Pondicherry

Pondicherry is a Union Territory associated with the Southeastern Tamilnadu. It has some amazing places like Paradise Beach. Pondicherry has a special place for people who love to dive into spirituality and meditation or yoga, for that you can check Sri Aurobindo Ashram. You can also enjoy Scuba diving and get the thrills of experiencing marine life. Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is also a very famous site to visit in Pondicherry.

Chennai

Every year a lot of people from all over India visit Chennai for its marvelous beaches, museums, temples. The second largest beach in the world Marina Beach is also located in Chennai. It also has India’s second oldest museum. You can also visit Marundeeswarar temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Lord of Medicine. The temple was built in the 7th-8th century, it is said that Marundeeswarar temple can do miracles and if you’re suffering from any disease then this temple can bring it to an end.

Velliangiri Hills

Velliangiri Hill is situated at the border of Coimbatore district, Kerala. It is said to be the Kailash Parvat of South India. It is also known as “Saptha Giri”. Here Lord Shiva is called as Swayambhu, it is a pilgrimage place for many people.

Meghamalai

Meghamalai is also known as High Wavy mountain. To reach Meghamalai you should leave in the early morning as you will be able to witness the most harmonious and lovely view. It is a perfect place to spend your time in peace, away from the population. You’ll find yourself in the arms of nature, you will find dams, lakes, tea plantations, Suruli waterfall, and 15 hairpin ghat rides.

Yercaud

Yercaud is a place near Bangalore where most of the people visit to spend their weekend as it has amazing waterfalls, lakes, and parks. You can visit Kiliyur falls for great pictures and Amma garden which has a lake on the opposite side.

Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal means “the gift of the forest”. It has a very huge pillar type rock which is called Pillar rocks. Below it there is a trench which is also called ” Devil’s Kitchen “. Kodaikanal also has a solar observatory by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, this will make your trip more exciting. Kurinji Andavar Temple is also located here which was built by a European woman who changed her religion to Hinduism. Kodaikanal is also famous for its kurinji flowers which blossom for once every twelve years. You can also check out the Liril waterfall where the water gets collected in a ‘kind’ in which visitors can take a bath. For the people who love trekking can come here and visit Dolphin Nose. The best time to visit is between October- March.

Kolli Hills

Kolli hill is the capital of Valvil Ori. This place is known for its fresh fruits and spices. It also has a very famous waterfall named as Aagaya Gangai falls along with Maasila falls, Seeku Parai viewpoint. Kolli hills have Arapaleeshwarar temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva which was built in the 1st-2nd century. Nammaruvi is a waterfall there but before visiting check the availability of water as without water it would not look that amazing. Altogether, it is a place filled with many waterfalls but during summer there is a scarcity of water so I suggest you skip going there during the summer season.

Ooty

Ooty is said to be the queen of all hills. It includes the Doddabetta peak, which is South India’s fourth highest peak, it also has a watchtower covered with glass to see the valley through it. There is a Toy train which runs from Mettupalayam and goes through the forests and valleys and will end at Ooty.  There are a Tea factory and Tea Museum where you can experience how tea is made from picking up the tea leaves and processing it to putting it in your cup. Man-made boathouse and lake which is surrounded by trees is a special thing to explore in Ooty, you must go for boating there as they have many types of boat available.

Dhanushkodi

Dhanushkodi is situated on Pamban Island of Tamil Nadu. It is an abandoned town that was destroyed during a cyclone in Rameswaram in 1964. From here you can see the original bridge of Ram Setu. Dhanushkodi is said to be the ‘Ghost town’. It has a very remarkable view of two oceans and an exquisite shoreline. You will find many ruins from the 1960s.

Hogenakkal falls

Hogenakkal fall is a waterfall in between Chamrajnagar and Dharmapuri. Hogenakkal falls also said to be the ‘Niagara Falls’ of India. You will find Carbonatite rocks which are said to be one of the oldest in the world. Tourists come here especially for adoring this beautiful sight and bathing in it. I’m sure this is going to be one of your favorite waterfalls amongst all.

