About Tamil Nadu & Chennai

Chennai is the gateway to the rich and varied culture of the south Indian peninsula. Originally a cluster of fishing hamlets along the Coromandel coast, the city developed its cohesive shape under the British. Today it is the commercial and cultural capital of South India and the fourth largest metropolis.

Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage site, once an ancient sea port, was built by Emperor Mahendra Varman Pallava in the 7th century. Over the passage of time it ceased to function as a port but its glory lived on in its finished and unfinished temples and monuments.

The small temple town of Kanchipuram is one of the many sacred towns of India. Capital of the kingdoms of the Pallavas, Cholas and rajas of Vijayanagar, the temples and gopurams left behind are exquisite reminders of the beauty of Dravidian architecture, from the freshness and simplicity of the Pallavas' 7th-century Kailashanatha Temple to the Vijayanagar Empire's 16th-century Ekambareshwara Temple.

Ootacamund, commonly known as Ooty is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level. Known as the "Queen of hill stations", the march of brick and mortar has somewhat cluttered its hill slopes. But the mountain train journey to Ooty from Mettupalayyam  on a ratchet and pinion track wending its way through hair rising curves , chugging along deep ravines full of verdant vegetation, gurgling streams and tea gardens is breathtaking.

Coonoor is the first of the three hill stations of the Nilgiris. Situated at an altitude of 2000 ft and only 17 kilometres from Ooty, Coonoor is not very commercialized and retains a certain amount of untouched charm. Coonoor is a small town with an equable climate that makes it popular as a hill resort in its own right.

Located where the offshoot of the Western ghats, the Nilgiri Hills, meet the Eastern ghats, the Mudumalai National Park is situated at an elevation of 1000 meters and extends over an area of 321 Sq km. The sanctuary has varied mixture of flat land, undulating parkland, open grassland, swamp, valleys and drains. The Moyar river in this region forms a series of spectacular cascades on its way.