Madurai
Meenakshi Temple
Thousands of painted figures on the towers, and the night ceremony inside.
- Type
- Faith
- When
- October to March
Destinations › South India & the Islands
Tamil Nadu
Dravidian temple towns, the Nilgiri hills and the shore temples of Mahabalipuram.
Experience Tamil Nadu
Choose a place on the map to see what your client can do there.
Mahabalipuram
The Shore Temple
Pallava stone carvings by the sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Type
- Heritage
- When
- October to March
Thanjavur
Brihadeeswarar Temple
A thousand-year-old Chola masterpiece and the seat of classical arts.
- Type
- Heritage
- When
- October to March
Ooty
The Nilgiri Railway
A UNESCO-listed rack railway climbing through tea to Ooty.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- March to June, September to November
Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
The princess of hill stations, around a star-shaped lake.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- March to June, September to October
Rameswaram
Rameswaram
The long pillared corridors of a Char Dham shrine on an island.
- Type
- Faith
- When
- October to April
Kanyakumari
Where Three Seas Meet
Sunrise at the tip of India, with the Vivekananda rock memorial offshore.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- October to March
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram Silk
Temple town of the famous silk saris, woven on handlooms.
- Type
- Craft
- When
- All year
Karaikudi
Chettinad Cooking
Fiery peppered dishes in the great mansions of Chettinad.
- Type
- Food
- When
- October to March
Illustrative map, not to scale. The outline is indicative and is not an official boundary. Outline data: DataMeet (CC BY 4.0).
About Tamil Nadu
Chennai, Madurai, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Rameswaram
Tamil Nadu is the heartland of Dravidian temple architecture, and its towering gopurams set the skyline of town after town. Madurai’s Meenakshi temple is the most famous, with Thanjavur’s Brihadeeswarar, a UNESCO World Heritage site, close behind.
From Chennai, the shore temples and rock carvings of Mahabalipuram are an easy day, and Pondicherry’s French quarter a short drive further. In the south, Rameswaram is one of the Char Dham, and Kanyakumari stands at the tip of India where three seas meet.
The Nilgiri hills give the state its hill stations: Ooty, reached by the UNESCO-listed Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Coonoor and Kodaikanal.
What Your Client Will See
Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
Thousands of painted figures on its gopurams.
Mahabalipuram
The Shore Temple and Arjuna’s Penance.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The rack railway up to Ooty.
Kodaikanal
The princess of hill stations and its star-shaped lake.
Rameswaram
The Ramanathaswamy temple and its corridors.
Kanyakumari
Sunrise where the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal meet.
Our Guests in Tamil Nadu
At Kanyakumari, where the mainland ends and three seas meet, a whole group gathers on the shore for the photograph everyone takes home.
On the shore at Kanyakumari
Departures & Catalogues
Fixed departures and catalogues for Tamil Nadu. A departure added on the Fixed Departures calendar appears here by itself.
Catalogues
No fixed departure for Tamil Nadu is open right now. Every itinerary is quoted on request: ask the trade desk for a worked quotation.
Plan the Trip
- Best time
- October to March; the hills are pleasant from March to June.
- Gateway
- Chennai (MAA), Madurai (IXM), Coimbatore (CJB) and Tiruchirappalli (TRZ).
- Ideal length
- 5 to 9 nights for a temple circuit; 3 to 4 nights for the hills.
- Notes
- Temples have dress codes and some inner sanctums admit Hindus only.
- Pairs well with
- Kerala, or Karnataka.
Sell Tamil Nadu with Us
Send the dates, the number of travellers and the hotel category, and the South desk replies with a worked quotation. Registered partners see net rates on every package.