Things to see and do Tamil Nadu

At 2,440 m high, it offers excellent hiking opportunities. The climb starts from a point known as the Selle Neutre (Perumal Mallai Village).

Distributes maps of Pondicherry and gives information about monuments. One-day guided tours take you on a tour of the city's main monuments from 9:30 am to 6 pm, including vegetarian meals. Other half-day tours (from 1:30 pm to 6 pm) will introduce you to the ashram, Auroville, the botanical garden and the handmade paper mill. Guided tours leave the tourist office every day, even on weekends. Book at least the day before.

Once known as Elk Falls, remarkable falls where you can swim, located 6 km north of the city.

These spectacular waterfalls are 8 km away. A permit is required to access the road that leads to it, it must be requested from the District Forest Office. You can also enjoy a sumptuous view of the falls from Dolphin's Nose.

A botanical garden on the heights of Coonoor, which houses more than 1 000 species of plants, including magnolias, camellias and pine trees. The main attraction is the fruit and vegetable show which takes place every year in May.

A complex located south of the city behind Sardar Patel Road. This small park allows you to see the snakes, lizards, chameleon, turtles and many other species. The children's park can see peacocks and some other animals.

A major point of culture, this gallery regularly offers various exhibitions: contemporary, traditional, tribal, folk; concerning photography, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, masks, antiques, painting. She also organizes musical evenings, Indian dance shows and frequent meetings with international writers. Aurodhan is the ambassador of art in all its forms and a privileged welcome.

Auroville has several educational centres for Tamil villagers. New Creation is a primary school for 180 village children, 20 of which are internal.

Youth training centres introduce students to pottery, etc, painting, weaving and metalwork. There are kindergartens and night schools for adults, which follow regular training programs in organic agriculture, water sharing line management and environmental education.

This Bangalore agency offers quality treks of 7 or 8 days. Contact them prior to arrival in Kodaikanal.

Located on the shores of the lake, this small park houses sambar, choral and hares, as well as waterfowl.

The most elegant and best preserved of all former British clubs. The hunting of Ooty, which always uses dogs to pursue kebab, is one of its secret boots. There is a good 18 hole golf course at Wenlock Downs, at the Ooty Shoe golf club. It offers beautiful views over the hills.

On either side of the path leading to the summit, there is an infinite view on the distant plains, tea plantations, the Moyar River, dams and pasture greens. Frequent buses go there from Kotagiri.

Beautiful falls with walking possibilities nearby.

This summit overlooks a deep precipice of several hundred meters and offers a good view of the plains of Coimbatore.

With its dolphin beak form, this rock offers one of the most popular views of the surrounding area. The view is spectacular, especially to observe Sainte-Catherine falls.

It offers a picturesque view of Mysore.

A small Hindu temple is located in the middle of these waterfalls. The vast range of undulating landscapes also offers the pleasure of long walks on quiet roads.

From Bangithappal via Sispara, you can walk to the Silent Valley around Upper Bhavani Lake. Mukurthi National Park is located near the reservoir.

On the Ooty - Mysore road, the site boasts waterfall, meadow meadows and habitat for wildlife and flora. The Pykara dam and its reservoir attract many tourists. Nearby is the Shooting Medu, a site where many Indian films are turned, due to the beauty of the environment.

Covering an area of 510 hectares, the park is home to many varieties of colourful birds, animals and reptiles, as well as an aquarium. Paid safaris in search of the lion are organized in the park.

The road that goes down south from Marina leads to the charming Elliot Beach. The shoreline offers a pleasant expanse, ideal for relaxation and recreation. The modern temple of Astalakshmi and the Velankani church are revered places of worship on these shores. On the beach is the Karl Schmidt Memorial, a monument honouring a European sailor who drowned in 1930 while trying to save a little girl.

This 34-metre high dam is located on the Vaigai River. It provides water to the Madurai and Dindingul districts. It is a popular picnic spot with beautiful gardens.

Located in the white city, this temple also called Vedapureswarar is dedicated to the god Vishnu. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its sanctuaries. It has a gopuram, the temple's entrance tower, with five levels. The temple was originally built by the Cholas in the 11th century and later enlarged by the Pandyas. With its superb Dravidian architecture and colourful colours, it is undoubtedly the most beautiful temple in the city.

This 8th century temple was built by Nandivarma Pallava. The battle scenes exalting the courage of the Pallava are engraved on the panels surrounding the parikrama of this temple. You can also admire statues of Vishnu.

The sculpture museum exhibits more than 3,000 sculptures made by local craftsmen, in wood, metal, brass and cement. However, it is better to admire the sculptures of the historical monuments of Mamallapuram as a priority.

In the Western Ghats, 14 km from Nagercoil and 33 km from Kanyakumari, these waterfalls are appreciated by lovers of great calm as well as trekkers. The beautiful waterfalls are a popular place for picnics. Near the falls, a small temple associated with the wise Agasthiar attracts a large number of religious on the full moon days of Chithirai (April and May). They come to worship the altar after a bath in the falls.

The Auroville site was formerly a remote and impoverished rural sector, surrounded by thirteen villages, with a population of over 40,000. A number of Aurovities have undertaken to «bring this land back to life» with the help of its villagers. After twenty years of hard work, they managed to regenerate the soil through organic farming methods, without using artificial fertilizers or chemicals. The four million trees planted with 2,800 acres have successfully created a lush green belt. Be careful not to stray on the tangled and tortuous trails that only the aurovial foresters really know.

10 km from the city centre, on the road to Dhanushkodi, is the beautiful Sri Kothandarama temple where, according to legend, Vibishana, brother of the demon Ravana who kidnapped Sita, was crowned when he went to Rama. Pilgrims go there at sunset.

Located on the coast, northeast of Port Colachel, this temple is dedicated to the Goddess Amman Bhagavathi. Amman is in the shape of a 3.65 m high ant farm, with five heads, and is believed to continue to grow. The annual Mondaikadu Kodai festivities are celebrated in March for 10 days. The temple, although small, attracts a large crowd of people from the district in addition to a regular flow of pilgrims from Kollam in the state of Kerala. Tamil Nadu Tourism Department organizes a photographic exhibition during the festivities.

On the bus ride from Kodaikanal to Palani, you have a beautiful view of the plains and scattered rock outcrops. The temple of the city of Palani is dedicated to the god Murugan and an electric cable car takes the faithful to the summit, but it takes a while to queue before you can reach it! About 200,000 pilgrims gather there during the Pusam Thai Festival in January.

This large basin (theertham) located in the heart of the city would fill with the water of the Ganges every twelve years. Thousands of pilgrims flocked to bathe there. On a daily basis, water comes from the Cauvery River. The population uses it to perform its ablations, wash and do its laundry.

This museum of the University of the Sacred Heart (a theological seminary), near Shembaganur, is worth a visit. Founded in 1895, it is dedicated to the archaeological remains and the fauna and flora of the region. A Spanish father named Ugarthe helped to enrich the museum's main collections. It should be noted that this museum contains one of the largest orchidoriums in the country, with more than 300 species of orchids. The museum has a collection of pinned butterflies, many stuffed mammals and python or cobra skins over 3 m long. To get there, you have to go down 3 km from Bazaar Road. It's a pleasant excursion. On the other hand, the return, while uphill, is more difficult. You can catch a taxi or bus on the main road back to Kodaikanal.