TAMIL NADU STATE- CITIES

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Chennai

      Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu is also its principal harbour and has one of the finest beaches in Asia. It was founded at Fort St.George in 1640 A.D. by Francis Day of the East India Company.

      Chennai, the cultural centre of South India and gateway to the state of Tamil Nadu, is a fascinating jumble dominated by glittering high-rise emporia and corporate buildings.
      
      Chennai offers excellent hotels and transport, a terrific range of food and various shopping centres for silks, cottons and course, magnificent old Hindus temples that offer more than just a fabulous photo opportunity to the discerning! Cinema and politics are the major beats on the streets.

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Madurai
      Madurai, the most famous of the temple towns of the south is known for the Meenakshi Temple.It is located on Vaigai River, is the capital city of the Pandyan rulers-Madurai. It is the city of nectar and the oldest and second largest city of Tamil Nadu. The Pandyan king, Kulasekhara had built a gorgeous temple around which he created a lotus shaped city.

      The life of Madurai revolves around the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple the huge Gopurams of which tower the city. The temple is magnificiently carved and is the main attraction of visitors.The temple has been a hub of Tamil culture and has been sponsoring literature, art, music, and dance in the region for a long time. The temple also has an art museum. Apart from the temple, the city has shops, street markets and temples, hotels and restaurants.Though Madurai is considered as a pilgrimage point, it has also developed as a business centre and is known for traditional handicrafts made in bronze and brass.

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Coimbatore
      Coimbatore known as the "Manchester of South india" is a commercial city of considerable importance, the chief commodity being textiles.An inland district of Tamilnadu on the eastern coast is the modern industrial city of Coimbatore & it thrives on its textile, engineering products and synthetic gems. It is famous for its elephant training camp on Varaghliar and the Tirumurthi hill forests. Annamalai Sanctuary, rich in wildlife and teak forests, tea and coffee plantation is an added attraction.

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Pondicherry
       Pondicherry is a living monument of French Culture in India, a french colony upto 1954. The Aurobindo Ashram and 'Auroville' the international township are famous all over the world.The capital of French India before independence, Pondicherry traces its origin to Saint Agasthya, the revered sage of the south & excavations near-by reveal that a Roman settlement existed here 2000 years ago. It was the theatre of many a battle between the British.

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Chidambaram
      Between two rivers in a 40 acre temple-complex, lies the temples of Chidambaram, one of the oldest, and magnificent temples of the South. Shiva Natraja or the Dancing Shiva stands in his cosmic dance pose in the golden rooted sanctum sanctorum. Flanking the temple are 108 sculptured illustrations of Bharat Natya Shashtra. In Akash Lingam hidden by a veil, lies the real secret of Chidambaram.

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Mamallapuram
      It is 64 kms from Chennai, connected by regular bus-services. A major beach resort also famous for its magnificent monuments hewn out of rock.The city of Mahabalipuram is famous for the seven pagodas. There is an interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples on the seashore which are the examples of Dravidian style of Architecture.

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Kancheepuram
      Kancheepuram, the capital of the Pallava and dynasty is one of the serene sacred cities of India. It is situated 76 kms from Chennai, 35 kms from Chingleput & 64 kms from Mahabalipuram via Chingleput. It is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of 1000 Temples and still has 124 shrines. Kancheepuram is the seat of Adi Shankar's Kamakoti Matha.The first temple dedicated to Shiva was built in the 7th and 8th century and has paintings on the walls. Temples of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy are of interest.There are so many temples here, that it is often refered to as the Kashi of the south.Kancheepuram is also famous for its silks.

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Kanyakumari
      Kanyakumari is the southernmost point of peninsular India. It is the meeting point of three oceans - the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.It is a very important as a pilgrim centre. It is famous for its beautiful views of sunrise, sunset and moonrise over the waters.

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Yercaud
      Yercaud is quiet little hill station on the Shevaroy hills of the Eastern ghats. It is the only one of its kind in northern Tamil Nadu. While the rest of this region is generally dry. Yercaud presents a welcome contrast with its cool climate where temperature never rises above 30 º C and dip below 13 º C . It is also a less expensive place than either Udhagamandalam or Kodaikkanal.

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Rameshwaram
      Rameshwaram ia an sacred island town at extreme south-eastern limit of the Indian Peninsula. It has one of India's most venerated temples. The temple is renowed for its many pillared corridors, about 1220 metres in length. It is a fine example of South Indian architecture.The island of Rameshwaram spreads out over a 56 km swell with gentle sand dunes, embellished with the delicacy of casuarina trees and stark palms. This is a sacred place for Hindus. This is where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to absolve himself of the sin of killing Ravana. A dip into the sacred waters of the Agnitheertham which was calmed by Rama is a must for Hindus.

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Pudukottai
      Pudukkottai town lies on the Chennai - Rameswaram Railway line. It is 390 kms from Chennai. 53 kms from Tiruchirappalli and 57 kms. from Thanjavur. The rulers of Pudukkottai have built several beautiful places and also constructed tanks canals and palaces.
Pudukkottai town is the headquarters of the district .It was once a princely State, the area, which comprises the district, is of absorbing interest to historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and lovers of art. The numerous dolmens, stone circles and other forms of megalithic burials in the district indicate the antiquity of this region dating back to pre-historic and protohistorical times.This tract is mentioned in the Sangam classics.The archaeological and cultural remains at Kodumbalur, Narthamalai, Kudumianmalai, Kunnandarkoil, Sittannavasal, Thirumayam and Avudaiyarkoil are proof of its rich cultural heritage. The origin of Pudukkottai as a Princely state in the 17th Century A.D. is only one colourful aspect of the past of the region.

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Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli is situated on the banks of the river Thamiraparani. It was an important city of the Pandya Kingdom as it served as their capital for sometime.
      The town is surrounded on all sides by paddy fields and earlier the town was called as 'Nelveli' i.e., Paddy-Hedge.Since the temple in the town is dedicated to Lord 'Shiva', the town around the temple was called Tiru-nel-veli.

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Thanjavur
      Thanjavur derives its name from Tanjan-an asura (giant), who according to local legend devastated the neighbourhood and was killed by Sri Anandavalli Amman and Vishnu, Sri Neelamegapperumal.The world famous Brihadeeswara temple is situated here. It is built by Raja Chola. The empire builder in the early Dravidian style.

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