Tamil Nadu - A State with Rich Classical Traditions

With its spectacular temples, sunny coastlines, friendly fishing villages, charming hill stations, lovely wildlife parks, exquisite bronzes and art casually displayed in its crowded bazaars, beautiful hand-woven silks, women wearing colourful sarees and fragrant flowers, the deliciously aromatic flavours of traditional foods, splendid mansions, and quiet yet evocative colonial heritage…here on the tip of India’s deep south is where the waters of the three seas come together. This is Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu’s rich classical traditions of its over 2000-year old history are kept alive in its music, dance, poetry, literature, and religion. Tamil Nadu holds a world of delights, especially for lovers of heritage. Now, apart from the old favourites, many exciting and novel circuits also beckon…all waiting to be travelled. Tamil Nadu has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Great Living Chola temples, the Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram, the Nilgiris Mountain Railway, and the Western Ghats.

Chennai

Situated on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal in southern India, Chennai (earlier Madras) is Tamil Nadu’s vibrant capital and the gateway to its beautiful heritage. The iconic city has been a great centre of Tamil history, arts, literature, and culture since the 1st century CE and was ruled by mighty kings and their dynasties. Around 52 CE, St Thomas, the Apostle of Christ is said to have landed on its shores and preached here. The Dutch, the British, and the French too arrived here to trade. But it was the British who founded Madras – the city grew out of the small British settlement of Fort St George in the 17th century, creating the foundation for modern Chennai, where quintessential Tamil culture continues to live alongside its charming colonial legacy.

The Chennai of today is a sprawling metropolis, complex and layered in which old Madras still resonates in places: Mylapore (the 7th century port); Santhome; Fort St George (today the seat of the state government); Kalakshetra (where Bharatanatyam dance form was reinvented); Adyar (Home of the headquarters of the Theosophical Society); Egmore (Government Museum Complex); and Triplicane (home to the 9th century Parthasarathy Koil temple and Wallajah Mosque).

History apart, the city owes much of its uniqueness to its rich cultural, religious, gastronomical, and sporting heritage – such as the largest classical music festival in the world, spectacular ancient temples, superb heritage walks, a wonderful assortment of cuisines, love for cricket, tennis, and chess, and the best filter coffee in the world!

Travel down Chennai’s beautiful ECR (East Coast Road) to visit Dakshinchitra (a crafts village and museum). Chennai is also the base point for travellers wanting to see the pilgrim town of Kanchipuram (renowned for its temples and Kanchivaram silks) or the beachside heritage getaway of Mamallapuram.

Chettinad

Lying in the arid heartland of Tamil Nadu’s deep south, the Chettinad region stretches roughly 80 sq.km and comprises 76 villages. Karaikudi is the hub of this cluster of villages. With its rich cultural heritage, cuisine, art, and architecture, Chettinad must feature on your Tamil Nadu itinerary.

Chettinad derives its name from the extremely prosperous and enterprising mercantile community, the Nattukottai Chettiars, who moved here around the 13th century from the coast. In the 18th and 19th centuries they expanded their trade to British colonies in Southeast Asia. With their enormous wealth from the business, the traders built majestic mansions back home in Chettinad – of a kind not seen anywhere else. This is the beautiful legacy of Chettinad.

Built with Burmese teak and European tiles, the tile-roofed, two-storeyed mansions straddle more than one block or sprawl across wo parallel streets! Inspired by both European and Indian architectural styles, Chettinad homes are distinguished by their vast halls and sunlit courtyards, ornate embellishments like Belgian glasswork, intricate woodwork, fabulous ceramic tiles, stone, iron, granite, marble, and wooden pillars, Thanjavur paintings, crystal chandeliers, and unique facades with a medley of Hindu deities alongside European figurines.

Chettiar hospitality is legendary. And the iconic Chettinad cuisine is an extension of that hospitality. If you’re a gourmet traveller then be prepared for an unforgettable and lavish gastronomic experience – sea food, sun-dried meats, salted vegetables, briny pickles bursting with the fierce flavours and deep fragrances of pepper, tamarind, fresh hand pounded spices, berries, and flowers…cooked slow on firewood and served in beautifully made utensils that are valued today for their vintage make and style.

For an authentic Chettinad village experience (bullock-cart ride, craft centre visit), visit Kanadukathan. Chettinad also has charming heritage hotels that offer travellers experiential stays.

Madurai

Over 2000 years old, Madurai is one of India’s oldest cities. Madurai’s crowning glory and iconic landmark – around which the city is built – is the exquisitely constructed Meenakshi Amman Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Meenakshi (‘fish-eyed), the consort of Siva. The continued existence and significance of the centuries-old Temple is what makes Madurai so historic.

