Sivaganga district

Edaikattur Church

Edaikattur Church is the Sacred Heart Shrine Built with full of arts in Gothic architectural style on the model of the RHEIMS cathedral in France. All those beautiful statues were brought from France 110 Years back to Idaikattur. The reason is that only in this shrine there are the Relics (things connected with) of 40 saints kept on the main altar. Secondly, there is a historical event which took place 110 years back, when this Church was built that 9 choirs (hundreds) of angels appeared and solved a great problem. The Location of the shrine is 36 Km away from Madurai on the way to Ramnad or Rameshwaram main road.

Kaleeswarar Temple

The holy temple Kalaiyarkoil is in Sivaganga District. It is 18 K.M east of Sivaganga, 30 km west of Devakottai on the Devakottai - Manamadurai Road and 66 km south - East of Madurai - Tondi Road. "Kalaiyarkoil" derived its name from the Kaleeswarar temple of the place.  The temple of Kalaiyarkoil is a very large and handsome building surrounded by a strong stone-wall about 18 feet in height. Kalaiyarkoil has two Rajagopuram viz big and small one. There is a big Tank on the Southern side of the Temple.

Kannadasan Memorial

He was born in Thiru Mukkudalpatti in Karaikudi. He was a great Lyricist. He raised the level of Tamil Film Songs to Himalayan Heights. The memorial was opened on 21-10-1992 Situated at Karaikudi Opp. to new bus stand.

Karaikudi

(45 kms.) This small town is known for  its  magnificent mansions constructed by the Chettiars - a castle known as much for their prosperity as well, as their hospitality. Though the owners of these palatial wonders have long scattered having left for distant shore, the beautifully carved wood work as well as the stone and mortar work of these houses can still be appreciated. The Alagappa College founded by the late Dr.Alagappa Chettiar has been upgraded now as a deemed University and is known as Alagappa University.

Deivam Wonderland

It is located at a distance of about 1 km from Pillayarpatti and 14 km from Karaikudi on the Rameswaram to Madurai Road NH7. The antiquity value of the temple is exhibited in Deivam Wonder Land Museum world wide various sculptures of Lord Ganesa are the gems of the museum. 

Kandadevi Temple

The Village Kandadevi is situated 3 Km away from Devakottai Town. Here the Temple is called as Arulmigu Sowarna Moortheeswarar alias Siragilinathar. The Amman is called as PeriyaNayaki Amman. This is 350 years old Temple. The Temple is maintained by Sivaganga Devasthanam. It is here Hanuman told to Rama 'Kanden Deviyai'. Hence this place is called as Kandadevi. The Aani Urchavam is very famous festival for this temple, which is celebrated every year, during the month of June by the people of 75 Villages.

Kundrakudi Temple

Arulthiru Shanmuganathan Holy Temple is situated at 10 Kms from Karaikudi, Sivaganga District. Built around the year 1000 in Lord Shanmuganathan is the presiding deity and the History is referred Mayuragiri Puranam. Marudhu Pandiyars Kings of Sivaganga renovated the Temple in their days. Important festivals include Thaipusam in January, Panguni Uthram in March, Thirukarthikai in November, and Kandha Shasti also in November Prayers in this temple bring relief from diseases and mental worries. The Devotees are blessed with good Children.

Marudupandiyar Memorial

They were not afraid of Britisher's bullet and fought for the independence of our beloved country. The Maruthu brothers are the descendents of Sivaganga Velu Nachiar who ruled efficiently. For the sake of their citizens, they surrendered to the Britishers during 1801 and then  hanged. Periya Maruthu was born on 1748 and Chinna Maruthu was on 1753, both were hanged on 08-10-1801. Maruthupandiyar's memorial is located in swedish Mission Hospital Campus. The memorial was opened for the visiting public on 21-10-1992.

