Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India, has some of the overwhelming places to visit. From mingle of three oceans, to the Western Ghats to Nilgiri hills, all can be seen in one state. Tamil has a unique culture, flora, fauna, architecture, and geographical scenario, anything you can name of. In terms of cuisine too, Tamil Nadu offers variety of dishes that are mainly made of coconut, rice and of course the chili. It has long coast line and this gives or you can say supports the sea tourism industry. Still most of the parts of this state are isolated and you can easily find yourself back to the ancient times. Its capital, Chennai is itself a fantastic city to go for and among the four major metropolitan cities of India. Some of the famous festivals of Tamil Nadu are: International Yoga Festival, Chennai Sangamam, Pongal, International Music festival, Teppam, Natyanjali Dance Festival, Chithrai Festival, Summer festivals, Bastille Day, Karthikai Deepam Festival, Chennai Festival of Music & Dance, Mamallapuram Dance Festival. So let’s see more about the places that are visited by the people in the hefty amount.
Best Tourist Places to Visit in Tamil Nadu
Chennai
Capital city of Tamil Nadu has lot to offer. First of all it has longest beach in India and have different categories as per the entry fees. The most common is the marina beach and it is around 3 to 4 Km in length. Chennai is crowded city, but if visited in right season can give you good and comfortable environment to explore this city. There are couples of ancient monuments that are still standing and were constructed at the British era. Egmore & central Chennai, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Ramakrishna Mutt Temple, San Thome Cathedral, Marina Beach, Theosophical Society, Fort St George, Little Mount & St Thomas Mount are some of the star attraction of Chennai.
Mahabalipuram
It is a famous world heritage site and nice place to visit. In earlier it was major seaport and capital of Pallava Kingdom. Shore Temple, Five Rathas, Arjuna’s Penance, Ganesh Ratha & Around, Mandapams and Sculpture Museum are some of the key hotspot of Mahabalipuram.
Vedantangal Bird Sanctuary
For nature lovers, this is the ideal place in Tamil Nadu. It is located at around 52Km southwest Mamallapuram and a famous breeding ground for various species of animals. Cormorants, egrets, herons, ibises, spoonbills, storks, grebes and pelicans are some of the species that migrates to this part in the month of March. There are couples of jeep trips arranged by the various tourist lounges that are thriving around this sanctuary. Accommodation in this bird sanctuary can be booked on the prior notice basis also and be done especially in the peak seasons like May and June.
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram was the capital of Old Pallava Kingdom. It is a one day trip from Chennai. Kailasanatha Temple, Sri Ekambaranathar Temple, Kamakshi Amman Temple, Devarajaswami Temple and Vaikunta Perumal Temple are star attraction of Kanchipuram.
Vellore
Christian Medical College is what defines Vellore and attracts students in large numbers. Sripuram Golden Temple, Vellore Fort, Government Museum, Jalakanteshwara Temple are some of the places of interest that can be visited by people coming here.
Thiruvannamalai
This place is famous for the temples and most of the temples are dedicated Almighty Lord ‘shiva’. Tiruvannamalai is also home to the Sri Ramana (also known as Sri Ramanasramam) Ashram. Arunachaleswar Temple, Mt Arunachala, Sri Ramana Ashram are some famous temples in Tiruvannamalai.
Pondicherry
A small, but a promising town for the travelers coming to the Tamil Nadu. Since this was always a major part of different foreign establishments, you can easily see monuments of different architecture. French Quarter, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry Museum, Churches, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Botanical Gardens, Beaches are some of the places that can be visited by travelers. Pondicherry is a famous spot for Yoga and meditation, so people who want to get their body relaxed can try these practices.
Tiruchirappalli
Although not much people visit this place, but it is still a promising place and since its desolated state makes it much more favorable for people who are in desperate need of piece. Near to this place is the Cauvery River and one can find it sober keeping the water body fact in its mind. Some of the places that are visited by travelers in hefty numbers are Rock Fort Temple, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Sri Jambukeshwara Temple, Lourdes Church, Hazrat Nathervali Dargah.
Rameswaram
It is among the sacred places In Hindu religion and people from all over the world come to this place for carrying out religious practices. It is said that when ‘Lord Rama’ defeated demon Ravana, he and his wife Sita worshipped Almighty ‘Shiva’. So, the importance of Lord worshipping a lord lies at this place. This is one among the four famous ‘Dham’ in Hindu religion. Ramanathaswamy Temple, Gandamadana Parvatham and Dhanushkodi & Adam’s Bridge are star attraction of Rameswaram.
Madurai
People say Madurai is the soul of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest cities in India. In ancient time, it was a major spot for trade between European countries and India related to the spices. Sri Meenakshi Temple, Gandhi Memorial Museum, Gandhian Literary Society Bookstore, Tirumalai Nayak Palace, Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank, Teppam (Float) Festival and Chithrai Festival are other places of interest.
Ooty
It is also a very sober to place to visit. Botanical gardens of Ooty are world famous and people from all over the country come to this place. Botanical Gardens, Doddabetta Lookout, Centenary Rose Park, Thread Garden, Tribal Research Center Museum are other places of interest.
Tips for Journey
Adjust the fare of Auto rickshaw before landing in to it, to avoid any type hassle with these people. Tamil Nadu no doubt is a major hub for the Ayurvedic treatment also. But due to this it has led to opening of many unrecognized treatment centers. So before going for any of these centers, make sure it is registered to the Kerala government. There is no need to carry extra cash with you, because there are so many nationalized banks available in Tamil Nadu. Foreign currency conversions points are also available in abundance. This state is located near to the equator and hence it is advisable to all the people to have their sunglasses and sun scream ready with them. With summer temperatures near this land shoots up to a great extent, so all the necessary steps that you think will be useful to beat the heat are always welcomed. Now talking about going to tribal areas, there are some places that are not connected or we can say not well connected by the public transport.