Tamil Nadu Tourism

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Tamil Nadu Travel Essentials

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Ideal duration: 4 - 12 days

Best Time: October to March Read More

Major Airports: Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli

"Enchanting Tamil Nadu"

Tamil Nadu, India

Situated along the Bay of Bengal in south India, Tamil Nadu is one of India's most well-known tourist destinations owing to its natural splendour, unique culture as well as religious significance. The state boasts of a plethora of religious sites that attract pilgrims, historical attractions, vast plantations, mesmerising hill stations, diverse wildlife, delicious cuisine and loads of festivities.

A visit to Tamil Nadu surely warrants a trip to its capital, Chennai, the 'Detroit of India'. A metropolitan with a rich colonial heritage, it is best known for Marina Beach, Fort St. George, Ashtalakshmi Temple etc. One of Tamil Nadu's treasures is the stunning hill station of Ooty, the "Queen of the Nilgiris," which is famous for the Ooty Lake, Botanical Gardens, many trekking trails and more. Kodaikanal is another gorgeous hill station popular for attractions like the Kodaikanal Lake, cascading Thalaiyar Falls and Kukkal Caves.

Mahabalipuram is an ideal destination to experience Tamil Nadu's religious glory; it is home to the Shore Temple, Five Rathas which are a set of rock temples, Krishna Cave Temple and Ganesh Ratha Temple. Coimbatore is a must-visit city, with its massive Adiyogi Shiva statue, Vydehi Falls, Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park and Velliangiri Hill Temple. There are plenty of local handicrafts for tourists to pick from, such as Tanjore paintings, beautiful silk sarees, brass and bronze work, Mysore Pak etc.

What's more, Tamil Nadu is also known for Kanyakumari, which is India's southernmost tip and is renowned for the gushing Thirparappu Falls, Kanyakumari Beach, Vattakottai Fort and the Chitharal Jain monuments. Mouthwatering dishes like the uttapam, dosa, rasam, paruppu payasam and Pongal make the Tamil Nadu cuisine a favourite among many. Tourists would undoubtedly enjoy attending some of its most anticipated festivals like Pongal, Thaipusam, and Mahamaham, which provide an excellent opportunity to experience local customs and taste yummy food. It is quite easy to get to Tamil Nadu via car, train, bus or flight.

Holidify's opinion on Travel to Tamil Nadu

What's Great about Travelling to Tamil Nadu?

Very well connected nationally and internationally by land, sea and air. Diverse range of tourist activities. Many beaches, hill stations and forests.

What's Not So Great about Travelling to Tamil Nadu?

Summers may get very hot. The state is prone to cyclones during the late monsoons. Some popular tourist destinations may get very crowded during peak season.

Who should Travel to Tamil Nadu?

Tami Nadu is an ideal holiday destination for families, honeymooners, adventure travellers, wildlife enthusiasts, history aficionados and backpackers.

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FAQs on Tamil Nadu

Why is Tamil Nadu called the Land of Temples?

Tamil Nadu has a very rich history of cultural enrichment and architecture. Art and literature, too have been patronised by the successive rulers in this region. This has resulted in temples that are considered to be marvels of architecture and stand even today as testaments of the devotion of the people. There are over thirty thousand temples in Tamil Nadu built in the Dravida style of ancient temple architecture. Temples are also places of social and cultural gathering and have vast halls that host dances and musical performances dedicated to the respective gods. Mahabalipuram, Gangaikondacholapuram, Brihadeshwara, Nataraja, Tanjore (Thanjavur) and Meenakshipuram are some of the famous temples located in temple towns all over the state. Many of these temples have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Which animals are found in Tamil Nadu?

Tamil Nadu is rich in biodiversity because of the great variety in habitats found in the state. The meeting of the Eastern and Western Ghats forms a corridor of dense forest that is inhabited by large and small animals including tigers, leopards, elephants and endangered species like the Golden Langur and the black buck. There is also a vast variety of birds of which, some birds like the flamingos and terns are migratory. There are 17 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks in Tamil Nadu of which one is a tiger reserve. Mudhumalai, Nagarhole and Bandipur are some of the most famous forest reserves in the state.

What is the traditional dance and music of Tamil Nadu?

The culture of Tamil Nadu has a rich history, and the present forms of dance and music reflect the years of influence the land has received from various factors. Bharatnatyam is the traditional Tamilian dance form practised in temples before the gods. It has now become popular in all of India and is recognised as one of the seven classical dances of India. Kuchipudi, the dance from Andhra Pradesh is also very popular in this state. Carnatic music, which has the same base as Hindustani Classical but uses different instruments and tones is also highly developed in Tamil Nadu. Natyanjali and Mamallapuram dance festivals are both held during the winter and draw huge crowds from all over the world. Similarly, the Thyagaraja Music Festival celebrates varieties of Carnatic music and witnesses large crowds.

What are the popular art forms of Tamil Nadu?

The rich heritage of Tamil craftsmanship has been documented in many chronicles since before the Mauryan times. The most famous of the art forms is the Tanjore painting which is done using a mixture of chalk and glue inlaid with precious stones and pearls. These pictures give an amazing three-dimensional effect. Woodcarving too is highly developed in this state and has been used to make pillars of temples and everyday kitchen items that bear intricate carvings. Because of the abundance of sandalwood, many ceremonial items are carved from this scented wood. The metalwork from bell metal was a speciality of temple towns of yore and continues to be a dominant handicraft product even today.

How are the local people of Tamil Nadu?

People of Tamil Nadu
(Source)

Tamil Nadu state is one of the most urbanised states in India, though a lot of people are still living in the rural parts of the state. Around 80% of the population follow Hinduism which includes the caste system and is still a significant issue here. A majority of the population live in Chennai and cities like Madurai, Coimbatore, etc. which is the commercial concentration of the state. Tamil is the official language spoken here. However, there are different dialects of the same and over 18 other languages exist here too. Tamil Nadu has a great tradition of heritage and culture that developed over 2,000 years ago and continues to flourish. The people here are very particular about their culture, traditions and customs. Even the most modern person here will be likely to follow the age-old traditions. The people of Tamil Nadu are rather welcoming and warm.

What is the history of Tamil Nadu?

Tamil Nadu's history goes back to the prehistoric times, and there is evidence that this region was inhabited since before the Indus Valley civilisation. Many great kingdoms like those of the Pallavas, Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire were built in this region and stretched as far north as the shore of the Ganga.

During this time, many majestic temples have been constructed on the seashores and are admired as pieces of fascination even today. The British then took over this region and after many bloody battles with the then ruling Nayak Dynasty, formed the Madras presidency, one of the three most important parts of British India. Tamil Nadu, in its present form, was constituted in 1969 and renamed from the earlier Madras state.

What is the landscape of Tamil Nadu?

Tamil Nadu is one of the four Southern states of India and is bordered by Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and the Union Territory of Pondicherry. On the South-eastern side, it shares a maritime boundary with Sri Lanka. Kanyakumari is the southernmost point on the Indian landmass where the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea meet.

This state is also very rich in vegetation and different types of forests including evergreen, deciduous and scrub forests. The Western and Eastern Ghats, two of the country's most biologically diverse zones converge at the Nilgiri hills. Tamil Nadu also has one of the most extensive coastline, second only to Gujarat. The capital of this state is Chennai (formerly known as Madras) and Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Trichy and Salem are some of the other main cities.

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