Five Elements · Five Shiva Temples
Pancha Bhoota Sthalam
Five Shiva temples representing earth, water, fire, air, and space.
About this Circuit
The Pancha Bhoota Sthalams are five ancient Shiva temples in South India — four in Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh — each consecrated to one of the five classical elements (Pancha Bhoota). Shiva is worshipped here in the form of the corresponding element: earth at Kanchipuram, water at Thiruvanaikaval, fire at Tiruvannamalai, air at Srikalahasti, and the infinite space at Chidambaram. These are among the oldest and most revered temples in the Deccan, with histories spanning over 2,000 years.
Pilgrim Tip
Four of the five shrines are in Tamil Nadu and can be combined into a 4–5 day loop from Chennai. Srikalahasti (Andhra Pradesh) extends the circuit by one additional day. Visiting all five in order from Earth to Space is the traditional sequence.
