Tamil Nadu – World Travel

Vellore Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:01:12 +0000

Vellore, 145km west of Chennai, is a dusty bazaar town whose well-preserved Vijayanagar Fort and temple are the main features on the tourist trail. The city is also famed for its Christian Medical College (CMC) Hospital – a leader in research and health care, recognised as one of the finest hospitals in India. The hospital attracts international medical students as well as patients from all over India, giving this small town a cosmopolitan feel.

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Trichy Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:01:26 +0000

Tiruchirappalli, universally known as Trichy, is a sprawling but extremely enjoyable city with two extraordinary temples – one perched high above the town on a rocky mount – and many travellers find Trichy more enjoyable than the clamour of the more renowned Madurai. It’s a well-serviced regional transport centre, always busy with locals especially during auspicious marriage seasons when gorgeously clothed families abound in every hotel.

Trichy’s long history dates back to before the Christian era when it was a Chola citadel. During the 1st millennium AD, both the Pallavas and Pandyas took power many times before the Cholas regained control in the 10th century. When the Chola empire finally decayed, Trichy came into the realm of the Vijayanagar emperors of Hampi until their defeat in 1565 by the forces of the Deccan sultans. The town and its most famous landmark, the Rock Fort Temple, were built by the Nayaks of Madurai.

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Tiruvannamalai Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:01:27 +0000

The small, unassuming town of Tiruvannamalai, 85km south of Vellore, is something of a hidden gem in a region overwhelmed by significant temples. Flanked by Mt Arunachala, this is an important Shaivite town where Shiva is revered as Arunachaleswar, an aspect of fire. At each full moon the hill swells with thousands of pilgrims who circumnavigate the base of the mountain, but at any time you’ll see gatherings of Shaivite priests, sadhus (spiritual men) and devotees gathered around the temple. Tiruvannamalai is also home to the Sri Ramanasramam Ashram.

The main post office is just off the road to Gingee; there are several internet cafés in town and opposite the ashram. Although the State Bank of India won’t change travellers cheques, its ATM accepts international cards.

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The Western Ghats Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 09:01:31 +0000

The Western Ghats stretch out like a mountainous spine for around 1400km from the north of Mumbai, across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, before petering out at the southernmost tip of Tamil Nadu. The hills (with an average elevation of 915m) are covered with evergreen and deciduous forest, and are the source of all the major rivers in South India. They also form a diverse biological and ecological haven with 27% of all India’s flowering plants, 60% of all medicinal plants and an incredible array of endemic wildlife, along with several tribal groups whose traditional lifestyle is fast being eroded.

For travellers these mountain areas mean opportunities to trek and see wildlife, and to hang out in Tamil Nadu’s climatically cool hill stations of Ooty and Kodaikanal.

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Thanjavur Tanjore Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:01:33 +0000

Dominated by the superb World Heritage–listed Brihadishwara Temple, and a sprawling Maratha Palace complex, Thanjavur is an easy-going town and a worthy detour off the Chennai–Madurai route.

The town is famous also for its distinctive art style, a combination of raised and painted surfaces. Krishna is the most popular deity depicted, and in the Thanjavur school his skin is white, rather than the traditional blue-black. Thanjavur is set on a fertile delta and the accompanying harvests make the town a great place to be during Pongal (harvest) celebrations in January.

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Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:01:35 +0000

If thoughts of temples and tigers appeal, then Tamil Nadu – land of the Tamils and heartland of southern India – is the place to be. Long coastlines and forested mountains form stunning backdrops to this, the cradle of Dravidian civilisation. Manifestations of its ancient culture are everywhere, from vast temple compounds with steeply stepped, riotously coloured gopurams (gateway towers) to beautifully detailed rock carvings, and classical music and dance that are both complex and compelling. Pilgrims pour into the ancient sites of Kanchipuram, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Trichy (Tiruchirappalli), Thanjavur (Tanjore), Madurai, Kanyakumari and Rameswaram – far outnumbering tourists.

While only the very lucky few will see a tiger, the state’s national parks and reserves remain important refuges for much of India’s wildlife including elephants, several species of rare monkeys and gaurs (a type of bison). The historic hill stations of Ooty (Udhagamandalam, reached by the famous miniature train, and Kodaikanal are perfect bases for exploring and provide cool, calm, green contrast to the bustle of the cities.

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Southern Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:01:45 +0000

India’s tropical southern tip is a magical place to start, stop or turn around. Go all the way down to Kanyakumari, and you’ll be able to see the sun rise and set over two different seas on the same day.

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Rameswaram Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:01:34 +0000

Rameswaram is one of the most significant pilgrimage centres in South India for both Shaivites and Vaishnavaites. It was here that Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu and hero of the Ramayana) offered thanks to Shiva. At the town’s core is the Ramanathaswamy Temple, one of the most important temples in India, and here you’ll see a representation of India in miniature, with pilgrims including everyone from urbane sophisticates to colourfully clad Rajasthani tribespeople.

Rameswaram is on an island in the Gulf of Mannar, and is connected to the mainland at Mandapam by one of India’s great engineering wonders, the Indira Gandhi bridge, which was opened in 1988. The town was once an important ferry port linking India and Sri Lanka, but the service ceased when things got ugly in Sri Lanka. At the time of writing it shows no signs of resuming, though regular boatloads of Tamil refugees do manage to make the crossing.

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Puducherry Pondicherry Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:01:47 +0000

With its seafront promenade, wide boulevards, enduring pockets of French culture and architecture, and a popular ashram, charming Puducherry – whose name officially changed from Pondicherry in October 2006 – is unlike anywhere else in South India. That’s hardly surprising – the former French colony was settled in the early 18th century as a colonial enclave and it retains a mildly Gallic air superimposed on a typical Indian background.

The French relinquished their control of the Union Territory of ‘Pondy’ (as the city is still universally known) some 50 years ago, but reminders of the colonial days remain; the tricoleur flutters over the grand French consulate, there’s a hôtel de ville (town hall), and local police wear red kepis (caps) and belts. Don’t expect a subcontinental Paris though – this is still India, with all the autorickshaws, choked streets, bazaars and Hindu temples of any city.

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Ooty Udhagamandalam Tamil Nadu India Travel

WorldTravelDB.com — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:01:17 +0000

Ooty is South India’s most famous hill station, established by the British in the early 19th century as the summer headquarters of the then-Madras government and memorably nicknamed ‘Snooty Ooty’.

Until about 20 years ago it resembled an unlikely combination of southern England and Australia: single-storey stone cottages, bijou-fenced flower gardens, leafy winding lanes and tall eucalyptus stands, all surrounded by the tea plantations that were the town’s original raison d’être. Times have changed and, if not for the climate and the rolling hills, Ooty’s centre resembles any overburdened provincial Indian town.

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