Tuticorin

Tuticorin is said to be the “Sea Gateway of Tamil Nadu”. It has many places to visit like the rock-cut temple, Murugan temple, Kattakattabomman beach, a memorial fort which was made in the memory of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Ettayapuram Palace & Sri Vaikuntam temple which is one of the nine Vishnu temples in India.

Madurai

Madurai is an ancient city beside the Vaigai River. It has many temples and major pilgrimage sites. Azhagar Kovil, a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is situated on a hill. If you love old palaces and museums, you can check out Rani Mangammal palace which is turned into a ‘Gandhi museum’. Thousands of followers of Lord Shiva visit this city to worship  Shri Meenakshi- Sundareswarar Temple, inside which you will find thousands of pillars with many realistic sculptures and another temple called Thiruparankundram Temple where it is said that Lord Subrahmanya with Devyani (Indra daughter) got married.

Chidambaram

Chidambaram is known for the Thillai Nataraja temple & Thillai Kali temple which has a chariot festival every year.  Thillai Nataraja temple was built in the 10th century, there is a wall carving showing all the 108 karakaranas by Bharat Muni from Natya Shastra.

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is the only coastal town of the world where you can see both rising and setting of the sun and is also the meeting point of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. There are a lot of temples which you can visit in Kanyakumari. Along with that, you can go through the handicrafts market where you’ll find many types of decorative items made of shells and wood. The beach here has multicolored sand which you would love to see. You can also visit Padmanabhapuram Palace which is made up of wood.

Coonoor

Coonoor is the second largest hill in the Nilgiris. It has a Sim’s Park, which is a botanical garden with more than one thousand types of plants. It organizes fruit and vegetables shows every year. You can also do trekking from Lady Canning’s Seat till Dolphin’s Nose. You can visit Droog Fort which is said to be used by Tipu Sultan.

Kotagiri

Kotagiri is a town in the Nilgiri district. On the outskirts of this town, there is Kodanad viewpoint from where you can see many mesmerizing farms and hills and can also see the tribal house. You must explore Doddabetta mountain as it is the highest mountain in Nilgiri.

Rameswaram

Rameswaram is on Pamban Island. It is one of the holiest pilgrimage places of Hindus and also one the Dham from Char-dham. This is the place where Lord Ram came when he was trying to reach Sri Lanka. Rameswaram is famous for its history and temples which are taken care of since ages, one of them is Ramanataswamy temple, it has two lingams, one is brought by Lord Hanuman and other by Sita. It is marvelous temple with adorable architecture. Don’t forget to witness the beauty of the temple. There is a place called Agnitheertham which is said to be the place where you can wash away your sins in the holy water, so yes this is a good chance for you to start a new life from here. Rameshwaram is also a kite surfing destination in India. You can also visit the place where our former president APJ Abdul Kalam spent his childhood that is now turned into a museum.

Tiruchirappalli

Tiruchirapalli is a very old place which has seen quite a lot of rulers and have a lot of things to show you like Rock fort temple by Pallava dynasty, Our Lady of Lourdes Church by Britishers, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple by Chola dynasty,  biggest butterfly conservatory is also there, don’t forget to miss the rail heritage center with the oldest trains and its parts & Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari Temple which is the oldest Lord Shiva temple of South.

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is mainly known for its temples and the monuments by Pallav dynasty. It has many sculptures and caves, you can also visit the beach and then explore the lighthouse and see the mesmerizing view of the beach. Mahabalipuram also has a museum of ships and a separate museum for seashells with over 20,000 types of shells, fossils, corals, etc. It also has a monument from Mahabharata time which is called Panch Ratha representing five Pandavas.

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram is an ancient city of South India also known as Kanchi. This place is famous for its handwoven silk sarees and a thousand temples like Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kailashnath temple, Sri Ekambareswarar Temple, Kamakshi Amman temple, Sri Ulagalanda temple, Chitragupt Swami temple and many more to go. It also has a bird sanctuary and a fort by Mughal rulers.

