Travel Agent In Chennai

Chennai's offers many interesting locations to visitors. One of the most important tourist attraction is the neighbouring town of Mahabalipuram with its ancient temples and rock carvings of the 7th century Pallava kingdom.

Marina Beach, Golden Beach, The Government Museum Complex in Egmore There are three large amusement parks, MGM Dizzee World, VGP Universal Kingdom and Kishkinta in chennai.

Marina Beach Is the most famous beach of Tamil Nadu and is situated in the city of Chennai. Along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean. The beach runs from near in the north, and extends till Besant Nagar, in the south., a distance of 13 km. Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff, the governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886, conceived and built the promenade along the beach and christened it the Madras Marina . The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly ambiance, and rich ecosystems.
Marina beach is a major tourist attraction. People visiting Chennai make a point to visit the beach. The beach is popular for its shops and food stalls. The sea is rough and waves are strong. There are fishermen colonies present at both ends of the beach. The road side along the Marina Beach is marked by a number of statues of known leaders and celebrities such as Mahatma Gandhi and Kamarajar. Golden beach is a beach located on the Bay of Bengal in Chennai, India. VGP Golden Beach is a major tourist attraction in Chennai.

V.G.P Golden Beach Resort (30km):
This is a very planned beach resort and never to be missed by tourist visiting Chennai the beach is very popular amongst the locals you can see lot of people from Chennai on weekly holidays thronging the beach. There is an entertainment arcade for children and for adults. Folk dance are also organized and you can see lot of handicrafts and articles such as seashells are also sold on this beach.
The beach is clean and ideal for sunbathing. This is a cleverly planned beach resort geared to entertain the visitor with sculptured vignettes from the past, folk dances and ethnic seafood cuisine. The V.G.P. Art Center, a part of the resort complex, sells merchandise ranging, from seashells to rural handicrafts.

Chennai is a city of temples
• Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore
• Karpaka Vinayakar Temple
• Marundeeswarar Temple area of Thiruvanmiyur
• Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple
• Vadapalani temple
• Anjaneyar Temple at Chennai (Mylapore)
• The Ashtalakshmi Kovil lies on the shorelines near the Elliot's beach

St. George's Cathedral, Guindy National Park, Arignar Anna Zoological Park (better known as Vandalur Zoo) Bharatnatyam the classical dance of Chennai.
Saraswathi Mahal Library is located in Thanjavur.

Chennai formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fourth largest city.

Chennai is a city which has grown by merging numerous villages which are really ancient. The temples of Thiruvanmiyur, Thiruvotriyur, Thirvallikeni (Triplicane), Thirumyilai (Mylapore) have existed for more than 1000 years.

The development of a harbour in Madras led the city to become an important centre for trade between India and Europe in the eighteenth century. In 1788, Thomas Parry arrived in Madras as a free merchant and he set up one of the oldest mercantile companies in the city and one of the oldest in the country (EID Parry). John Binny came to Madras in 1797 and he established the textile company Binny & Co in 1814. Spencer's started as a small business in 1864 and went on to become the biggest department stores in Asia at the time. The original building which housed Spencer & Co. was burnt down in a fire in 1983 and the present structure houses one of the largest shopping malls in India, Spencer Plaza.

Chennai formerly known as ''Madras''. The name Chennai is a shortened form of Chennaipattinam. Chennai Gateway to the South” is also called the “The Queen of the Coromandel”. Chennai is an important center for Carnatic Music and hosts a large cultural event. Chennai is an important centre for the Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form. Chennai has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate. Chennai has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, healthcare and financial services industries.

Chennai is the base for the large Tamil movie industry, known as Kollywood, Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai. One of the most important tourist attraction of Chennai town of Mahabalipuram with its ancient temples and rock carvings of the 7th century Pallava kingdom.The most famous temple in Chennai is the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore.

Chennai by Air: International airlines have flights to Chennai's Anna International Airport. Domestic airlines operate daily flights to all major cities of the country from the Kamaraj domestic terminal. located at Meenambakkom about 20 kms from the city.

