Velankanni church, Naagapattinam

Velankanni is a popular pilgrim center, especially famous for the Church of Mother Mary. As a great number of pilgrims turn up here, like Lourdes in France, Velankanni is nicknamed as Lourdes of the East.

According to popular legend, Mother Mary appeared with Infant Jesus in Velankanni at the end of the 16th or early 17th century. Since then, for all pilgrims of the world, Velankanni has been the most important destination

Commencing on 29th of August every year, the 10-day grand festival celebrating the Feast of Our Lady at the Velankanni Church. Pilgrims from different parts of India and even from abroad visit this place.

Madurai Meenakshi temple

Madurai is one of the most important pilgrim cities in Tamilnadu, South India. It is completely covered with a rich cultural heritage and glorious tradition, Madurai is grouped among the antique cities of the India.

This temple is dedicated to lord Shiva and his wife Parvati, also known as Meenakshi. “Madurai’s Meenakshi Sundareswarar” Temple is one of the greatest architectural wonders of India built by Pandya King ‘Kulasekara’. The entire city is built around the Meenakshi Amman temple. Madurai Meenakshi temple attracts six thousand visitors a day and gets an annual revenue of rupees sixty million.

Pyramidal gates (gopuras) rise to a height of more than 50m. These towering gateways indicate the entrance to the temple complex at the four cardinal points; Mandapams were constructed in the temple premises, like the Hall of Thousand Pillars, Puthu Mandapam, Ashta Sakthi Mnadapam, Vandiyoor Theppakulam, and Nayakkar Mahal.

Pongal Festival in Tamilnadu

Pongal is celebrated in Tamil Nadu to mark the harvesting of crops by farmers. Held in the middle of January, it is the time when the people get ready to thank God, Earth and their Cattle for the wonderful harvest and celebrate the occasion with joyous festivities and rituals.

Pongal on the first day is called Bhogi. On Bhogi people clean up their homes. On the second day people prepare Chakkara Pongal, a delicacy of harvest rice cooked with jaggery, ghee and cashew nuts which is offered to the Sun God.

On the third day, Mattu Pongal is dedicated to the Cattle when cows are bathed and adorned with colorful beads and flowers. Jallikattu, the bullfight is held on the last day known as Kannum Pongal.

Kanyakumari Beach

Kanyakumari is an important pilgrim centre and it lies between the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The Kanyakumari beach in Tamil Nadu, South India is famous for its beautiful beach and the Kumari Amman Temple dedicated to the goddess Kumari.

A trip to Kanyakumari is incomplete without a visit to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial that was constructed in the year 1970 and is located on the scenic Kanyakumari beach

It is also famous for its spectacular sunrises and sunsets, especially on full moon days.

Mahalaxmi golden temple, sripuram

The Mahalaxmi Golden Temple at Sripuram is situated 6 km away from the District Headquarters – Vellore, North Arcot District in Tamilnadu. An estimated 600 Crores of Indian Rupees has been spent to construct the Golden Temple for Goddess Mahalakshmi. More than 400 gold and coppersmiths from the Tirupathi Thirumala Devasthanam are said to have worked for six years to craft the Rs. 600-crore temple. “When one enters the Sripuram, their focus is just on the glorious temple. But when they leave, they cannot do so without taking some messages and gaining some wisdom,” according to a booklet detailing the ‘services’ rendered by the Peetam.

The Maha Lakshmi Temple is now an attraction even for the tourists and pilgrimage.

Direct bus services available from all major points to Vellore from Chennai, Chittoor, Bangalore, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari, Tirupathi & Thiruvannamalai – all being major Temple towns and picnic spots. Vellore is well connected by road with all the southern states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala & Pondicherry.

Marina Beach

This is the famous and second longest beach in Tamilnadu and has a wide sand shore. It is situated in the city of Chennai. You can walk along the Marina in the evening and unwind yourself from the worries of the daily routine. There is also an Aquarium in beach.

Watching sunset and sunrise from the beach is a wonderful experience and it s Chennai’s major tourist attraction today and one can even shop around the beach.

The best time to visit the Marina Beach in Chennai is during November to February.

Kancheepuram Silk Sarees

Kancheepuram is world famous for Beautiful Collection of Silk Sarees- for its sheer variety of designs, weaving and quality.  Every Kancheepuram Silk Saree is weaved with the most superior silks in the world. The glamour of the Kancheepuram silk saree lies in its color contrasts. Pyramidical temple borders, checks, stripes and floral “buttas” are traditional designs you will find in a Kancheepuram saree.

Tips for Buying silk sarees: 1. Check the weight – the heavier the silk, the longer it will last.
2. If there is zari work, ask if the zari is pure. Imitation zari will turn black in a couple of years.
3. The best way of checking for purity of silk is to take a few threads and burn them. Pure silk will clot and leave a black powdery residue – not to be confused with ash.