Pillaiyarpatti Temple

This rock-cut temple is 12 kms from Karaikudi on the Karaikudi Madurai road. It was built after hewing a hillock by the early pandiya kings and the image of Karpaga Vinayaka and that of a Siva Linga were carved out of a stone by a sculptor called Ekkattur Koon Peruparanan who put his signature on a stone inscription is found even today in the sanctum. He put his signature in Tamil Language which was in use between 2nd and 5th century AD. 

Ilayankudi

Ilayankudi Mara Nayanar was one among 63 saivite saints, He was a farmer. Maranar was his name and lived here . He was a great devotee of Lord Siva and his devotees, He took greatest pleasure in serving them.

Thirukostiyur Temple

This is  important out of 108 Vaishnava temples. The  Alwar Ramanujar has visited and prayed God Sri Vishnu. The God's name is swami Narayana Perumal", The God is in five floors. This is also known as south Thiruppathi'. Each year, 'Masi magam Deepam' is celebrated with pomp and enthusiasm here.

Salem district

Salem is the headquarters of Salem district. The city lies at the base of Yercuda hills, a famous tourist destination that offers some of the most astounding scenic beauty. The name 'Salem' seems to have been derived from Sela or Shalya by which the term refers to the country around the hills, as in the inscriptions. And the place indeed has hills around its periphery.

The headquarters to Salem district, Salem is the fourth largest city of Tamilnadu and located in the central part of the state. The city is also a major textile hub of the country and famous for stainless steel.

Salem from the Pages of History
Local tradition claims Salem as the birthplace of Tamil poetess Avvaiyar. Inscriptions from Ganga dynasty have been recovered from parts of the district. Madurai Nayaks ruled Salem for quite some time. Late in the 18th Century, the Mysore Rajas captured Salem and after a long feud Colonel Wood took it over from Hyder Ali in 1768. Hyder recaptured it in 1772 and in 1799, Lord Clive annexed Salem and the place remained a military station till 1861.

Salem as a Tourist Destination
Leading to the picturesque trekking up Yercaud hills, Salem is an amphitheater of grand hills all around it. You have the Nagarmalai in the north, the Jeragamalai in the south, the Kanjanamalai on the west and Godumalai on the east.

Among the major tourists attractions you can visit Tharamangalam, which is situated about 27kms away from Salem and famous for Kailasanathar temple. Mettur dam is another popular picnic spot built across the river Cauvery. You can also savor the cascading Kiliyur Falls, a feast for your eyes.

Ramanathapuram district

ourism in Ramanathapuram district offer a great opportunity to visit some of the best temples and a number of other tourist attractions including the Kurusadai Island, Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge, Sea World Aquarium, etc. Some of the well-known temples in this district which attract a large number of pilgrims as well as general tourists due to their great architectural design are Veyulugantha Vinayagar Alayam, Patham Priya Koil, Satchi Hanuman Temple, etc. There is also a famous place of pilgrimage for the Christians known as Oriyur. Oriyur is one of the most-noted pilgrim centers for Christians all over the world as it is home to the martyrdom of St. John De Britto, a Portuguese Jesuit also known as `Arul Anandar`. There is a shrine with its Portuguese facade and it contains a captivating statue of Arul Anandar offering his neck in humble submission to the executioner.

One of the major tourist attractions in the district of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu state is the Kurusadai Island. This Island is located to the west of the Pamban Bridge between the mainland and the island. It is a marine biosphere, and it is considered to be a paradise for the marine biologists and nature lovers. Marine wealth is abounding at this place which attracts a large number of researchers and scholars to this Island. The Kurusadai Island is almost four kilometers from Mandapam. Away from the Kurusadai Island, one could also see a lot of coral-reef, fish, dolphins, sea-cows, etc.

