An ancient temple with its massive and intricately carved gopuram towering into the sky is dedicated to Lord Siva.
This temple is dedicated to Parthasrathy or Lord Vishnu and believed to have been built by Pallava King in the 8th century.
The Marina Beach is considered one of the longest and loveliest beaches in the world. The Aquarium contains many species of tropical and marine fishes.
This noble cathedral is associated with the legend of St. Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. He is said to have been buried here after his martyrdom.
This is the only sanctuary of its kind located within any city. In the deer park there is a large number of fast-dwindling black bucks (Indian Antelopes), jackals, mongooses, spotted deer, civetcats, jungle fowls and partridges, quail and hares and different kind of monkeys. The Reptillium is known for a good collection of rare snakes.
It is a circular enclosure built in memory of Mahatma Gandhi adjecent to the deer park. Regular prayer meetings are held here.
In Madras the fourth largest city in India there are many ideal shopping places.
A delicatedly carved temple in the Rajasimha style of the 8th century. The shore temple is the lone survivor of seven such temples, the rest has fallen in the sea. There are two rock-cut shrines, one is dedicated to Lord Siva and one to Lord Vishnu.
These Rathas resemble pagodas and are mini-shrines chiselled out of big boulders in the form of temple chariots. They are known as Pancha Pandava Rathas, four are named after the Mahabharata heroes and one is named after the spouse Draupadi.
The bas-relief that can be found with the Five Rathas, hailed as on of the major glories of Indian art is a huge rock canvas with chisel-sketches of the denizens of the triple world of Gods and demi-Gods, of men, birds and beasts and of Nagas and nymphs.
In this cave the Pallava artists depicted a battle scene with haunting aesthetic perfection of Durga's fight with Mahishasura, the buffalo-headed demon and his destruction. Another sculpture presents Lord Vishnu in repose on his serpent couch Adisesha.
The Varaha cave is one of the best finished gems of Pallava art. It portrays two avatars of Lord Vishnu.
This 2000 year old temple is among the oldest shrines in Kanchipuram and is famous for its beautiful sculptures.
This Siva temple built on a nine-hectare area is one of the largest temple in Kanchipuram. This temple has five corridors and a thousand-pillared hall and a massive gopuram (tower). Inside there is a huge lingam, one of the Pancha Lingams of South India.
This splendid temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
This Vishnu temple is noted for its 100-pillared hall, riders on horseback, beautiful figures of Rathi and Manmatha, massive chains carved out of single stones and exquisite temple jewellery.
This place is known for being one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya.
This famous pilgrim centre is known for its Nataraja (Siva as the Cosmic Dancer) temple. The temple towers are carved with 108 classical postures of Nataraja and the thousand-pillared hall are worth seeing.
This place is known for its 13th century Fort and the Jalakanteshwara (Siva) temple inside the Fort.
The Arunachaleswarar temple is dedicated to Jyotir Lingam. The Ramana Ashram is here well known. Also you can find here the famous Sathanur Dam.
This place is a thriving commercial centre in Tamil Nadu. The Rock Fort (with a Ganapathi temple atop) is a well-known landmark of the city. It is also famous for artificial diamonds, cigars, handloom cloth, glass bangles and wooden and clay toys.
On this picturesque island you find the Sri Ranganathaswamy (Vishnu) temple, which is one of the largest Vaishnavite temples in South India with its 21 magnificent towers.
This temple dedicated to Brihadeeswarar (Siva) is considered the grandest and finest in India. The majestic tower of the temple rises 216 feet high over de city. The giant Nandi (bull) is considered the second largest in India. The first being at Lepakshi in Andra Pradesh.
This is a sacred place for the Catholics. Their holy shrine dedicated to 'Our Lady of Health' is visited by people of all faiths.
This temple is on a hillock and is dedicated to Dandayuthapani (Muruga).
The presiding deity at this Siva temple is Patteeswarar and His consort Pachai Nayaki. The sculptures are worth to see.
This park includes a small zoo and a joy train
This park is located at an altitude of 1,400 metres and has a rare collection of animals. Crocodiles are bred at the Amaravathy reservoir. Places of scenic beauty include Karain Shola, Anaikunthi Shola, Grass Hills, teak estates, waterfalls, etc. Visitors can go round the sanctuary on elephant or by van.
