Kripapureeswarar Temple, Thiruvennainallur

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.

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 early Pallava-period structural Shiva temple, among the earliest stone temples of the dynasty, notable for its sculptural work predating the more famous Kanchipuram temples.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

A large Vijayanagara-period temple in Gingee town popularly called the 1000-pillar temple, known for its elaborately carved mandapas.