Top Places to Visit in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu, a beautiful state in South India, is blessed with rich culture, ancient temples, colorful festivals, and scenic attractions. Surrounded by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, this state is home to palm-fringed coastlines, classical dance forms, centuries-old architecture, and traditions that still flourish today.

In this guide, we’ll explore the top places to visit in Tamil Nadu, including must-visit temples, iconic festivals, and travel tips to make your trip memorable.

Tamil Nadu Culture

Best Time to Visit Tamil Nadu

The best time to visit Tamil Nadu is during the post-monsoon and winter months (November to March). The weather is pleasant and perfect for temple visits, sightseeing, and attending festivals.

Famous Temples to Visit in Tamil Nadu

Indians are very religious people and believe in God. They pay respects even when they pass temple street. There are old temples which have their own significance and are important in the eyes of people. Here are some temples to visit when you travel to Tamil Nadu.

1. Brihadeeshwara Temple, Thanjavur

Brihadeeshwara temple Tamil Nadu

1. Brihadeeshwara Temple, Thanjavur

  • Built in the 10th century and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

  • Home to one of the largest Shiva Lingams in India.

  • Located about 350 km from Chennai.

  • A must-visit for history, spirituality, and architecture lovers.

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2. Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram Temple

  • One of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites in India.

  • Dedicated to Lord Shiva and visited by millions of pilgrims.

  • Famous for its long corridors and carved pillars.

3. Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Chennai

Kapaleeshwara Temple

  • A stunning Dravidian-style Shiva temple.

  • Also called “Mylai,” named after the peacock (Mayil) that worshipped Lord Shiva.

  • Timings: 6:00 am – 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm (closed on Mondays).

4. Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai.

Meenakshi Temple

  • One of the most visited temples in India with 15,000 daily devotees.

  • Known for its towering gopurams, temple tank, and vibrant sculptures.

  • Don’t miss the evening aarti ceremony.

5. Nagercoil Nagaraja Temple

Nagraja Temple

  • Dedicated to the serpent deity Nagaraja.

  • Believed to cure devotees of Naga Dosha.

  • Special worship rituals include offering milk and ghee.

  • It is said that people with Nag dosh come here and take bath in Naga Theertham on Tuesday and worship god with milk, ghee.
  • The temple timings are 5:00am to 11:30am and 5:00pm to 8:00pm.

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6. Jambukeshwarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval

Jambukeshwar Temple

  • Built during the Chola dynasty.

  • Unique feature: water flows beneath the main Shiva Lingam.

7. Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram

  • Represents the element of Earth among the Pancha Bhoota temples.

  •  The temple is located in Kanchipuram which is one of the five elements i.e. Earth, Sky, Air, Fire & Water where Lord Shiva represents Earth.

Ekambareswarar Temple

8. Kumari Amman Temple, Kanyakumari

Kumari Amman Templei. The temple in Kanyakumari has majestic sunset and sunrise view which is must see as it is situated on the shore of kanyakumari. ii. The temple is dedicated to Devi Kanya and so the name of the place is inspired from the same. iii. The temple is also mentioned in Mahabharata, Ramayan, so will be much known by the grandparents. iv. The main attraction of the temple is also the nose ring of the goddess which is embedded with rubies. The rubies seems a mark of beauty whose light is also seen by the sailing ships during nights, so that temple door is closed so the sailors don’t mistake the reflection from lighthouse light.

9. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam

Srirangam Temple

i. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is a great example of Dravidian culture architectural style. ii. The Tamil month of Margazhi i.e. December to January attracts around 1 million visitors and a site must see. iii. It is also the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world.

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Festivals in Tamil Nadu.

1. Pongal.

Pongal Tamil Nadui. Pongal is a harvest festival and one of the most famous one. ii. When you travel Tamil Nadu and by any chance it is mid January, you can experience this well known festival. iii. Pongal is celebrated for 4 days which is spent thanking nature for the harvest of rice and other cereals, sugarcane, turmeric etc. iv. Girls dance around bonfire and several pooja ceremonies are performed.