Considered one of the most sublime examples of Dravidian architecture, the ancient Temple has 14 majestic gopurams (gateway towers) the tallest of which is the southern tower – it rises to over 170 feet and was built in 1559. Inside, are the stunning mandapams (pillared pavilions), that lead to the sanctum sanctorum. One of the mandapams has walls embellished with splendid paintings and sculptures depicting scenes from the Tamil epic Thiruvilaiyadal; another has richly sculpted pillars; yet another one has a massive pillar depicting the celestial wedding. At the entrance to the magnificent Hall of a Thousand Pillars is a statue of Ariyanatha Mudaliar, the Temple’s architect. There’s more to marvel at – stone inscriptions, corridors, paintings, shrines, and the sacred temple tank. The Temple is renowned for its glorious festivals, celebrated with great fervour every year. And on any given day, you’ll be one among 20, 000 visitors or so at the Temple complex!

The other highlights of Madurai are the grand 17th century Thirumalai Nayak Palace, and the Mariamman Theppakulm, a colossal tank built by King Thirumalai Nayak, where the famed float festival of the Meenakshi Amman Temple is held every year.

Explore the markets surrounding the temple. Each street is dedicated to a particular item – stationery, flowers and fruits, utensils, prayer items, and, even bananas! For those who want to see the Thekkady wildlife reserve, Madurai serves as the ideal gateway into Kerala.

Mahabalipuram

Once the port capital of the ancient Pallava dynasty kings some 1400 years ago, Mamallapuram (earlier Mahabalipuram) was named after ‘Mamalla’ – a title of the Pallava King Narasimha Varman I – who established his capital here and soon made it a glorious centre of art and sculpture in the 7th century CE. The outstanding feature of the sculpture here is that all of it is monolithic – colossal ancient temples carved from single rocks. The chiselled stone architecture, set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Bay of Bengal, are every bit deserving of their UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It’s against this mythic setting that Mamallapuram’s famed two-month long open-air dance festival is held every year.

The fabulous Shore Temple, on the very edge of the sea, is arresting, especially at sunset when it is gloriously lit up. Beautifully resting against a vast expanse of sand, the Pancha Rathas (five chariots) are a set of temples or vimanas, each built from a single rock and covered with exquisite carvings. Arjuna’s Penance or the Descent of the Ganges is an elaborately chiselled scene from the epic Mahabharata on the side of a cliff, and is considered the largest open-air bas-relief in the world. Krishna’s Butterball is a gigantic granite boulder perched precariously on a rock slope! Then there are the cave sanctuaries of which the Mahishasuramardhini Cave is particularly striking.

Mamallapuram, with its proximity to Chennai, is also a wonderful destination for a relaxed beach holiday – replete with beachside resorts, sun, sand, sea, seafood, and souvenirs. On the route from Chennai to Mamallapuram, you can stop to visit Dakshinachitra, an exciting cross cultural living museum of art, architecture, lifestyles, crafts and performing arts of South India. Mahabalipuram is also a stopover on the Chennai – Puducherry route via the ECR (East Coast Road).

Thanjavur

A kingdom so fertile that it was called the ‘granary of the South’, Thanjavur was once the ancient capital of the mighty Chola dynasty who ruled vast parts of South India between the 9th – 13th centuries CE. It is the biggest town of the Cauvery Delta. For centuries, the city has been a glorious centre of culture, literature, architecture, and art and craft. After the Cholas, Thanjavur was ruled by different dynasties, and finally, the British Empire.

A town of temples and palaces, Thanjavur’s glorious heritage is synonymous with the three exquisite Chola era temple complexes dedicated to Siva – Brihadeeswara, Darasuram, and Gangaikondacholapuram – all three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Chola kings, who were great patrons of the arts, built most of the 93 temples here. 13 km away from the town, is Thiruvaiyaru. It is the setting for the marvellous Tyagaraja Aradhana, a Carnatic music festival held every January to honour and celebrate the life and compositions of the renowned saint composer Tyagaraja.

Thanjavur is especially renowned for its unique Thanjavur style of painting, manufacture of musical instruments, and artisan workshops that create bronze sculptures using the lost wax art. The Thanjavur Royal Palace Museum displays one of the finest collections of exquisitely sculpted ancient bronzes in India.

Tiruchirapalli

Located in central Tamil Nadu, Tiruchirapalli (earlier Trichy) is renowned for its two striking temples – the Malaikottai Fort-Temple and the Ranganathaswamy Temple Complex. Tiruchirapalli is also a major educational and industrial hub.

The Malaikottai Temple, dominates the city’s landscape. Begun in 600 CE by the Chola kings and later largely built by the Nayak kings in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Siva temple stands atop a 274 feet-high rock that is visible for miles around. The 417-step climb to the top rewards you with superb panoramic views. Around 7 km north of Tiruchirapalli lies the 600-acre island of Srirangam. It houses the Ranganathaswamy Temple Complex – the largest in India – itself a 156-acre sprawl that has a beautiful idol of the deity Ranganatha, a colossal rajagopuram (grand entrance tower of a temple), and gorgeous mandapams (pillared pavilions) and sculptures.

The other attractions here are the house of Robert Clive (now turned into a hostel), the neo-Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes built in 1840, St John’s Church with ornate French-style interiors, and the Trichy Museum which is a treasure trove of ancient sculptures, coins, fossils, and vessels.