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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

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South India

Towering gopurams, Nilgiri hill stations, and a temple coastline running back well over a thousand years.

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Madurai
Madurai
Thanjavur
Thanjavur
Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram
Ooty
Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
Chennai
Rameswaram

What Tamil Nadu is known for

TemplesNilgirisCoastDance & musicFood

Browse Tamil Nadu by theme

The same places, sorted the way you might be thinking about the trip.

Hill Stations

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Coonoor

Coonoor

Coonoor is the second-largest of the Nilgiri hill stations in Tamil Nadu, quieter than neighbouring Ooty and wrapped in rolling tea gardens. Reached by the UNESCO-listed Nilgiri Mountain Railway, i…

Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is a beautiful and high-altitude hill station at an elevation of 2,133 metres on a plateau ridge of the Palani Hills in Dindigul district. Enveloped by dense pine forests, rugged granite…

Beaches

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Covelong (Kovalam) Beach

Covelong (Kovalam) Beach

A former fishing village turned surf town on the East Coast Road near Chennai, Covelong is South India's surfing hub with a laid-back beach-resort scene. The best months to visit are roughly Novem…

Dhanushkodi (Rameswaram)

Dhanushkodi (Rameswaram)

At India's southeastern tip, Dhanushkodi is a hauntingly beautiful ghost-town beach on a thin sandbar where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean, near sacred Rameswaram. The best months to vis…

Kanyakumari Beach

Kanyakumari Beach

At the southernmost tip of mainland India, Kanyakumari is famous for sunrises and sunsets over three converging seas, the Vivekananda Rock and the Thiruvalluvar statue. The best months to visit ar…

Marina Beach (Chennai)

Marina Beach (Chennai)

One of the world's longest urban beaches, Chennai's Marina is a vast city shoreline of promenades, statues, sunrise crowds and street food along the Bay of Bengal. The best months to visit are rou…

Tranquebar (Tharangambadi)

Tranquebar (Tharangambadi)

A former Danish colonial town on the Tamil coast, Tharangambadi pairs a quiet beach with the seafront Dansborg Fort and atmospheric colonial streets. The best months to visit are roughly November …

Spiritual & Pilgrimage

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Chidambaram (Nataraja Temple)

Chidambaram (Nataraja Temple)

Chidambaram is an ancient, vital pilgrimage town near the coastal plains of the Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu. The destination is known for hosting the Thillai Nataraja Temple, a multi-acre temp…

Kamakshi Amman Temple

Kamakshi Amman Temple

Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu is one of the Shakti Peethas, the sacred shrines of the Divine Mother in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. According to tradition, this is where the…

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram, the 'City of a Thousand Temples', is one of Hinduism's seven sacred Sapta Puri cities and a great centre of Dravidian temple architecture. Famed for the Kamakshi Amman, Ekambareswarar …

Kumari Amman Temple

Kumari Amman Temple

Kumari Amman Temple in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu is one of the Shakti Peethas, the sacred shrines of the Divine Mother in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. According to tradition, this is where the *…

Narayani Temple (Suchindram)

Narayani Temple (Suchindram)

Narayani Temple (Suchindram) in Suchindram, Tamil Nadu is one of the Shakti Peethas, the sacred shrines of the Divine Mother in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. According to tradition, this is whe…

Palani Murugan Temple

Palani Murugan Temple

Palani's Dhandayuthapani Swamy — Murugan as the renunciate boy with staff and loincloth — watches from his hill shrine over one of Tamil Nadu's greatest pilgrimages. This is where the child god, lo…

Srirangam (Ranganathaswamy Temple)

Srirangam (Ranganathaswamy Temple)

Srirangam is a temple town on an island between the Kaveri and Kollidam rivers near Tiruchirappalli. It is built around the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, one of the largest functioning Hindu temple c…

Thanjavur (Brihadeeswarar Temple)

Thanjavur (Brihadeeswarar Temple)

Thanjavur, once Tanjore, sits in the fertile Kaveri delta and is dominated by the Brihadeeswarar Temple — the 'Big Temple'. Commissioned in 1010 CE by the Chola emperor Raja Raja I, it is one of th…

Tiruvannamalai (Arunachaleswarar)

Tiruvannamalai (Arunachaleswarar)

