Thursday, November 12, 2009

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is located along the south eastern coast of India. Tamil Nadu extends from the Coromandel Coast(coastal region along the Bay of Bengal) in the east to the forested Western Ghats in the west. Tamil Nadu shares borders with Kerala in the west, Andhra Pradesh in the north and Karnataka in the northwest. Indian peninsula's southernmost point Kanyakumari, where the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean meet is in Tamilnadu. Kanyakumari is one of the famous tourist destinations in India.

Tamil Nadu is a land of Enduring Heritage. It is mostly famous for its numerous Temples based on Dravidian architecture. The temples are of a distinct style which is famous for its towering — gopurams. Famous temple towns include Madurai, Trichy, Tanjore, Palani, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Mahabalipuram. The 7th century port city of Mamallpuram is known for its spectacular rock-cut temples and sculptures.

Chennai (known as Madras before) is the capital of Tamil Nadu. It is one of India's four metropolitan cities, and one of the biggest, with a population of over four million, founded in 1640 by the British. Important tourist attractions include historic examples of colonial architecture. It is one of the main harbours in India and has a few popular beaches like the Marina Beach. Big cities like Chennai and Coimbatore are centres of manufacturing industries and service sector.

The Nilgiri hills are a trekker's paradise. Udhagamandalam (Ooty) offers several trek routes, which vary in altitudes, distance and terrain. Ooty and Kodaikanal are the most famous Hill stations in south india. Other famous hillstations of Tamilnadu include Yelagiri, Yercaud, Anamalai and Kolli hills.

Pongal - a celebration of harvest season is Tamil Nadu's most important festival celebrated in January. The Tamil New Year - Chitirai, is celebrated in mid April.

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