Another attraction in this district is Ramanathapuram, which is an ancient town and it is also the headquarters of the Ramanathapuram district. From this place the Sethupathis or the Chieftains ruled this territory. The Ramalingavilasam Palace with beautiful painting and the Tomb of Thayumana Swamigal are the places worth visiting. There is also a museum in this town. The Sea World Aquarium is located just opposite to the Rameswaram bus stand where one can get to enjoy the beauty of underwater creatures in their near natural habitat. It is the only one of its kind in the state, and probably in the country too, and it is filled with such varied marine life forms including exotic species like snake fish, octopus, sea lizard, parrot fish, cow fish, lion fish, sea squid, rabbit fish, butter fish, fire fish, crabs, lobsters, clown fish, sea lotus, beach tamet, prawns, starfish, sharks and sea horse. This place attracts a large number of general tourists as well as marine life lovers throughout the year.

The Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge is located in the district of Ramanathapuram. The bridge is 2.2 kilometers long and it connects the Rameswaram Island and the mainland. This is also the longest Indian bridge constructed over a bay. This bridge is also known as the Pamban Bridge. There is also a railway bridge connecting the island and it is known for its unique opening to pass the ships through the sea. Thus, the Ramanathapuram district forms a major tourist attraction due to the presence of some of the most beautiful temples, bridges, church, tomb and a number of other natural beauties.

Pudukkottai district

Thirukattalai
Thirukattalai is 5 km far east from Pudukottai. This is the only temple in Pudukottai which reminds us the ancient Chola's architectural pattern. Sundareswarar Temple was built during Adhitha Cholan's period. The temple has a shrine and mandap and around that are seven temples for angels. The temple's terrace has images of Thatchinamorrthi, Pitchadamoorthi, Varagan, Vishnu and Brahma.
Kaliapatti
It is on the way to Keeranur- Killukottai, a small village with a temple which depicts the Tamilnadu Temple Architecture. It is a very small temple with 8' * 8' shrine with a small terrace over it. The wall of the shrine has no images.It is called by Pudukottai people as "Ottai Koil".
Muvar Koil
The Muvar Koil was built by Budhi Vikrama Kesari one who belong to Velir community. The rocks gives the Krandha Scripts of Velirs and also many details about the community. This temple is called as Muvar Koil because Budhi Vikrama Kesari along with his name, added his two wives names, Varagunavaati, Katrallai Piratiyar. This temple has a shrine of 21' * 21' and its tower is 32 feet tall. There is a common Mahamandap for three temples. The temple has a Nandhi mandap and Balipeedam in it. Also 15 small temples were built around this temple for angels.
Muskundeshwarar Koil
North of Muvar koil is Musukudeshwarar Koil which belongs to ancient Chola asserts. It was believed that this temple was built by Kunjaramallan during 14th Century. This temple has a shrine and front mandap. There is also a statue of Nandhi which has a length of about 9 feet. This statue resembles the Tanjore Temple Nandhi in its artistical work.
Kunnandaar Temple
The Kunnandaar Temple,is located 25 kms from Pudukottai.There are two ways to reach this place, one is take a bus from Pudukottai via Putthambur and other is taking a bus from Keeranur via Killukottai. There is a cavetemple located on a mountain, which has a shrine and small mandap before that. On the top of the mountain is a temple for Subramaniar. This cave temple is called as Kutrandavar Temple. This mandap in front of the cave temple has images of Valampuri Ganesh with Somaskhandar in rock. The cave temples of ancient Pallavas were built behind the shrine of Somaskandar.