Chennai by Road: Chennai is well connected to all the major cities of India by a network of highways and roads. Most government bus services for Tamil Nadu operates from the newly opened Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Koyembedu. It is claimed to be the largest bus station in Asia.

Chennai by Rail: Chennai has two railways connected. Chennai Central has broad gauge trains connection to all the major cities in India and Egmore station metre gauge and broad gauge trains connecting to all its villages and Kerala as well.

Cuddalore Government Museum,
Government Museum 19,
Hospital Road,
Cuddalore – 607 001.
Established in the year 1989. This museum collection represents history, culture, flora and fauna of the district. Natural History specimens include South Indian Timbers, Fibres, Swan, Bear, Lizard and Snakes. Wood fossils and Ammonite fossils are also on display.

Government Museum, established in 1851, is located in Egmore, Chennai, South India. The Museum complex consisting of six buildings and 46 galleries has archeology, numismatics, zoology, natural history, sculptures, palm-leaf manuscripts and Amravati paintings.

Saraswathi Mahal Library is located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the oldest libraries in Asia. rare collection of Palm leaf manuscripts and paper written in Tamil, Hindi, English, Telugu, Marathi, and a few other languages indigenous to India.

Guindy National Park, The country's smallest National Park with an area of 2.76 km², It hosts a variety of endangered deer, foxes, monkeys and snakes. The Guindy Snake Park situated in the National Park has a large collection of snakes and is an important source of antivenom serum.
There are over 14 species of mammals including blackbuck, chital or spotted deer, jackal, small Indian civet, common palm civet, bonnet macaque, hyena, jackal, pangolin, hedgehog, common mongoose and three-striped palm squirrel.
The park has over 150 species of birds including grey partridge, crow pheasant, parrot, quail, paradise fly-catcher, Black-winged kite, Honey Buzzard, Pariah kite, Eagle, golden Backed Woodpecker, yellow wattled lapwing, red wattled lapwing, blue faced malkoha, shrike, koel, Minivet, Munia, Barket, parakeet, tailor bird, robin, drongo, quail, beak paradise and stone curlew. Bird watchers anticipate migratory birds here like teals, garganeys, pochards, Medium egrets, large egrets, night herons, pond herons and open-billed storks every fall season.
Entry into this protected reserve is restricted, and visitors can go into the core area only when escorted by a forest ranger from the Forests Department.[8] Guindy Park is contiguous with the Arignar Anna Zoological Park. It is behind the Gandhi Mandapam, Kamaraj Memorial and Rajaji Memorial on Sardar Patel road on the southern part of Chennai.

Anna Square: Is located towards the north of the Marina Beach, some 30 kms away from the city. Situated amidst a little garden, this majestic structure was built in memory of the former TN CM C.N. Annadurai at the very place where he was laid to rest. At the northern end of Marina Beach lies the mortal remain of Annadurai. The memorial is located in the centre of a lavishly laid out park The entrance of the park is marked by an arch that looks like converging tusks of an elephant. The small tomb at Anna Square is provided with a pillar like structure with an eternal flame.

Gandhi Mandapam: Chennai's honour to Mahatma Gandhi, this graceful memorial lies beside the Guindy National Park. Sardar Patel Road in Chennai begins from Ashok Leyland corporate office on the junction between Guindy Railway Station and Little Mount Junction, just near Alexander Square. The Raj Bhavan (residence of Governor of Tamil Nadu) is located on this road. Important educational institutions like IIT Madras and Anna University are also located on this road.

MGR Memorial: Popularly known by his initials MGR Tamil, was an Indian film actor, producer and politician. Well known as a Tamil activist, he served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987. The grand memorial of M.G.Ramachandran, is located on the sands of Marina overlooking the Chennai University. On Beach Rd Kamaraj Salai.

Rajaji Memorial: This memorial with a tall gopuram is built in memory of Independent India's first Governor General C.Raja-gopalachari close to the snake park and the children's park.Next to Gandhi Mandapam, on Sardar Vallabhai Patel Rd, Guindy.

Rajiv Gandhi Memorial: Raised in honour of Rajiv Gandhi, The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the seventh Prime Minister of India, took place in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, India on 21 May 1991. It was one of the first uses of suicide bombing for the purposes of political terror. It is located at Sriperumbudur, 40 Kms from Chennai, which incidentally is the birthplace of Sri Ramanujar, the Vaishnavite saint.

