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| Tamil
Nadu |
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 Tamil
Nadu is a place known for its artistic, traditional and cultural heritage,
which it has preserved for centuries. It has been an excellent centre for
literature, music, dance and architecture.
Tamil Nadu has some of the best tourist destinations in the Indian subcontinent
with an exquisite range of sightseeing opportunities beaches, wildlife sanctuaries,
hill stations, historical monuments and natural vistas. Its beaches, with
their golden sands and coconut trees, are a sight to behold. Marina beach
in Chennai is one of the longest beaches in the world and a favourite sea-side
retreat.
Tamil Nadu is a virtual haven of south Indian temples with amazing architecture
and intricate carvings. It has many important pilgrimage centres, the more
famous being Meenakshi temple of Madurai and Kamakshi temple of Kanchipuram. |
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| GETTING HERE |
The capital city of Tamil Nadu is Chennai, which has a well connected international
airport. Chennai is also linked to major Indian cities by rail and road.
Important cities in Tamil Nadu are linked with Chennai by road and rail.
Mahabalipuram: It is linked by road to cities like Chennai
(60 kms) and Kanchipuram.
Kanchipuram: Nearest airport and railhead are in Chennai (75 kms), from
where one has to travel by road.
Kanyakumari: It is well linked to major cities like Kochi,
Kozhikode, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata by rail. One can fly to
Chennai and go to Kanyakumari by road too.
Madurai: Madurai is served by several domestic airlines.
One can also travel to Madurai by rail or road.
Rameshwaram: Nearest airport is in Madurai (174 kms), from where one can
travel to Rameshwaram by rail or road.
Thanjavur: Nearest airport is Tiruchirapally. There are
daily trains from Chennai to Thanjavur. Buses also ply daily from Chennai,
Madurai and Tiruchy.
Kodaikanal: Closest airport is Madurai (120 kms), from
where one can travel by road. Passenger trains pass through Kodaikanalroad
Station (80 kms), from where one can take a bus or taxi to Kodaikanal.
Ooty: Coimbatore airport is closest and is three and
half hours by road. By rail one can travel from Chennai to Mettupalayam
and then board a narrow gauge train to Ooty. One can also take a taxi
or a bus from Mettupalayam. |
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| WHAT TO SEE |
Chennai
Marina Beach (second longest beach in Asia), St. George Fort, Parthasarthy
Temple, Snake Park, Guindy National Park, Kapaleeswar Temple, Santhome Cathedral,
Birla Planetarium, Elliot Beach, Valluvar Kottam (memorial to poet-saint
Thiruvalluvar), National Art & Government Museum, Anna Zoological Park,
Kalakshetra and Theosophical Society.
Places of interest around Chennai are Mahabalipuram (61 kms), Crocodile
Bank (41 kms), Covelong Beach (6 kms), Muttukadu, Thirukkalukundram and
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary.
Mahabalipuram
It is very famous for its beautiful Shore Temple, which is a fine example
of Dravidian style of temples. Other attractions are Mahabalipuram Beach,
Arjuna's Penance (largest bas-relief sculpture in the world), Panch Pandava
Rathas (monolithic temples), Mahishamardini Cave, Varaha Cave (4 kms)
and the Sculpture Museum.
Kanchipuram
Spots worth the visit here are Sakkiswarar Temple, Vaikuntha Perumal Temple,
Kailasanatha Temple, Ekambareswarar Temple, Kamakshi Amman Temple (one
of the three prominent holy shrines of Goddess Shakti in India, other
two being located in Madurai and Varanasi), and Vedanthangal and Karikili
Bird Sanctuaries.
Kanyakumari
This scenic place forms the southernmost tip of peninsular India and is
the confluence point for the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.
Its major attractions are Kanyakumari Beach (with its multicoloured sands),
Kanyakumari Temple, Gandhi Mandapam, Vivekananda Memorial (about 500 metres
offshore, reached by ferry boat), Suchindram Temple (13 kms from Kanyakumari)
and Padmanabhapuram Palace.
Madurai
Meenakshi Temple, Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam (ancient temple tank),
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal, Koodal Azhagar Temple, The Gandhi Museum, Annamalai
and Nagamalai (ancient rock formations), Manalur (ancient excavations)
and Palani.
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Rameshwaram
This is an island spread over 61.8 square kilometres in the shape of a
conch. It is a famous Hindu pilgrimage. Important attractions include
Ramanathaswamy Temple, Kothandaraswamy Temple and Dhanushkodi (12 kms
from town), Adam's Bridge (chain of reefs and islets that almost connect
Sri Lanka with India), Dhanushkodi Beach and Gandhamadan Parvatam.
Thanjavur
Sri Bragadeeswar Temple, The Palace, Art Gallery, Saraswathi Mahal Library
(treasuring ancient palm leaves), Hall of Music, Royal Museum, Schwartz
Church, Sivaganga Tank, Rajagopala Beerangi, Sharja Madi, Rajarajan Mani
Mandapam, Rajarajan Museum, Tholkappiyar Sadukkam, Mariamman Temple, Nageswaran
Temple, Airavatheeswar Temple, Orattanad and Manora.
Kodaikanal
Situated among the Palani Hills this picturesque town is a wonderful summer
retreat. Important sightseeing spots are Kodai Lake, Flora and Fauna Museum,
Astrophysical Observatory, Bryant Botanical Park, Kurinji Andavar Temple,
Bear Shola Falls, Silver Cascade, Fairy Falls, Glen Falls, Coaker's Walk
and Pillar Rocks.
Ooty
This hill station in the Nilgiris has wonderful tourist attractions like
Mini Garden, Children's amusement park, Art Gallery, Rose Garden with
a collection of over 1000 varieties of roses. Important places around
Ooty are Kotagiri (31 kms), Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and Mukkurthi
National Park.
Nagercoil
Nagaraja Temple, Suchindrum (Thanumalayan Temple), St. Xavier Church,
Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kumarakovil, Thengapattinam Beach (35 kms from
Nagercoil), Olakkay Aruvi Waterfalls (14 kms) and Point Calimere Wildlife
Sanctuary. |
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