Category: Tamil Nadu

Coonoor is one of the three Nilgiri hill stations – Ooty, Kotagiri and Coonoor – that lie above the southern plains.

Although a large business and industrial city, Coimbatore is mainly a transport junction for travellers – a convenient stop if you’re heading to the hill stations of Ooty or Kodaikanal. Sometimes known as the Manchester of India for its textile industry, Coimbatore is an easy-going place with plenty of accommodation and eating options.

Chidambaram’s great temple complex of Nataraja, the dancing Shiva, is a Dravidian architectural highlight and one of the holiest Shiva sites in South India. Chidambaram can be visited as a day trip from Puducherry, or as a stopover between Puducherry and Kumbakonam or Trichy.

Chennai has neither the cosmopolitan, prosperous air of Mumbai (Bombay), the optimistic buzz of Bengaluru (Bangalore) or the historical drama of Delhi. It’s muggy, polluted, hot as hell and difficult to get around. Traditional tourist attractions are few. Even the movie stars are, as one Chennaiker put it, ‘not that hot’.

The pace of life slows significantly in Tamil Nadu’s sweaty central area. It’s a terrible place to rush around from sight to sight, but an excellent area to slow down, enjoy cooling boat trips down riverlets and visit some truly spectacular Hindu temples.