There is a running joke in the north India, and also in the south, that all south Indians are from Madras. The south Indians thinks that the North Indians thinks so and are often offended by it. But the south India is reality is also a very diverse part, just like the other parts of India. And to say to a Malayali that he is a Tamil will seriously offend him. But still, Tamil Nadu is South India, even though the reverse may not be true in entirety. You may visit Kerala for a lot of things that Kerala has to offer , but if you want to feel the south Indian Culture, Tamil Nadu would be it.

Tamil Nadu has a culture and history that is one of the oldest in the world. This guarantees that you have a lot of places to roam around and visit. Tamil Nadu is a part of the golden quadrilateral project, which connects the metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and kolkata, and it should certainly be aprt of the itinerary if you are visiting Indian Cities .The tagline adopted for tourism in Tamil nadu is ‘enchanting Tamil Nadu’ and rightly so. Tamil Nadu is home to many religious places of interest. Mahabalipuram houses many of these. Mahabalipuram is situated roughly 60 km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.

Thirukadalmallai temple at Mahabalipuram is an important shrine for the Hindus; it is dedicated to lord Vishnu.
Descent to the Ganges is also worth a visit. It is a giant open air bas relief which is a sculpture which depicts a lot of activities taking place in the background at depth.
Other bas reliefs in this town are the Arjuna’s penance and the Varaha cave temple, which depicts a huge epic from the Mahabharata.

Another eye catching monument of Mahabalipuram is the Shore temple, just adjoining the Bay of Bengal. It was built in full stone. This temple was washed away in a cyclone and was reconstructed piece by piece from the remains, the re construction is still on. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Pancha Rathas, depicting chariots of the five Pandavas, are also important monuments, and each one of these huge structures has been carved out of single stones. After the tsunami of 2004, an underwater city has also been unearthed by the sheer force of water at Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram is also home to many orphanages.

There are other important Hindu shrines at Tamil nadu at places like Srirangam, which is home to the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. This temple is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. The Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, situated at Madurai, is also know for its grandeur. This temple sports 12 magnificent GOPURAMS or towers, which are beautifully painted and sculpted.

Rameshwaram, Kanchipuram, Chidambram, Aragalur and Choalpuram are also home to certain important hindu temples.

Tamil nadu is also home to many important and famous hill stations of India. Ooty (udhagamandalam), Kodaikanal and Cunoor are a part of this legacy. Ooty is almost 2000 m above sea level and is a prominent hill station of the ‘nilgiri hills’.

Tamil nadu hills are prominently divided into the Nilgiri hills, The Palani hills, The Shevaroy hills and the Cardamom Tops, and these are home to a sizeable wildlife population and a good forest cover. This points to the fact that Tamil Nadu is home to many famous and stocks wildlife sanctuaries such as the Indira Gandhi wildlife sanctuary, The Gulf of Mannar bio sphere reserve And the Mudumalai National Park and The Mundathurai Tiger reserve.

If you are a tourist inclined towards vegetation, the mangrove forests in the Pichavaram district should fascinate you. Kanyakumari is one place which you just can’t miss; it is the southern most tip of India (cape comorin), where the Indian ocean, the Arabian sea and the bay of Bengal meet. Places of interest in knayakumari include the Vivekananda rock memorial, where Swami Vivekanada meditated once, the Gandhi memorial, where Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were kept before immersion and the Thiruvalluvar statue, which is the tallest statue in whole of Asia and the Indira point. Kanyakumari has one of the most beautiful sunsets in the whole world. Other places of interest here are the kalpakkam nuclear plant, tuticorin and a whole lot of textile mills and shops located at coimbatore.

Talking about the capital, Chennai, there are numerous places in Chennai which might suit your interests. Fort st. george, built around 1960s boasts of british architecture.a visit to marina beach on a sultry evening is a must. Marina beach is the second largest beach in the world, running for 12 km and has the famous anna park.the theosophical society campus is a place to be if you are interested in their motive of universal brotherhood. The birla planetarium ( one of the most modern science museums in the country), the kalakshetra ( temple of art) and the mgr film city are prime arttractions of chennai