Unique Places in State of Tamil Nadu

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In Tamilnadu, there is no end to your wildlife adventure and exploration as we take you to yet another wildlife sanctuary- the Point Calimere Sanctuary. Spread over an area of about 17.26 sq km and surrounded by sea and shore, Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Nagapattinam district of Tamilnadu.

Tiger, panther, sloth bear, wild dog, elephant, mouse deer, gaur, etc are the main fauna at the park. Black woodpecker, Malabar gray hornbill, barber, owl, hawk eagle, green pigeon and parakeet represent the bird life at the park. The ideal period to visit the Madumalai national Park is from February to May and again from September to October.

How to get there:
Rail-Thiruthuraipoondi (42 km)
Air-Tiruchirapalli (225 km)

Shiva/Brahma/Vishnu temple, the stone carvings are intricate and worth spending some time on. There is a huge Hanuman statue and a musical pillar.

When the “naada swaram” and drums in the temple started its beat, the golden globe slowly appeared on the horizon. I amazed – within minutes it is completely out of the horizon, melting down all the colors. There were hundreds of people to watch. After the breakfast, we started to Trivandrum on the taxi, bowing the land surrounded by the hills, and also have the clean seashores.
On the way, we visited Guganatha swami temple, a 1000 year old temple built by Raja Raja Chola. The temple was simple and small, with a unique garden around. There were not much people in there. The main sanctum was deep inside, than I imagined, again in holy darkness. After that, Tirumala Rama temple. A huge hanuman statue stood in the entrance of the temple, bowing at the main deity. The face was bent towards a side, showing its respect. On the way to Suchindram temple, the driver showed us the “Maruthuva malai” or the “medical mountain”. The small mountain was fell-down from the Sanjeevani mountain carried by Hanuman to Srilanka. We moved to Sucheendram temple, dedicated to Sri Stanumalayan [“Stanu” is shiva, “Mal” is Vishnu and “Ayan” is Brahma, the three main deities in Hinduism] around 15 KM from Kanyakumari dist. This is also the place where Indra attained “Suchi” or purification from a curse. The temple was built around 9 AD. The musical pillers, various statues, especially of Hanuman and Garuda were amazing. A small lake on its side added to the beauty of the temple. We proceeded to Nagar kovil temple. The main deity, Nagaraaja was just above the ground. There were a lot of snake deities worshipped in the temple. I saw a girl with a bend on her leg, giving “dana” to the beggars. It is believed to be good for her future – let the belief be true.

From kerala, through the taluka of Mannarakkad, one can take a deviation to Silent Valley. It is a dense forest area and the drive ( 3hrs) to Tamil Nadu border is a beautiful one. You will be crossing the western ghats and will see huge trees and dense forest on your either side and after crossing over Silent Valley you reach the tribal belt of Anakatti (fron here starts Tamil Nadu). A beautiful drive if you can do it.....

'Bharata Natyam', sacred dance as a religious ceremony, is very much appreciated by the gods. Shiva, under the name of Nataraja, the 'Lord of the Dance', with either a fearsome or a light step governs the rhythm of the unfolding of the Universe. And Parvati, His slim-waisted consort, taught this art to humans.

'Bharata Natyam' , in the Tamil land, involves not only dance but also chanting, music and dramatic miming. The great dancing masters and the consecrated dancers have handed it down from century to century in the temples to which they belong.

Towards the end of the 19th century it gradually disappeared under the Puritan pressure of the British. From 1925 onwards, and especially after independence, great Indian artists, in search of their cultural rootes, are reviving the ancient sacred dancing

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Place: Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu
Significance: A magnificent memorial of Vivekananda built on a rocky islet
Best Time to Visit: Throughout the year
Timings : Open on all days except Tuesday, from 0700 - 1100 and 1400 - 1700

This is a wonderful experience. A short boat ride takes you to the memorial. Details can be seen on the website given.

Thyagaraja Music Festival is held every year in January in Thiruvaiyaru, Tamilnadu. The festival is held in the memory of the great saint and musician Thyagaraja who lived and attained samadhi at Thiruvaiyaru. The festival is an eight-day affair and attracts leading Carnatic musicians from all over the country.

Held in the middle of january, it is the time when the people get ready to thank God, earth and their cattle for the wonderful harvest and celebrate the occasion with joyous festivities and rituals.

Pongal continues through the first four days of Thai month that starts in the mid-January and spreads to mid-February. The houses are cleaned, painted and decorated. Kolams (ground patterns made out of rice flour) are made in the front yards of the houses and new clothes for the whole family are bought to mark the festivities. Even the cattle are gaily caparisoned with beads, bells and flowers-their horns painted and capped with gleaming metals. Pongal has been designated the "State Festival" for its unique celebration that is typical of TamilNadu. It is a festival that encompasses all of TamilNadu in its joyous embrace. It is a time when the poor, the rich, the villager all celebrate the harvest festival together.

Like many other Indian festivals, Pongal also has a few interesting legends attached to it signifying the importance it holds. The most popular legend is the one connected to the first day of the Pongal celebration when the Rain God, Bhogi or Indra is worshipped. According to the legend, on this day Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger to shelter his people and save them from being washed away by the rains and floods.

Another legend is associated with the third day of Pongal celebration, also known as Mattu Pongal. According to it, Lord Shiva once asked Nandi, his bull, to go to earth and deliver his message to the people - to have an oil bath every day, and food once a month. But Nandi got it all mixed up when he delivered the message, and told the people that Shiva asked them to have an oil bath once a month, and eat every day. Shiva was displeased, and told Nandi that since the people would now need to grow more grain, Nandi would have to remain on earth and help them plough the fields.

At Hogenakkal Fall's you have a number of smaller water fall's which are worth visiting during a 1 day trip from Bangalore.