War Memorial Hall: A circular rock and marble structure built in memory of those who laid down their lives for the country's honour during World War I. Situated on Beach Rd (Nr Island Grounds).

Arignar Anna Zoological Park (Also known as Vandalur Zoo) is located southwest of the city and covers an area of 5.1 km². It has about eighty species on display, and includes a lion safari, an elephant safari, a nocturnal animal house and an aquarium.
Founded in 1855, the park was the first public zoo in India. It is recognized by the Central Zoo Authority of India. Spread over an area of 1,265 acres (5.12 km2), it is the largest zoological garden in India and one of the largest in the world. It is believed to house more than 170 species of mammals, birds and reptiles.
The zoo is open from 9.00 am to 8.00 pm on all days except Tuesdays. All the animals, especially the big cats, are back in their cages after 5.00 pm; thus most tourists prefer to visit them before going on to the other exhibits. One can easily end up walking 10-15 km across the stretch of the park.
Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, which houses several fresh-water and salt-water crocodiles, alligators, gharials, and also turtles and snakes.

There are three large amusement parks:-
MGM Dizzee World, VGP Universal Kingdom, Kishkinta and a water sports center, Dash N Splash located in the outskirts of Chennai. There are also a large number of beach resorts all along the East Coast Road highway to Mahabalipuram.

Chennai has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, healthcare and financial services industries.

A large number of automotive companies including Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Mitsubishi, Komatsu, The TVS Group (TVS Electronics and TVS Motors), Ashok Leyland, Nissan-Renault, Daimler Trucks, TI Cycles of India, TAFE Tractors, Royal Enfield, Caterpillar Inc., Caparo, Madras Rubber Factory (MRF) and Apollo Tyres have or are in the process of setting up manufacturing plants in and around Chennai.

Major software companies like Amazon, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Hewlett Packard, HCL Enterprise, IBM, Mahindra Satyam, CTS, MphasiS, Polaris Software Lab, Capgemini and Accenture have their offices set up here, with some of them making Chennai their largest base.

The Madras Stock Exchange (MSE) is the fourth Stock Exchange to be established in the country, and the first in South India.

Chennai has a fully computerized stock exchange called the Madras Stock Exchange. Chennai is sometimes referred to as the "Health Capital of India" or the "Banking Capital of India" having attracted investments from International corporations and the World Bank and it is called as Detroit of Asia.

Anjaneyar Temple at Chennai (Mylapore)
In Mylapore there are three temples for Lord Anjaneya. The oldest of the three is in Luz near "thaneer thurai" market and is known as Veera Anjaneya Temple. The temple is about three hundred and fifty years old, and is one of the oldest Anjaneya temples in Chennai city.

Ashtalakshmi Kovil lies on the shorelines near the Elliot's beach, in Chennai, It is a temple to the Goddess Lakshmi. Ashta means eight, and the eight forms of Lakshmi are worshipped in this temple. Lakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu.

Kapaleashwarar Temple is an abode of Shiva located in Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Pallava Nayanamars built this temple around 7CE. Nayanmars sing hymns in this temple. According to the Puranas, Shakthi worshipped Shiva, in the form of the peacock, which is why the name Mylai was given to the area that developed around the temple, as 'Mayil' means Peacock in Tamil.

Karpaka Vinayakar Temple at Thiruppatthur, (1 kilometer from Thiruppatthur The Vinayagar sannidhi (Sanctom Sanctorum) is a cave where the 6 feet Karpaga Vinayagar has been carved inside. As this is a cave formation, there is no provision to go around for the pradakshina. The inner sanctum is well illuminated with oil lamps and the whole idol is covered with gold. Its only during the Abhishekam or the holy bath when we get to see the full idol in its pristine glory.

Marundeeswarar Temple is a legendary temple located in the breezy area of Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai adjacent to the beach of Bay of Bengal. This is the biggest temple in Thiruvanmiyur. This is a magnificent temple built for Lord Shiva, in his incarnation of Lord Marundeeswarar. Lord Marundeeswarar is said to have the power to heal. This is one of the great Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu.