This is an important pilgrim centre where you can find the Sangameswarar temple.
The Siruvani water is known for its purity. The waterfalls and dam are in panaramic surroundings.
This 50 acre garden includes a variety of orchids, ornamental plants and trees, medical plants, coniferous trees, rock plants, bulbous plants, ferns, etc. In peak time an agro-horticultural show, spring flower show and dog show are held.
This lake is ideal for boating. The Boat House has also a children's corner.
There is a telescope house where you can have panoramic view of the valley.
This park is located at an altitude of 1,400 metres and has a rare collection of animals. Crocodiles are bred at the Amaravathy reservoir. Places of scenic beauty include Karain Shola, Anaikunthi Shola, Grass Hills, teak estates, waterfalls, etc. Visitors can go round the sanctuary on elephant or by van.
The Ooty races attract thousands of tourists and race-goers in April-June.
There are quite a few palaces which can be visited with permission: Aranmore Palace, Mysore Palace, Baroda Palace, the Cedars and Nawanagar Palace.
Ooty nestles in a valley surrounded by several high peaks from over 8,000 feet.
This is a quieter hill resort on 5,600 feet with tea estates dotting the slopes. The Sim's Park with its luxuriance of shady trees is a pleasant place. There are exciting walks for hikers.
In the quietest of the Nilgiri Hill resorts you can find a golf course.
This sanctuary is situated on the Nilgiris at an altitude of 3,000 feet. Many kinds of animals can been seen here. The entire sanctuary can be covered by car or on trained elephants provided by the Forest Department on hire.
An exquisite temple with 11 majestic towers and a hall of thousands of pillars with a repeated motif of the stylised dragon. There are musical pillars in one of the outer enclosures. Each pillar sounds a different note when struck. Inside, a pillared portico surrounds the sacred Golden Lotus Tank. The art of the temple is most interesting.
This imposing palace is built in Indo-Saracenic style. Its stucco work on its domes and arches are eye-catching
This ancient Vaishnavite temple has beautiful sculptures. The Lord here is three poses - sitting, standing and reclining - each depicted one above the other.
This place is known for the 6th century rock-cut temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya. It is also a place of Muslim pilgrimage.
The Sundararajar (Vishnu) temple here is located in picturesque surroundings at the foot of a hill. Around this temple lie the ruins of an ancient fortified town.
This magnificent lake with boating facilities and a 4 kilometre long promenade are the main attractions of Kodaikanal.
This park is full of colourful flowers.
Three rocks which are magnificently jutting into the sky to a height of about 400 feet.
There are a few falls around Kodaikanal: Bear Shola falls, Silver Cascade, Glen Falls and Fairy falls, the best of the lot. A swim at the root of the Fairy falls is refreshing.
There are two telescope houses where you can have panoramic view of the valley and nearby townships through these telescopes.
This flora and fauna museum is worth to visit. The archaeological and flora and fauna of the hills are on show here and you can also find here one of the best orchidariums in India.
One of India's most venerated temples which was installed by Sri Rama according to legend. This temple has 4,000 foot-long perambulatory corridor of astounding beauty. It is the longst of such temple corridors in India.
This temple is situated at the Dhanushkodi island. The idols of Sri Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman and vibhishana are installed here.
Devout Hindus believe that a bath in the holy waters here washes away their sins. It is a custom to take the holy bath in this place before entering the Rameswaram temple.
There are ferry services thrice a week from Rameswaram to Thalaimannar to get to the island nation of Sri Lanka.
This place is an popular pilgrim centre where you can found the Sri Subramanyaswamy temple built on a rock close to the seashore.
A well-known bathing place and health resort with 7 magnificent waterfalls of the Chittar river. It is said that this water has mineral properties and that bathing in these waterfalls is good for both mind and body.
This temple is picturesquely located on the shores and is dedicated to Parashakthi, the Virgin Goddess.
This grand memorial to Swami Vivekananda is on one of the twin rocks jutting out form the sea about 200 metres offshore.
This memorial to Gandhiji is raised at the sport where his ashes were kept for public darshan before immersion. The architecture of the memorial is such that the sun's rays fall at the sport where the ashes were kept on 2 October, the birthday of Gandhiji.