India Guide
Tamil Nadu
When Indians refer to "the South", it's usually TAMIL NADU they're talking about. This massive Tamil-speaking state is India's Dravidian Hindu heartland. Over the centuries, the region has been less exposed to northern influences, and its three dominant dynasties – the Cholas, the Pallavas and the Pandyans – developed their own unique religious and political institutions, largely unmolested by marauding Muslims. The most visible legacy of this protracted cultural flowering is a crop of astounding temples, whose gigantic, wedge-shaped gateway towers, or gopuras, still soar above just about every town.
Despite its seafront fort, grand mansions and excellence as a centre for the performing arts, the state capital Chennai (formerly Madras) is a hot, chaotic, noisy Indian metropolis that still carries faint echoes of the Raj. However, it is a good base for visiting Kanchipuram, a major pilgrimage and sari-weaving centre, filled with reminders of an illustrious past.
Much the best place to start a temple tour is nearby in Mamallapuram, a seaside village that – quite apart from some exquisite Pallava rock-cut architecture – boasts a long and lovely beach. Further down the coast lies the one-time French colony of Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry), now home to the famous Sri Aurobindo ashram.
In the very centre of Tamil Nadu, Tiruchirapalli held some interest for the Cholas, but reached its heyday under later dynasties, when the temple complex in neighbouring Srirangam became one of south India's largest. Among its patrons were the Nayaks of Madurai, whose erstwhile capital further south, bustling with pilgrims, priests, peddlers, tailors and tourists, is an unforgettable destination.
Rameshwaram, on the long spit of land reaching towards Sri Lanka, and Kanyakumari, at India's southern tip are both important pilgrimage centres, and have the added attraction of welcome cool breezes and vistas over the sea.
While Tamil Nadu's temples are undeniably its major attraction, the hill stations of Kodaikanal and Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in the west of the state are popular destinations on the well-beaten tourist trail between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The verdant, cool hills offer mountain views and gentle trails through the forests and tea and coffee plantations.
Highlights
1 Mamallapuram Stone-carvers' workshops, a long sandy beach and a bumper hoard of Pallava monuments have made this the state's principal tourist attraction.
2 Puducherry Former French colony that has retained the ambience of a Gallic seaside town: croissants, a promenade and gendarmes wearing képis.
3 Madurai The love nest of Shiva and his consort Meenakshi, this busy city's major temple hosts a constant round of festivals.