At Tiruvannamalai, Shiva is the mountain itself — Arunachala, the hill of fire, with the vast Arunachaleswarar temple at its foot spreading over ten hectares beneath four colossal gopurams. Pilgrim…

Heritage

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Dindigul Fort

Dindigul Fort

Dindigul Fort is a hilltop fortress rising about 900 feet above Dindigul town in Tamil Nadu, with a fortification circumference of about 2.75 km enclosing 48 rooms, arsenal depots, stables, and can…

Fort St George

Fort St George

Fort St George, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, was built in 1644 as the first British garrison settlement in India, marking the start of British colonial presence in the subcontinent. The complex today ho…

Gingee Fort

Gingee Fort

Gingee Fort stands in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu, about 160 km from Chennai, built across three hills with roughly 13 km of fortification walls up to 20 m thick and a moat 80 feet wide. It is …

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram, also historically known as Mamallapuram, is an extraordinary coastal heritage destination perched peacefully along the Bay of Bengal coastline, roughly 55 km south of Chennai, known …

Namakkal Fort

Namakkal Fort

Namakkal Fort sits on a single massive rock rising sheer from the middle of its namesake town. Fortified by the Madurai Nayaks in the 17th century and later contested by Hyder Ali and the British, …

Hidden Gems

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Thirumayam Fort

Thirumayam Fort

Thirumayam's ring fort was built in 1687 by Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram and later held by the Tondaiman rulers of Pudukkottai. Its concentric walls wrap a rocky hill in the heart…

Wildlife & Safari

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Anamalai Tiger Reserve

Anamalai Tiger Reserve

The Anamalai Tiger Reserve, also known as the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, lies in the Anaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu near Pollachi and Valparai. Part of a UNESCO-listed We…

Mudumalai National Park

Mudumalai National Park

Mudumalai National Park, in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, is a key part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, adjoining Bandipur, Nagarhole and Wayanad. Its mix of deciduous forest, grassland and sw…

Discover Tamil Nadu

Temple gopurams that rise above whole towns, hill stations in the Nilgiris, and a coastline of ports and shrines going back well over a thousand years.

HeritageFoodFestivalsRoad trips

Food

Rice, lentils and tamarind — and the coffee is taken seriously.

Idli and sambar

Idli and sambar

Steamed, fermented and eaten everywhere before nine in the morning.

Masala dosa

Masala dosa

A crisp rice-and-lentil crepe folded over spiced potato, with chutney and sambar.

Chettinad cooking

Chettinad cooking

The peppery, spice-heavy kitchen of the Chettiar merchant towns inland.

Festivals

Dates move each year — check before you book.

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Pongal

Pongal

The harvest festival in January, marked with rice boiled over and kolam drawn at every doorway.

Meenakshi Thirukalyanam

Meenakshi Thirukalyanam

Madurai's temple wedding festival, usually April or May, filling the streets around the temple.

Karthigai Deepam

Karthigai Deepam

Lamps everywhere, and a beacon lit on the hill at Tiruvannamalai, usually November or December.

Food & cuisine

Signature dishes and local flavours to look for while exploring Tamil Nadu.

4 dishes

Chettinad Chicken Curry

Chettinad Chicken Curry

A fiery, aromatic curry from the Chettinad region, built on a base of roasted whole spices and shallots.

Idli Sambar

Steamed, fermented rice-and-lentil cakes served with a tangy lentil-vegetable stew — Tamil Nadu's everyday breakfast.

Pongal (Ven Pongal)

A savoury porridge of rice and moong dal, tempered with black pepper, cumin and cashews.

Filter Coffee

Filter Coffee

Strong decoction coffee brewed through a traditional two-tumbler filter and topped with frothed milk — a Tamil institution.

Attractions in Tamil Nadu

Places across themes — pick a vibe to dive in, or browse them all.