2. Jallikattu.

Jallikattu Tamil Nadui. Jallikattu is a traditional festival where bulls are released into the crowd of people and they try to grab the hump for longer time attempting bull to stop. ii. The event of Pongal witnesses this which is worth seeing and visit. iii. This festival was practised in the ancient times to display bravery. iv. You might not take part in this adventurous game but it is must watch as it is a tradition game. v. It has faced ban several times due to injury and death related issues but it has continued from 2017 again. vi. The Bulls participated in the game successfully gets higher prices in the markets.

3. Tamil New Year.

Tamil Nadu NewYeari. Tamil new year is also called Tamil Puthandu which is celebrated on 14th April every year. ii. Central and North India call it as ‘Baisakhi’ and Kerela call it ‘Vishu’. iii. When you travel Tamil Nadu, it is better if you stay with a family. That way you can see all the celebration that happens in the family and of course, would be able to eat the delicacies that are made occasionally. iv. Home entrances are decorated and a huge exhibition is held which is called ‘Chitterai Porukaatchi’.

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4. Adipperukku.

Adipperukku Tamil Nadui. This is also called Aadi Monsoon which is in mid July to mid August when the monsoon starts. ii. This is a favourable month for farmers when they sow and plant seeds. iii. This is the festival celebrated to thank nature and Cauvery river to give what she has given the farmers. iv. This festival is celebrated near water like river, water tank, wells and lakes for tribute to water. v. Women of the state worship Parvati and food is offered to goddess Parvati. vi. The family members get together and son-in-laws get new clothes.

5. Mahamangam.

Mahamangam Festivali. The festival comes every 12 years and South Indian town of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu witnesses a large amount of crowd. ii. People take dips in Holy water to wash all their sins and millions of people gather to celebrate the festival. iii. This is so sacred and Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Sarayu, Godavri, mahanadi, Narmada, kaveri river mix together at Mahamaham tank. iv. The tank is about 6.2 acres in space and mandaps and 21 wells can be seen inside the tank. v. Mahamaham stampede is very well-known for the number of people who attends the festival. vi. The last Mahamaham came on 22nd February 2016.

6. Mamalapuram.

Mamalapuram Festivali.The Mamallapuram is the Dance festival  held in December-January in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. ii.  Tourism department  set up the festivals and Government of India organizes the joyous moments. iii. This festival started from Pallava culture in 7th century which includes dance forms like Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Mohini Attam and Kathakali. iv. On this festival, people come to watch the dances at the backdrop of Pallava rock sculptures.

7. Karthigai Deepam.

Karthigai Deepam Festivali. The full moon day in November-December is the day of Karthihai Deepam. ii. Watch ‘Diyas’ and the lights which flashes all the houses with joy. It is to put away the darkness and bring light on earth. iii. Love and prosperity comes with the lights of lamps and evil wards-off .

8. Thiruvaiyaru Festival. Thiruvaiyaru Festivali. The music festival takes place in Thanjavur every year. ii. The music lover come from all over the country to attend the festival which is heart melting and amazing. iii. The festival is of 3 days to celebrate the cultural importance and to restore the pride of Music centre. iv. This is a traditional music festival which you can find in USA, Mauritius and Nigeria.

10. Thaipusam.

Thaipusam Festival i. Have you seen people with piercing of their face or body or dragging sleds attached to their body? This is a festival in Tamil Nadu known as Thaipusam. ii. The festival is to honor Lord Murgan who is the Hindu god of war & son of Shiva. iii. Thaipudam falls in the month of January based on Lunar event. iv. You can observe all the chanting and drumming from the devotees from large processions. v. The people who take artistic shrines known as ‘Kavadis’. They are the ones who pierce tongue, cheeks, face and a fact that they feel very less pain. The wounds heals in no time without leaving any scars. Tamil Nadu image

Facts of Tamil Nadu.

  1. It has the 2nd Largest coastline after Gujarat.
  2. Chennai was the 1st Indian city to have wi-fi facility .
  3. Tamil language is one of the oldest languages of the world which is still in use.
  4. Rameshwaram is one of the four pilgrimage centres of Char Dham. The other Dhams are Kedarnath, Dwarka and Puri.
  5. Chennai has given a lot of famous artists who have made us proud all over the world like Chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand, Cricketers Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay, Squash players and CWG gold medallists Dipika Pallikal, actor Kamal Haasan, Oscar-winner AR Rahman, scientist and Nobel laureate CV Raman, chairmann of Pepsi Co. Indra Nooyi.

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