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is an historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai.
The city is widely known as the Temple City, and is often also referred to as City of four junctions (Koodal Maanagar), Cultural center of Tamil Nadu (Kalaachaara thalainagar), City of Jasmine (Malligai Maanagar), Sleepless city (Thoonga Nagaram), Athens of the East and The City of Festivals (Thiruvizha nagaram).
Madurai was the capital city of ancient Southern civilization. Madurai's cultural heritage goes back 2,500 years, and the city has been an important commercial center and has conducted trade as far as Rome and Greece since as early as 550 B.C.E.
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is an historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai.
The city hence came to be known as Madhurapuri meaning The City of Divine Nectar. The legend is likely a late tale attempting to Sanskritise the otherwise-Dravidian derivative of Madurai. This is the place where Natarajar performed the dance raising his right leg. (Kal maariya Aadiya natarajar). Shiva was very happy with the temple construction and performed a different dance.
Other Temples
• Koodal Azhagar Perumal Temple.
• Madhana Gopala Swamy Temple.
• Immayilum Nanmai Taruvar Temple.

Pancha Rathas an example of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century located at Mamallapuram, a tiny village south of Madras in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. As one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, it has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Parthasarathy Temple is an 8th century Hindu Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, located at Triplicane, Chennai, India. It is one among the 108 divyadesams or holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. The name 'Parthasarathy', in Sanskrit, means the 'charioteer of Arjuna', and Lord Krishna is worshipped in that role in this temple.

Prasanna Yoga Anjaneyar Temple is a Hindu temple devoted to Hanuman located near Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, Chennai, India.

Tiruthani Murugan temple is a famous Hindu temple, in South India, dedicated to Lord Muruga. It is one of the Arupadaiveedu, the six holy abodes of Lord Muruga.

Vadapalani Andavar Temple This temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga, worshipped as Lord of Tamil, by the people of Tamil Nadu. Although Lord Muruga in this temple has become very popular among the devotees, this temple is a full-fledged Siva temple Goddess Parvathi, Lord Ganesh, in addition to Lord Muruga.

Varaha Cave Temple, an example of Indian rock-cut architecture dating from the late 7th century, is a rock-cut cave temple located at Mamallapuram, a tiny village south of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

Mahabalipuram, Also known as Mamallapuram is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has an average elevation of 12 metres (39 feet).
Mahabalipuram was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas.The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art.
The place blossomed under the creative forces of that time between the fifth and eighth centuries. Today, the shore temple, the largest bas-relief in the world called Arjuna's Penance and the famous and beautiful mandapams has made this town world famous. Almost 5km north of Mamallapuram in the village of Salavankuppam, the tiger cave is a rock cut shrine dating from 7th century. Dedicated to Durga, it has a small mandapam featuring a crown of carved yali heads. Another 14 km from here lies Tirukkalikundram a pilgrim centre with a hilltop temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Mahabalipuram, This beautiful beach resort which consists of a the tiny village by the sea in which all else is dwarfed by a dream world of awesome Tamil art, an open air museum of sculpture in living rock. The piece de resistance is Arjuna’s Penance or the Descent of the Ganga, the world’s largest bas-relief, 764 ft. by 288 ft. (27m by 9m). It is a beautiful composition of hundreds of celestial beings, human and animals all hurrying to a natural rock cleft that divides the giant stone. The best known landmark of Mahabalipuram, is the Shore Temple, which has stood by the sea for 12 centuries. Its twin spires are pure poetry in granite.
The other wonders of Mahablipuram are the mandapams, each a cave scooped from a hillside of solid rock and ornamented with pillars, sculptured with panels and with rathams (monolithic rock-cut shrines) that have inspired generations of South Indian temple-builders. The five rathams, named after the Pandava brothers, the heroes of the Mahabharata, and their wife Draupadi, are part of an amphitheatre of art. Each temple though incomplete, remains a gem. Also in this area are a magnificent elephant and an exquisite Nandi, the sacred bull.

