A land of shrines dedicated to Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakti cults of Hinduism, Tamil Nadu is a land of culture and religion. The shrines range from the rock temples with huge Gopurams to the cave temples, shore temples and open-air bas-reliefs to the ones built in the Dravisian style of architecture, with wide Prakarams, ornamented with elegant sculptures and wall and ceiling paintings. Srirangam, the abode of Lord Ranganatha is situated in the enchanting island of the hallowed South Indian River Cauvery, near Trichy. The temple of Ranganatha here is the largest and one of the most sacred temples in India. One of the most ancient shrines of India at Chidambaram has great historic as well as religious and cultural significance.

It is dedicated to Lord Nataraja or Shiva in the pose of Cosmic Dance of Bliss. It is one of the few temples where Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are enshrined under one roof. The Dargah of Meeran Sahib Abdul Qadir Shahul Hamid Badshah at Nagore with beautiful domed arches and slender minarets is one of the popular pilgrimage centers for Muslims in Tamil Nadu. The artistic excellence of Cholas' 11th century Brihadeeswara Temple manifests itself in the fact that the 'Vimana' here never casts a shadow at noon at any part of the year. Besides the above, there are Nanguneri, Palani, Tiruttani and Velangani as some of the other important pilgrim centres of Tamil Nadu. The most popular of the centers are discussed below: