1. How old are the temples of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry?

The sites where the temples are situated and their religious importance are often much older than the actual structures that exist today. The oldest structures in existence that are intact are about 1400 years old and date back to the reign of the Pallava dynasty. Many temples have been rebuilt and renovated making the structures that we see today more recent. The Chola kings from the 9th century to the 12th rebuilt many temples in granite. Some temples have been added on to over the centuries making the dating more complex as the different parts belong to different eras.

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​​2. Which is the oldest intact structural temple in existence?

Structural temples as opposed to cave temples are the ones that are built using multiple stones that are hewn and fitted. The one of the earliest is the Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram. Other Pallava temples like the Kailasanathar at Kanchipuram and the Thaalagriswarar at Panamalai are also very ancient and belong to the same period.

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3. How many ancient temples are there in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry?

According to the HR and CE Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu there are 38,615 ancient temples on its roster. The numbers are often inaccurate because the definition of ancient temples is very arbitrary. It is estimated that there are around 33,000 temples that are older than 800 years. 

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4. Who built the temples?

Various dynasties that have ruled this region over the centuries have built the temples. The Pallava dynasty which ruled in the northwestern part of the Tamil country built several temples from the early 7th century to the 9th century when their rule ended. They were centred in Kanchipuram and Mamallapuram. During their early rule they built cave temples as well as rock-cut monolithic temples and structural temples evolved during their period. The Pandyan kings who ruled in the deep south also built similar temples in this period. There were temples belonging to the pre-Pallava period that have been venerated in the corpus of devotional literature called the Thevaram, the earliest of which are from the early 7th century. Those temples were likely built of brick. Almost none have survived intact. The Chola kings who succeeded the Pallavas and conquered the Pandyas and ruled the entire region for about 400 years built structural temples mainly in granite starting from about the early 10th century to the 13th century. They rebuilt many existing temples from previous eras. The Vijayanagar kings who ruled from their capital cities in the Deccan took control of the entire region by the end of the 14th century, built many temples and rebuilt many that were damaged and destroyed by the invasions of the Delhi Sultanate. The Nayakkan rulers who started off as viceroys of the Vijayanagara empire evolved into dynasties in their own right by the end of the 17th century after the decline and fall of Vijayanagar. The most powerful Nayakkan dynasty was the Madurai Nayakkar who ruled from Madurai. They built, rebuilt and added to many existing temples. Some of the most exquisite sculptures were created in this era. After the advent of British and French colonial rule in the 18th century onwards temple building very much ceased and many temples fell into decline. Some were rebuilt by local communities especially the mercantile Nattukkottai Chettiar. 

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5.Who owns the ancient temples of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry?

In Tamil Nadu almost all the temples are owned and administered by the state government of Tamil Nadu. A government department called the HR and CE (Hindu Religous and Charitable Endowments) Department owns all the active or revenue generating temples except for a very few. The Chidambaram Natarajar temple is a notable exception and is owned and controlled by a private body. A similar situation exists in Pondicherry also. Some of the inactive but historically and archeologically important temples are owned by the ASI (Archeological Survey of India) a British era institution which is under the control of the Indian Central Government. 

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6.What is a Paadal Petra Sthalam?

From the early 7th century to the 8th century, Tamil Saivite poet saints criss-crossed the Tamil lands in a bid to revive the Saivism which at that time was under pressure from the preeminence of other religions like Jainism and Buddhism. They visited ancient Sivan temples and composed Pathikams celebrating those sites. A pathikam is a set of ten verses and often venerate a certain temple site. Sometimes they renovated and cleaned up temples that were neglected. In the process they ignited a revival of the religion and contributed to a movement often referred to as the Bakthi Movement which spread to many parts of India. Thirugnasampanthar, Thirunavukkarasar and Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, often referred to as the Moovar were three important figures who composed the body of work that is referred to as the Thevaram. The Thevaram are the first seven of the 12 Panniru Thirumuraikal. The temples that have dedicated pathikams in the Thevaram are referred to as the Paadal Petra Sthalams. Originally there were 274 but with the addition another two that were found in inscriptions in those temples, the total stands at 276. The bulk of them are in Tamil Nadu and they are concentrated in the Kaveri Delta with others spread far and wide.

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7.What is a Divya Desam Temple?

Similar to the Saivite Nayanmar there were 12 Aalwar saint poets who belonged to the Vaisnavite stream during the same period. They were the face of the Bakthi Movement from the Vaisnavite tradition. Together they composed the body of work in Tamil referred to Naalayira Divya Prabantham consisting of 4000 verses in praise of Lord Vishnu. The temples celebrated in the Divya Prabantham are referred to as the Divya Desam Temples. There are 108 in total and most of them are in the Tamil country.

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