Adi Parashakthi Temple, Melmaruvathur

Adi Parashakthi Temple, Melmaruvathur in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, is one of the most rapidly growing pilgrimage sites in South India, founded in 1966 by Bangaru Adigalar, who claimed the goddess Adi Parashakthi (the primordial mother Shakti) revealed herself to him. The complex spans 400 acres and features an 8-storey rajagopuram in Dravidian granite.

The main goddess is a self-manifest red stone deity said to radiate divine energy. Uniquely, the temple is open to all faiths — the complex includes shrines to Shiva, Murugan, and a Mosque and Church within the same campus, symbolising the universal mother. Devotees wear red and enter in a state of trance (arulvakku) during festivals. The Chithirai festival draws over 10 lakh pilgrims annually and is one of the largest religious gatherings in Tamil Nadu.