Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi

Sri Vidhya Rajagopalaswamy Temple in Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Rajagopalaswamy, a form of Krishna, with Lakshmi venerated as Sengamala Thayar. Devotees also call it Dakshina Dwaraka, the Dwaraka of the south, and it is counted first among the 108 Abhimana Kshetrams of the Vaishnava tradition. Chola kings built the early temple, and the Thanjavur Nayaks enlarged it in the 16th century. The history of the town is closely tied to it.

A granite wall, praised in Tamil as 'Mannargudi Mathil Alagu' (the beauty of Mannargudi's walls), encloses 16 gopurams, seven prakarams, 24 shrines, seven mandapams and a thousand-pillared hall. The main rajagopuram rises 47 m. The festival image shows Krishna seated with Rukmini and Satyabhama on either side. Outside the complex lies Haridra Nadhi, a tank 353 m long and counted among the largest temple tanks in India. The chariot festival in Panguni (March–April) is the main event of the year.