On the right just south of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple's fifth gopuram is the small but interesting Art Museum. On display you'll find good bronzes, tusks of bygone temple elephants, weaponry and a collection of superb 17th-century Nayak ivory figurines depicting gods, demons, kings and queens (some erotically engaged), and even a Portuguese soldier.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

0.13 MILES

So large it feels like a self-enclosed city, Sri Ranganathaswamy is quite possibly India's biggest temple. It has 49 separate Vishnu shrines, and reaching…

2. Rajagopuram

0.13 MILES

The first, southernmost and highest of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple's gopurams, the Rajagopuram, was added to the 20 older ones in 1987. At 73m high, it's…

3. Sri Jambukeshwara Temple

1.03 MILES

Of Tamil Nadu's five Shiva elemental temples, Sri Jambukeshwara is dedicated to Shiva, Parvati and the medium of water. The liquid theme is realised in…

4. Rock Fort Temple

2.22 MILES

The Rock Fort Temple, perched 83m high on a massive outcrop, lords over Trichy with stony arrogance. The ancient rock was first hewn by the Pallavas and…

5. St Joseph's College Museum

2.22 MILES

In the cool, green campus next to Lourdes Church, this dusty museum contains the creepy natural history collections of the Jesuit priests’ Western Ghats…

6. Lourdes Church

2.28 MILES

The hush of this 19th-century neo-Gothic church makes an interesting contrast to Trichy’s frenetic Hindu temples. Note the cakelike pink-accented arches…

7. Railway Museum

4.33 MILES

Trichy's Railway Museum is a fascinating jumble of disused train-related equipment (phones, clocks, control boards), British-era railway construction…

8. St John’s Church

4.5 MILES

Adorned with original-period shuttered doors, elegant – and very white – St John's Church dates from the early 19th century.

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