Temple Land: The state is also well renowned for its temple towns.
The state has many temples dedicated to Lord Muruga and some
of these are in rarefied environs. The journey to the Aruppadai
Veedu or the Six Houses of Lord Muruga may be arduous but it
has its own rewards. The six abodes of Lord Muruga are located
in Thiruthani, Swamimalai, Thiruchendur, Pazhamudhir Cholai,
Tirupparankundram and Palani. Palani, located 120 km from
Madurai is one of the most hallowed shrines of Lord Murugan.
Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple (twin temples) is one
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of the biggest temples in India. The original temple built by
Kulasekara Pandyan was in ruins. The plan for the current temple
structure was laid by Viswanath Naikar and was completed by
Tirumalai Nayakar. There are 12 massive gopurams in the temple,
the four tallest gopurams at the outer walls. The districts of
Thanjavur, Kumbhakonam and Nagappattinam boast of hundreds
of ancient temples. The town of Thanjavur was the seat of the
glorious Chola Empire of Tamilnadu, and was later on the seat of
the Nayaks and the Marathas.