Tiruchirappalli also called Tiruchi or Trichy Tiruchirappalli is believed to have been named after the three-headed demon Trishira of Hindu mythoology who is believed to have indulged in penance and obtained favours at this place.
Tiruchirapalli, along with Madurai, is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Tamil Nadu.
A number of temples of historic importance stands here in Trichy include Sri Rangam, Rock Fort, Samayapuram, Thiruvanaikkaval, Vekkaliyamman, Iyappan Temple, Vayalur Murugan Kovil, Somarasam Pettai Mariyamman Kovil, Uyyakondan Thirumalai, Erumbeeshwar Temple, Rettai Malai Sami Kovil,bikshandar koil, etc.
The Anna Science Centre-Planetarium is located at Guttapet, 5 km from Trichy-Central bus terminus on Pudukkottai Road, close to Trichy Airport.
Kollam Pond, is a large water-body located in Crawford lies along the Trichy-Madurai Railway line. The pond is home to different types of bird varieties including ducks and Kingfisher.

Vellore one of the oldest surviving cities in South India. The city lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati.
Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in Vellore city near Chennai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The Fort was at one point of time the head quarters of the Vijayanagara Empire.
The Fort's ownership passed from Vijayanagara Kings, to the Bijapur Sultans, to Marathas, to the Carnatic Nawabs and finally to the British, who held the fort until India gained independence. During British rule, the Tippu Sultan's family and the last king of Sri Lanka, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha were held in as royal prisoners in the fort. The fort houses a Christian church, a Muslim mosque and a Hindu temple, the latter of which is famous for its magnificent carvings.
The Fort is situated in the centre of Vellore town oppostie to Old Bus stand. Vellore is in Chennai-Bangalore highway and is 120 km from Chennai and 210 km from Bangalore. The nearest rail station is Katpadi, where almost all important trains stop. The nearest Airports are Tirupathi, Chennai and Bangalore.

Valluvar Kottam: Dedicated to the renowned Tamil saint, poet.
The monument was constructed in 1976 in the memory of Thiruvalluvar, who wrote his famous Thirukkural about 2,000 years before. The construction of Valluvar Kottam is like a temple chariot, and it is a replica of the temple chariot in Thiruvarur. A life-size statue of the Thiruvalluvar has been installed in the 39 metre high chariot. Thiruvalluvar, its central auditorium can seat about 4,000 people. The terraced garden, granite chariot and pillars, plus the life-size statue of the saint make it a popular tourist attraction. It is located on the junction of Kodambakkam High Rd and Valluvar Kottam High Rd.

Kanchipuram (75 kms.): Almost all tourists visit Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram finds place on the global map because of the wonderful craftsmanship of the Kanchi weavers, the makers of what is perhaps the finest silk fabric in the world.“ The Golden City “ has about 125 shrines, all of them centuries old, dating back to the early Cholas of 200 B.C. It was successively capital of the Cholas, the Pallavas and the Rayas of Vijayanagara. The height of Kanchi’s glory was when it was capital of the far-flung empire of the Pallavas from the 6th to the 8th centuries when Mahabalipuram and Mylapore were its great ports. All that is left are its magnificent temples. Kanchipuram‘s other claim to fame is its silk, renowned for more than four centuries. A unique system of weavers makes and sells Kanchi saris which are the richest saris in India.

Gangaikondacholapuram
The Shiva Temple here is a very well preserved and is an impressive monument of the Chola period. The highlight of the temple - a natural beam of sunlight traversing the long entrance corridor and falling directly on the Shivaling situated in the sanctum sanctorum deep inside the temple with no spillover of light to any other part of the temple.

Chidambaram Temple
(43 kms. from Gangaikondacholapuram) is a sprawling ancient temple renowned for its architecture encompassing the complete pose sequences of the classical South Indian Bharat Natyam dance; from which originated the revived dance in its present popular form.

Coonoor
At 2,250 m above sea level, is surrounded on all sides by hills and slopes of tea, with old colonial houses. It also has a lake, waterfalls, picnic spots, mountain trails and clubs. Its cantonment town of Wellington, named after the hero of Waterloo, is the home base of the Madras Regiment, the oldest unit in the Indian Army.