Sri Gokarnesvara - Brahadambal Koil
The cave temple has more architectural technical features compared to other cave temples of this region. The relief sculpture of ‘Sapta-matrika’ of this temple is important from the point of view of iconography. It contains about 30 inscriptions. Some of them are Grantha inscriptions of the 7th century AD. There are two main deities: Gokarnesvara and Bakula-vanesvara. There is no shrine for Nava-graha (‘the-nine-planets’). The temple has five ther-s (temple-cars), which is a large number comparatively, with marvellous craft work, architecture and of noteworthy features. Because of the benevolence of the royalty the temple was the centre of dance, music of great repute
Aranthangi
The second largest town in Pudukkottai district after the headquarters. Aranthangi was the most populous locality in the south of the Thanjavur district till it was added to Pudukkottai. The main centre of attraction is a ruined fort. The walls are not constructed of brick or stone. Large interstices are filled with mud. There are no ruins of palaces or any other striking building inside. There is no indication when the fort could have been built. But, a line of Tondaimans who were unconnected with those of Pudukkottai, were in power here in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and it is believed that they constructed it. The temple of Rajendra Chola varma in the town seems to have been built in the eleventh century.
Thirumayam (19 kms. from Pudukkottai)
The Fort, the Siva and Vishnu temples are the tourist attractions here. The Fort played an important role in the history of Tondaiman rulers of Pudukkottai and the British. The erection of this 40 acre-wide Fort in 1687 A.D. is attributed to Sethupathi VijayaRagunatha Thevar, the Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram. On the hill there is a Rock Cut Siva temple with Music inscription and the relics of a Fort. At the foot of the hill also Vishnu and Siva Shrines are found. The Vishnu temple is one of the most complete and the largest Anantasayi groups in India. It is a natural Cavern which has been changed into a shrine.
Viralimalai
The temple of Lord Subramanya at this place is on a hillock and is said to exist before 15th Century A.D. There is a peacock sanctuary. It is 30 kms. from Tiruchirapalli and 40 kms. from Pudukkottai. The principal idol is seated on a peacock with consorts on either side.
Kodumbalur
Also known as Moovarkoil, it is 36 kms. from Pudukkottai and 42 kms from Tiruchirapalli. It was formerly the seat of Irukkuvelirs, who were related to the Cholas. Of the three shrines of Moovarkoil only two exist now. These temples were built by Boodhi Vikramakesari in the 10th Century A.D. The architecture of the temple is unique among south Indian temples. The sculptures of Kalarimurthi, Gajasamharamurthi Ardhanari. Gangadaramurthi etc. are interesting master pieces of art. Nearby is the Muchukundeswarar temple of the early Chola period. Kudimiyan-Manapparai road. From ancient times, Kodumbaalur is very famous. During Chola period it was said that Rani Mangammal donated this village to his army captain Lakshmi Narasimhaya. So it is called as "Mangammal Chatram". This village has faced many wars in it. In Kodumballur, two temples namely Muvar Koil and Musukundeshwarar Koil adds fame to it.
Other Impotant places
Sri Brahadambal Kokarneswar Temple , Sri Santhanatha Swami Temple, Sri Muthumariamman Temple, Thiruvappoor Sri Bhuvaneshwari Amman Temple, Adhishtanam, Sri Varadharaja Perumal koil, Sri Dhandayudhapani Temple,Pudhukulam ( with children's park, garden and boating ),Chittannavasal (Cave paintings),Collector's office( Palace),Govt Museum, Avudayarkoil( statues, and temple), Kunnandarkoil(statues and

