Talagirisvara Temple, Panamalai

An ancient Shiva temple counted among the 276 Paadal Petra Sthalams sung in the Tevaram hymns, with the deity worshipped as a Swayambhu (self-manifested) lingam. It is traditionally associated with construction under the Chola king Kulothunga I. The temple lies about a kilometre from the Vikravandi junction on the Panruti route.

An irrigation dam and reservoir on the Malattar river feeding farmland across the district. The reservoir and its surroundings are a local picnic and scenic spot, especially when water is released during the monsoon.

A national geo-heritage site preserving 20-million-year-old petrified and fossilised tree trunks scattered across a protected scrubland area.

A Chola-era Shiva temple traditionally attributed to the queen Sembiyan Mahadevi, with the deity Chandramouleeswarar and consort Tenambikai. It is noted for fine stone sculpture and a large chariot-like mandapa with big Nandi and Ganesha carvings. It sits close to the well-known National Fossil Wood Park at the same village.

A Vishnu temple famous for detailed Tamil inscriptions from the reign of Rajendra Chola I documenting a large residential Vedic college and hostel run in its precincts. The inscriptions record instruction in the Vedas, grammar, logic and Vedanta and provision to feed hundreds of scholars. It is a key record of Chola-era higher education.

A hilltop Murugan shrine near Tindivanam reached by a flight of steps, popular with pilgrims for its monumental gopuram tower.

A 7th-century Pallava rock-cut cave temple bearing an inscription of Mahendravarman I describing himself as 'Vichitrachitta', regarded as one of the earliest rock-cut temples in Tamil Nadu.

One of the earliest Pallava rock-cut cave temples, excavated by King Mahendravarman I in the early 7th century, pre-dating the monuments of Mamallapuram. A Sanskrit foundation inscription records that it was made without brick, timber, metal, mortar or stucco. It is a protected Archaeological Survey of India monument, with Jain rock beds cut into the hill above the Shiva cave.

An ancient Shiva temple near Villupuram town, one of the region's Paadal Petra Sthalams associated with Tamil Saivite hymns.

A Shakti temple famous for the night-long Mayana Kollai festival held after Maha Shivaratri, drawing large crowds for its dramatic cremation-ground ritual re-enactment.

A Buddhist vihara in the Vanur area of the district near Auroville, listed among the district's tourist places by the district administration. It serves as a modern Buddhist worship and meditation centre in the region.

A Jain temple dedicated to the Tirthankara Parsvanatha in the Tindivanam belt, part of the district's surviving Digambara Jain sites. It preserves the Jain devotional tradition that was historically strong across the Gingee-Tindivanam region.