopes of the Pallavaram hill which is now a Muslim durgah. It is about 15 km from Egmore. One can reach there by suburban electric trains from Beach railway station or by buses.
Thirisoolam Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This Chola Temple contains many 11th to 12th century inscriptions. The presiding deity here is Lord Siva and the `Sivaratri` festival is very famous here.
Thiruneermalai Temple of Tamil Nadu:
The shrine of this temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu whose deity is called `Nirvannapperumal`.
It is said that from this the name `Thiruneermalai` is derived. The temple contains several beautiful bronze images. This is a Pallava period temple and the main temple is situated at the foot of the hill.
Kunrathur Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This temple is situated near the Thiruneermalai. The shrine here is very ancient and Arunagirinathar is said to have sung about it. There is a round rock here which produces musical notes when one strikes it with a stone.
Mangadu Bangaru Kamakshi Amman Koil:
This ancient temple of Pallava times is situated near Porur. Mangadu has golden idol of Kamakshi doing penance. People visit this temple on Fridays and holidays.
Thiruverkadu Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This Mariamman temple is situated just 5 km away from city limits. It is a famous temple that attracts thousands of devotees on holidays especially on the 1st of January.
Koyambedu Perumal Koil Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This ancient temple is situated at Koyambedu in the main vegetable market of the city. It is dedicated to Vishnu. There lies an underground mandapam with a secret underground passage.
Singaperumal Koil Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This temple contains a Vishnu shrine and is situated about 48 km on the Grand Southern Trunk Road. There is an image of Yoga Narasimha, one of the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu in this shrine. The image is carved out on the face of the rock. The sanctum sanctorum shelters the god in the act of doing penance.
Thirukkalukkundram Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This temple is situated on a 500 ft. hill midway between Mamallapuram and Chengalput. Buses are available from Chennai. It is said that two eagles visit every day to have a morsel of food at noon time. The Pandaram always comes with an umbrella and a potful of food and waits for the eagles. After pecking a morsel they disappear as they arrive. Therefore, this hill is called the Sacred Hill of the eagles (Thirukkalukkundram). The other name of this place is Pakshi (bird) Theertham.
Thennangore Radhakrishna Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This temple is not very old and was built like the Puri Jagannath temple and the idols are exact replicas of Panduranga of Pandaripur in North India. Haridoss Giri Swamiji, the disciple of Gnanananda Giri Swamiji, built this temple. Beautiful sculptures depicting scenes from the life of Lord Krishna can be seen here. The idol of Panduranga can be seen in the sanctum and there is a Bhajan Hall, the pillars of which are nothing but statues of saints of the Bakthi cult.
The Shore Temple of Tamil Nadu:
This temple of Tamil Nadu is surrounded by the rolling sea and is situated on the edge of the Bay of Bengal. It contains a Dravidian style vimana of over 60 feet height, built in basaltic rock. There is a prismatic lingam in the temple facing the sea and Vishnu is seen lying down on the ground (Stala sayana) in his chamber in the rear.
Pandava Raths or Monolithic Shrines of Tamil Nadu:
Here, among the five shrines, four are carved, out of a single rock, while the fifth is scooped from a small rock. The hut-like Draupadi Rath acts like door-keepers, Durga with a worshipper cutting and offering his neck, and the outer walls of Arjuna`s rath have most lovely and graceful figures of gods and mortals. The rath of Nakula-Sahadeva stands with a huge monolithic elephant in front. Bhima`s rath has two storeys and lion-based pillars. Dharmaraja`s rath is the biggest and has 8 panels of fine sculptures.
The Mahishasuramardhini cave temple of Tamil Nadu:
This is carved into three shrines, a deep relief of Somaskanda in the rear, Vishnu canopied by Shesha, reclining on the serpent bed. Mahishasuramardhini is struck in bold relief in such a grand way with the thrill of the beholder in the battlefield.
Krishna Mandapam temple of Tamil Nadu:
It is a rock-cut temple with rural scenes depicting the life of Lord Krishna.
Thiruvidandai temple of Tamil Nadu:
This is a few kilometres north of Mamallapuram and ocntains a Vaishnavaite shrine built by early Cholas. A huge stucco image of Varaha holding Bhoodevi (Earth) can be seen in this temple.