Tamil Nadu
Land of ancient temples and Dravidian culture
Tamil Nadu, on India's southeastern coast, holds the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage temple sites in the country, including the Great Living Chola Temples built over a thousand years ago and the shore temples of Mahabalipuram, evidence of continuous Dravidian temple architecture unmatched elsewhere in India. Tamil, the state's official language, is one of the world's oldest continuously spoken classical languages, with a literary tradition dating back over 2,000 years.
The Nilgiri hill station of Ooty and the tea estates of Coonoor, connected by a UNESCO-listed mountain railway completed in 1908, offer a cooler retreat from the state's hot coastal plains. Chennai, the state capital, is a major automotive manufacturing hub and gateway to South India, and Tamil Nadu's Bharatanatyam classical dance and Carnatic music traditions remain foundational to Indian classical arts.
Curated Experiences
Our journeys in India.
Popular Attractions
3 places
Attraction
Meenakshi Amman Temple
The Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai is a vast Dravidian temple to the goddess Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, with 14 painted gopurams
Attraction
Marina Beach
Marina Beach is Chennai's long urban seafront on the Bay of Bengal, a busy public space of promenades, memorials and food stalls
Attraction
Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
Ooty (Udhagamandalam) is a hill station at about 2,240 m in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiri hills, reached by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Travel Information
Best Time to Visit
November–February
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