Journey to Tamil Nadu, India – Episode 844

August 18, 2023

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Hear a few one-week itinerary in your journey to Tamil Nadu in Southern India because the Newbie Traveler talks to Girin Nayak about his native area.

Why do you have to go to Tamil Nadu?

“Tamil Nadu is the place considered one of India’s historic civilizations began. And it’s additionally only a little bit of statistics. It was the primary state in India for home vacationers in 2020 and the quantity two state for overseas vacationers. So clearly there’s something taking place right here, which makes everybody come right here. So there’s something for everybody. There’s heritage, there’s tradition, structure, buying, and nice meals.”

Girin recommends a one-week itinerary to the area beginning in Madurai, after which heading to the Chettinad area and ending in Thanjavur.

Madurai is the Indian model of “town that by no means sleeps”. Its two greatest websites are the Meenakshi Temple and the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal (Palace).

The Meenakshi Temple dates again to across the yr 1200 and covers 14 acres. It has 14 totally different colourful gate towers often called gopuram. The gopuram are coated with small deity figures and different figures from Hinduism. There’s a pond with a floating golden lotus that legend says was used as one of many first plagiarism detectors. Girin recommends visiting among the retailers exterior of the temple and notably among the road meals distributors.

The Thirumalai Nayak Palace was constructed within the 1600s. Girin says, “it was a grand place, but it surely fell into wreck, particularly throughout a number of conflicts with colonial merchants and armies.”

You may as well go to the native Gandhi Memorial Museum.

We discuss facet journeys from Madurai that Girin recommends to the Keezhadi excavation website which dates again 2000 years, the a lot cooler Kodaikanal hill station, and Silver Cascade Falls.

The area of Chettinad is thought for its wealthy Nineteenth-century mansions from the native retailers, many from the spice commerce. Right here is a superb place to ebook a keep in a mansion like Visalam or Chidambara Vilas. It is a extra quiet space. It’s a good spot to go to vintage markets or discover the outdated Thirumayam Fort. Girin additionally recommends a go to to a tile manufacturing unit to see the handmade tiles of Athangudi. Additionally in Athangudi, you possibly can go to the Athangudi Palace.

Round Thanjavur, you possibly can go to the Nice Dwelling Chola Temples that are a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. 3 Eleventh-century temples compose this website together with the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and the Airavatesvara Temple at Kumbakonam.

Go to the Thanjavur Maratha Palace, taking the time to cease within the library of the palace to see their assortment of historic palm-leaf manuscripts, from earlier than paper was launched to India.

See the websites, attempt the meals, and meet the folks of Tamil Nadu.