Angalamman Temple, Kalavai

The eastern shrine in Thiruparkadal’s paired sacred complex. Local tradition tells how Pundarika Maharishi, seeking Vishnu, encountered Shiva and received a vision of Venkatesa standing over the lingam—an image worshippers read as Shaiva–Vaishnava unity.

The neighbouring shrine is dedicated to reclining Vishnu and is also known as Atti Ranganatha. Tradition associates its unusual image with sacred athi wood. Treat the two temples as one compact visit while checking each shrine’s worship hours separately.

A Vaishnavite temple at Kaveripakkam dating to the 8th century CE and built during the Pallava dynasty. Dedicated to Vishnu as Abhaya Varadaraja Perumal, it is among the historic shrines linked to the ancient Pallava settlement around Kaveripakkam lake.

A Shiva temple at Thirumalaicheri that preserves early sculptures including Saptamatrikas, Jyeshta Devi and Mahishasuramardini. It forms part of the Pallava-era heritage circuit around Kaveripakkam.

A historic town on the Palar that served as the capital of the Nawabs of the Carnatic and forms a tri-city with Walajapet and Ranipet. Its heritage includes the Jama Masjid, the tomb of Saadatullah Khan I, the Delhi Gate and the famous 1751 siege by Robert Clive.

The surviving gateway of the 18th-century fort built by Mughal governor Daud Khan Panni, capital of the Nawabs of the Carnatic. Robert Clive's 50-day defence of Arcot in 1751 was a landmark in British expansion in India, and the fort was later razed by Tipu Sultan in 1783.

A Jain rock-cut cave complex on a hillock near Vilapakkam, one of the largest excavations in the Pallava Mahendra style, with sculpted pillars, a Yakshini goddess image and early-medieval Jain inscriptions. The area was a flourishing Jain centre from about the 9th to 11th centuries and is protected as an ancient monument.

A distinctive temple near Walajapet that uniquely combines Hanuman (Anjaneya) worship with the Navagraha (nine planetary) deities. Its unusual pairing of Hanuman with the Navagrahas makes it a locally notable shrine.

A roughly 300-year-old Shiva temple in Walajapet built in the Dravidian style, dedicated to Kasiviswanathar with the goddess Kasivisalakshi. Maintained by the Tamil Nadu HR&CE department, it is a notable heritage temple of the Walajah area.

A large irrigation tank at Kaveripakkam excavated in the 8th century during the reign of Pallava king Nandivarman III. Fed by the Palar river, it holds about 1,474 million cubic feet of water with an 8.35 km bank and ten sluice gates, its overflow feeding the Kosasthalaiyar river. It is among the oldest and largest man-made lakes in the region.

A set of 8th-century Pallava-period sculptures of the Sapta Matrikas (seven mother goddesses) at Perumganchi near Walajah. Protected by the Tamil Nadu state archaeology department, the panel is regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of Pallava sculptural art in the district.

A historic mosque in Arcot located opposite the ruins of the Nawabs' palace. It is one of the surviving Islamic monuments from Arcot's Nawabi era of the 18th century.