Temples in Tirukkalikundra
Madurantakam
There is a beautiful important Sita-Rama temple here, wherein Sita and Rama are holding hands. It is said that while Rama was in the forest for 14 yeas he came to this place. As he was leaving, the sag Vibhandaka requested him to visit this place on His way back to Ayodhya. When Sri Rama, Laksmana and Sita were returning to Ayodhya, after Rama killed Ravana, the Pushpaka Vimana (flower airplane) that was carrying them would not move when it reached this place. Sri Rama held Sita's hand to help her get down the steps of the Pushpaka Vimana. The Deity of Rama in this temple is called Erikatha Raman. There is also a Deity of Sri Karunakaramurthi in this temple.
Sri Ramanuja
met one of his gurus, Maha Purna (Peria Nambi), in Madurantakam and was initiated under the Bakula tree in the Rama temple. In the temple there are a cakra and a conch that are said to have been used at the initiation ceremony of Ramanuja. The panchasamskara molds are in the shrine for Peria Nambi and Ramanuja, which is north of the flagstaff in the temple.
Madurantakam is 90 km south of Madras between Chingleput and Villupuram. Trains heading south from Madras stop here. There are regular buses from Madras and Chingleput.
Sholingur
There is a Divy Desam temple on a hill here called Sri Yoga Narasimha Swami Temple. You have to walk up about 1000 steps to reach this temple. The goddess of the temple is Amritavalli Thayar. There is another temple on a hill about 200 feet high nearby, where Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman) presides.
It is said that a person who is mentally deranged can be cured by first taking bath here in Hanumath-tirtha, then climbing the small hill and entering the Anjaneya (Hanuman) Temple and Yoga Narasimha Temple. Many other types of diseases are also said to be cured here.
Sholingur, which is also known as Ghatikachalam is on the Madras Bangalore Road. It is 27 west of Arkonam (Arakkonam). There is a passenger train that stops here. The temple is 9 km from the stations. There are buses to and from Madras.
Tiruninravur (Tiruninravoor)
There is a Divya Desam temple here called the Sri Bhaktavastsala Perumal Temple. The Deity is also called Pattharavi Perumal, which means that he is the very life of his devotees. The goddess is called Ennai Petra Thayar.
Tiruninravur is about 30 km from Madras, between Madras and Arkonam.
Tiruvannamalai
There are over 100 temples in this town. The most famous temple is the Arunachaleswara Temple, dedicated to Lord Siva and Parvati.
Arunachaleswara Temple
It has a 60m or 13 story, high sculptured gopuram. It is a t the foot of Arunachala Hill and is one of the largest temples in all of India. The Vijayanager ruler Krishnadeva Raya built the temple, but the inner part of the temple dates back to the 11th century. In this temple is one the five element lingas, god incarnates as Fire. This temple has a thousand pillared hall. There are also temples dedicated to Subrahmanya and Parvati on the temple premises. Thousands of visitors come during the Kartika Deepam celebration, in November/December, during which a huge bonfire is lit on top of the hill. The fire can be seen for miles and burns for many days.
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