Perambalur district

Gangaikondacholapuram
The great monument at Gangaikondacholapuram, the Second Brihadisvara Gangaikkondacholesvara temple rears its head nobly and bespeaks the imperial dignity of the capital that Rajendra (1012-44), the son of Rajaraja, established after his victorious march to east India up to the river Ganga. The capital itself has disappeared: even the place where the emperor dwelt does not exist except in ruins marked by brick debris about 1.5 km away from the temple, at a place known as Ulkottai, where a mound even now called Maligaimedu, ‘palace-mound’, supplies bricks to the villages. At the temple itself a ruined gopura greets the visitor: it is in the inner compound-wall of the temple, the outer and largest wall, with its gopuras, having been despoiled long ago. On entering through the gopura, one sees, beyond the bali-pitha a huge bull, which, unlike its counterpart at Thanjavur, is not monolithic.
The temple is 54.86 m high and in arrangement follows its Thanjavur predecessor. But while the latter is tall and stately, with its contour straight and severe , suggestive of strength, the present one is shorter and its contour more graceful and delicate and somewhat feminine in its lack of angularity. The Brahadeeswarar temple at Gangaikondacholapuram was conceived and constructed by the Chola King Rajendra I after his victory over the kingdoms bordering the river Ganga. Apart from the huge Nandi, there are some beautiful sculptures including a dancing Ganesha, a lion headed well and a stunning figure of King Rajendra being crowned by Siva and Parvati.
Chettikulam Thandayuthapani Swami Temple
The Ancient Arulmigu Ekambareswar and Thandayuthapani Swami Temples are situated in Chettikulam Village, Perambalur District. The above temples were built by King Kulasekara Pandian, some 500 years ago. These temples are situated 22 Kms. away from Perambalur and 8 Km west of Alathur gate in Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway (NH-45). These temples reflect the architecture of the early days.
In Arulmigu Ekambareswarar temple the Thai Poosam festival is celebrated every year in the month of January for 10 days. At the time of above festival, people from various places visit the temple and get the blessings of Lord Siva. In the same way, Panguni Uthiram Festival is celebrated in Arulmigu Thandayuthapani temple for 14 days in the month of April every year. The above festival is celebrated in grand manner and various cultural programmes are conducted at that time. The rock outside of Chettikulam Village on the top of which is located Balathandapani. It is an ancient and well-known shrine built by the Chola. There are number of stone inscriptions giving the history of the temple.
Cholagangam Lake
The lake is now called Ponneri. It was brought into being by Rajendra Chola I as a water pillar of victory (Jalamayam and Jayashambam). According to Thiruvelangadu Plates it was named Cholagangam. The bund is very high and the length being more than 5 km at full water-level, It has a water spread of nearly 130 Sq. km . It once had a surplus weir and input channels from Kollidam river and Vellar.
Elakurichi
Elakurichi is famous for its ancient church built by the famous Catholic Missionary Constructive Joseph Beschi popularly known as ‘Veeramamunivar’. Adaikala Madha Shrine 65 Km. from Perambalur. 80 Km from Trichy. 375 Km. from Chennai. Elakurichi is famous for its ancient church built by the famous Catholic Missionary Constructive Joseph Beschi popularly known as ‘Veeramamunivar’ on the year of 1711. Tamil nadu Govt. has announced it as a tourist spot in the year 2001. The Church is located in Elakurichi, Perambalur - 621715.
Jayankondam
The original name of this place was Nellimanagramam as the sacred tree in the local Siva Temple is country gooseberry tree (Nellimaram). The present name is said to have been given by Rajendra Chola before he shifted his capital to Gangai kondacholapuram. Jayankondam is 10 km from Gangaikondacholapuram.
Maligai Medu
Adjourning Gangai kondacholapuram is a place called Maligai Medu. Archaelogical findings reveal the glory of Rajendra Chola I. The State Archeological Department is seized of the historical importance of the place.
Ranjankudi Fort
Ranjankudi Fort is sated 17 km. North of Perambalur. The Fort was built by a Jagirdar under Nawab of Carnatic In 17th century A D The Fort walls lie built with neatly cut stone blocks. The at contains a palace, residential buildings, underground chambers, mosque and flag mast. I lie fort was the scene of the battle of Valikondah between the English and Muhammad All on one side and Chanda Sahib and the French on the other side 1751 AD. Ranjankudi ( Lat. 11.21’ N. Long.78.57’ E. ) is located 17 K.Ms. North of Perambalur.
The Fort was built by a Jagirdar under Nawab of Carnatic in 17th century A.D. The Fort walls are built with neatly cut stone blocks. There are three fortification walls at different heights and the bottom most is the main rampart. It is oblong on plan with semi circular bastions and encircled by a moat fed by a tank on the Southern side. The fort contains a palace, residential buildings, underground chambers, mosque and flag mast. The fort was the scene of the battle of Valikondah between the English and Mohammad Ali on one side and Chanda Sahib and the French on the other side in 1751 AD. This fort is under protection of the Archaeological survey of India.