Heritage

19 places in Tamil Nadu

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Tamil Nadu

Chettinad (Karaikudi)

Chettinad, centred on Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, is a region famous for the grand mansions of the Nattukottai Chettiar merchant community and for one of India's most celebrated cuisines. The palatial…

Tamil Nadu

Fort St George

Fort St George, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, was built in 1644 as the first British garrison settlement in India, marking the start of British colonial presence in the subcontinent. The complex today ho…

Tamil Nadu

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram, the 'City of a Thousand Temples', is one of Hinduism's seven sacred Sapta Puri cities and a great centre of Dravidian temple architecture. Famed for the Kamakshi Amman, Ekambareswarar …

Tamil Nadu

Madurai (Meenakshi Amman Temple)

The Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Dravidian temple complex located in the heart of Madurai, an ancient city on the banks of the Vaigai River. Dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, a powerful form …

Tamil Nadu

Namakkal Fort

Namakkal Fort sits on a single massive rock rising sheer from the middle of its namesake town. Fortified by the Madurai Nayaks in the 17th century and later contested by Hyder Ali and the British, …

Tamil Nadu

Srirangam (Ranganathaswamy Temple)

Srirangam is a temple town on an island between the Kaveri and Kollidam rivers near Tiruchirappalli. It is built around the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, one of the largest functioning Hindu temple c…

Tamil Nadu

Velankanni

Velankanni, the 'Lourdes of the East', is the largest Christian pilgrimage centre in India — home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health on the Bay of Bengal coast. Drawing millions of devotees…

Tamil Nadu

Vellore Fort

Vellore Fort is a granite fortress in the center of Vellore town, Tamil Nadu, spanning about 133 acres and surrounded by a wide moat that once held crocodiles. It is best known as the site of the 1…

Spiritual & Pilgrimage

14 places in Tamil Nadu

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Tamil Nadu

Chidambaram (Nataraja Temple)

Chidambaram is an ancient, vital pilgrimage town near the coastal plains of the Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu. The destination is known for hosting the Thillai Nataraja Temple, a multi-acre temp…

Tamil Nadu

Kamakshi Amman Temple

Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu is one of the Shakti Peethas, the sacred shrines of the Divine Mother in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. According to tradition, this is where the…

Tamil Nadu

Kumari Amman Temple

Kumari Amman Temple in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu is one of the Shakti Peethas, the sacred shrines of the Divine Mother in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. According to tradition, this is where the *…

Tamil Nadu

Narayani Temple (Suchindram)

Narayani Temple (Suchindram) in Suchindram, Tamil Nadu is one of the Shakti Peethas, the sacred shrines of the Divine Mother in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. According to tradition, this is whe…

Tamil Nadu

Palani Murugan Temple

Palani's Dhandayuthapani Swamy — Murugan as the renunciate boy with staff and loincloth — watches from his hill shrine over one of Tamil Nadu's greatest pilgrimages. This is where the child god, lo…

Tamil Nadu

Thanjavur (Brihadeeswarar Temple)

Thanjavur, once Tanjore, sits in the fertile Kaveri delta and is dominated by the Brihadeeswarar Temple — the 'Big Temple'. Commissioned in 1010 CE by the Chola emperor Raja Raja I, it is one of th…

Tamil Nadu

Tiruvannamalai (Arunachaleswarar)

At Tiruvannamalai, Shiva is the mountain itself — Arunachala, the hill of fire, with the vast Arunachaleswarar temple at its foot spreading over ten hectares beneath four colossal gopurams. Pilgrim…

Tamil Nadu

Rameshwaram (Ramanathaswamy Temple)

Rameshwaram sits at the very tip of a slender island connected to the Tamil Nadu mainland by the Pamban Bridge, looking out across the Palk Strait toward Sri Lanka. At its heart is the Ramanathaswa…

Beaches

5 places in Tamil Nadu

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Tamil Nadu

Dhanushkodi (Rameswaram)

At India's southeastern tip, Dhanushkodi is a hauntingly beautiful ghost-town beach on a thin sandbar where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean, near sacred Rameswaram. The best months to vis…

Tamil Nadu

Kanyakumari Beach

At the southernmost tip of mainland India, Kanyakumari is famous for sunrises and sunsets over three converging seas, the Vivekananda Rock and the Thiruvalluvar statue. The best months to visit ar…

Tamil Nadu

Marina Beach (Chennai)

One of the world's longest urban beaches, Chennai's Marina is a vast city shoreline of promenades, statues, sunrise crowds and street food along the Bay of Bengal. The best months to visit are rou…

Tamil Nadu

Tranquebar (Tharangambadi)

A former Danish colonial town on the Tamil coast, Tharangambadi pairs a quiet beach with the seafront Dansborg Fort and atmospheric colonial streets. The best months to visit are roughly November …

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