Coimbatore

Coimbatore is a major city of Tamil Nadu, also known as Kovai, surrounded by western ghats on the bank of Noyyal river, also a major exporter of jewelry and famous for its Kanchivaram and Adiyogi Shiva statues. You must not miss visiting Chavakkad beach, vydehi falls, monkey falls, Kodiveri dam, Kovai Kondattam amusement park, Marudhamalai hill temple, Shri Ayyappan temple, Gass forest museum, Ramar temple, TNAU botanical Garden, Masani Amman TempleNaga Sai Mandir, Black Thunder theme park, Isha yoga center and many more.

Vellore

Vellore is named after the Vellore fort which is situated in this city. It has a lot of temples but you must visit Roman Catholic Diocese and Ratnagiri temple for sure. You can also visit its Amirthi zoological park, Vaina Bappu observatory, forts specially Vellore fort in which many rulers came and stayed for years. There’s also a Magnificent golden temple of Goddess Mahalakshmi. It also has a hill station called Yelagiri.

Devala

Devala is a very small town in Tamilnadu with a lot of tea factories. This place is also known as the Cherrapunji of the South. This place is full of tea farms and greenery. It doesn’t have many places to visit but it would be a great one day trip in-between nature.

Isha Yoga Center

Isha Yoga Center is situated on the hills of Velliangiri, it has a large hall and garden with a meditation center where people mainly focus on four things: karma, knowledge, energy, and devotion. Every week thousands of people visit this place for meditation and seeking peace.

According to mythology, Rameshwaram is considered to be a place where Lord Ram -the seventh incarnation of Vishnu built a bridge from Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. Another belief says that Rameshwaram is the place where Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to get relief from the sin of killing the Brahmin king, Ravana. Rama decided to build the Shivalingam for worshiping and asked Hanuman to bring linga from the Himalayas.  Fetching took time and meanwhile Sita built a Shivalingam there. This lingam is still present at the Ramanathaswamy Temple shrine.

The top places to visit in Rameshwaram :

Ramanathaswamy Temple: Ramanathaswamy temple of Tamil Nadu belongs to Lord Shiva. Travelers visiting Ramanathswamy temple can see the world’s longest corridor and immaculate carvings on pillars. There are two lingams in the temple, one constructed by Sita out of sand and other that Lord Hanuman brought from the Himalayas upon Ram’s request. Tourists must visit to see the temple’s beauty during the month of February or March at the time of Mahashivratri. To get moksha or salvation, devotees flock here and dip into twenty-three holy water bodies to get relief from their sins.

Agniteertham: Out of the twenty-four sacred holy water bodies, twenty-three are inside the temple but one which is located few meters away from the temple is known as Agniteertham. Agniteertham is one of the important theertham. Legends believed that Agniteertham got this name as Lord Agni had to wash away his sin of touching Goddess Sita during Agnipariksha by taking a bath in the sea and offering Lord Shiva prayers.

Dhanushkodi: Traveler visiting Rameshwaram, with spirituality also get to enjoy unique and unusual beach towns of India i.e Dhanushkodi. Dhanushkodi is a small beach town on the coast of Tami Nadu. The place is known as a ghost town after the massive destruction by a cyclone in the year 1964. Dhanushkodi is believed to be that place from where Lord Rama started constructing Ram Setu.

Five Faced Hanuman Temple: Five faced Hanuman temple is one of the renowned temples in Rameshwaram. The idol of Hanuman is covered with sindooram. Here tourists can see magical stones that float on water that are the same stones used by his monkey army for building the bridge from India to Lanka for Lord Rama. The temple is located close to the most famous museum called’ House of Kalam’ in Rameshwaram. House of Kalam is the storehouse of memories of great scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Pamban Bridge: Pamban Bridge is also known as Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge and is the longest bridge in Southern India and the second longest sea bridge in India after the Bandra Worli sea link in Mumbai. Pamban Bridge can take a traveler from Rameshwaram to the mainland.

A traveler visiting the Rameshwaram can also view the spectacular view of migratory birds at Water Bird Sanctuary and enjoy water sports activities at Sea World Aquarium.