Kanchipuram
One of the Pancha Bhuta Stalas representing the element earth, Ekambareswarar Temple is Kanchipuram's largest temple — a 20-acre complex with a 58-metre main gopuram that is visible from kilometres away. The temple is built around a sacred mango tree said to be 3,500 years old, and the inner sanctum houses a Shivalingam beneath the oldest tree in the country. The sheer scale of the complex, with its 1,000-pillared hall and enormous tanks, is overwhelming.
Non-Hindus may not be permitted in the innermost sanctum. The 1,000-pillared hall is architecturally magnificent — spend time walking through it before heading to the main shrine.