Places of Tourist Interest
The capital city of Tamil
Nadu Chennai is a major metropolis city of India. It is a major tourist
sight in the state. The places to visit here would be -
-
The Art and Bronze Gallery.
(Closed on Fridays and Public holidays). Here one also finds a few example
of the Tanjore school of painting.
-
The Flower and Fruit market
-
High court
-
Fort Museum
-
Marina Beach
-
Santhome Cathedral
-
Snake Park
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.
An inland district of Tamilnadu
on the eastern coast is the modern industrial city of Coimbatore and
it thrives on its textile, engineering produce 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.
Kanchipuram (64 kms from
Madras) is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of 1000
Temples and still has 124 shrines. 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.
Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks.
Visit the great Meenakshi
Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams
(rising high above the surrounding country side). Later, visit the Tirumala
Nayak Palace - A gracious building in the Indo saracenic style, famous
for the Stucco work on its domes and arches. Also visit the Alagar Hills
and Tirupara Kundran Rock temple.
120 kms from Madurai, Kodaikanal
is a charming hill station situated amidst the grandeur of the southern
crest of the upper Palani hill -in the Western Ghats, at a height of 2135
mts. Its tranquil lake framed by wooded hills, mighty rocks, slopes
and enchanting waterfalls mesmerize visitors. It is noted for hybrids
and grafts, hill plantain fruits and plums and -Kurunji- flower which
blossoms once in 12 years.
The city of Mahabalipuram
is famous for the seven pagodas. Here on the seashore is an interesting
group of ancient rock hewn temples which are the examples of Dravidian
style of 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 since according to Ramayana, 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.
The beautiful Chola Temple
of Brihadeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single granite
block weighing 80 tons which was taken to the top with the help of a 6
km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians for building pyramids.
Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of a visit
to South India.
This beautiful hill station
was established by the British in the early part of the 19th century, in
Nilgiris or the Blue Moutains-so called because of the blue haze that envelops
them. Today an undefinable touch of the Raj still lingers in its little
cottages, colourful gardens, winding lanes, old churches, its Botanical
Gardens and the lake surrounded by eucalyptus groves. A fine retreat from
the heat of the plains, Ooty offers scenic beauty an a relaxed ambience.
One can also see the Dodabetta Peak and Wenlock Downs.
It is the Southern most tip
of peninsular India, is where the waters of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian
Ocean and the Arabian Sea meet. A place from where one can see spectacular
sunrises and sunsets. One can visit Swami Vivekananda Memorial perched
on a little rocky island close to the sea shore. The Gandhi Memorial is
also a place that can be visited.
Trichy also known as Tiruchirapalli was the citadel of
the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. In the 18th century it witnessed
the Carnatic wars fought between the French and the English. Lord Robert
Clive's house is still there to see and so is the Danish Church. The Rock-Fort
is the landmark of Trichy. A climb of 434 steps leads to the ancient temple
of Ganapati on top and a further climb to a Shiva temple.
80 kms away from Madras.
The birds are mostly found during their breeding season, from November
to January. One can see various kinds of water birds over here.
|