Ooty
Or Udhagamandalam, lies at a distance of 610 km from Madras &, 105 km. from Coimbatore, the nearest airport. Connected by rail with Coonoor and Coimbatore via Mettupalayam. It is also linked by road. It is a hill station. The Nilgiri Hills or the Blue Mountain scape is a captivating terrain where the incredibly beautiful abode of Ooty is perched at an altitude of 2286 m. Famed for its salubrious climate, it has fabulous gardens and pretty cottages. Founded in 1819 by John Sullivan, the former Collector of Coimbatore who was the first European to build his house there, Ooty prides in its breathtaking beauty and still continues to retain the old world charm. It has the influence of British India. Landscaped over 22 hectares, its Botanical Gardens (laid out 120 years ago) are covered with blossoming trees, shrubs and colourful flower beds. There is a fossilised tree, a crescent shaped lily pond, a bandstand, a conservatory and fountain terraces. 50 miles of green downs offer golf or just walking. The former palaces of the Maharajas have now been converted into hotels.

Pondicherry
This was the former capital of the French territories in India. Landmarks include the Raj Nivas, the residence of the Lt. Governor of Pondicherry - a handsome 200-year-old building which faces Government Park (French Place) with its well laid out paths and lawns, a few fountains and a number of sculptures. The Romain Rolland Library has over 60,000 volumes on its shelves. The Pondicherry Museum has an outstanding collection of artifacts relating to all aspects of the French Indian past. Its prize exhibits the bed that Dupleix slept on when he was Governor of Pondicherry. The church of Notre Dame des Anges was built around 1865. It has a rare oil painting of Our Lady of the Assumption, a gift from Napoleon III. Visit Aurobindo Ashram, the best known landmark of Pondicherry. The Ashram, in addition to practising yoga, also provides scope for practical activity for its followers who come from all over the world. These include construction, farming, shoe-making and laundering.
Auroville is an extension of the Aurobindo Ashram. It is a voluntary commune, 6 miles (10 kms.) Northwest of Pondicherry where around 800 people from 28 nations live. It looks like a city of the future as its architecture is the result of diverse experiments in building materials, techniques and styles.

Thanjavur
Or Tanjore is famous for the Brihadeeswara Temple has gopurams over 90 ft. (27 m) high and are exquisitely sculpted. They lead to a vast courtyard in which the main temple stands guarded by two sentries carved out of single stones. Facing the sanctum is a nandi (bull) Shiva’s favourite vehicle. The corridors around the sanctum have many sculptures as well as Chola frescoes which were recently discovered. The Palace and the remains of the fort that surround it can still be seen. Members of the former royal family of Thanjavur still occupy some apartments in the inner recesses but the Palace is now mainly used as a art gallery.

Kodaikanal
Situated at 7000 ft. above sea level owes its development to American missionaries working in Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka. Looking for a rest station and sanatorium, they choose “Kodi” in the 1840s but it was only after the British Governor Sir Charles Trevelyan’s visit in 1860 that the site began to develop as a hill station. It has clubs and an observatory, splendid waterfalls, forests and natural spectacles such as the Pillar rocks. Kodi’s pride is its lake, which offers boating and a 3-mile promenade A flower show is laid on by nature when the Kurinji blooms once in 12 years, carpeting the hillside with its pale blue. The last bloom was in 1994.

Tamil Nadu is famous for its hospitality and its deep belief that serving food to others is a service to humanity as is common in many regions of India. The region has a rich cuisine involving both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. It is characterized by the use of rice, legumes and lentils, its distinct aroma and flavour achieved by the blending of spices including curry leaves, tamarind, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut and rosewater. The word "curry" is derived from the Tamil word 'kari' which means "spice."

On special occasions, traditional Tamil dishes are prepared in almost the same way as they were centuries ago and served on a banana leaf.

The commonly referred staple South Indian dishes and meals like, Idly, Dosai, appam, uthappam, Idiyappam, Sambar, Rasam, Vatha Kuzhambu, Payasam, appalam etc which are considered generally as south indian food are essentially Tamil food and they are all originated from Tamil cuisine.