Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal located amidst the folds of the verdant Pali hills is one of
the most popular serene hill stations in India, which mesmerises any visitor.
With her wooded slopes, mighty rocks, enhancing waterfalls and a beautiful
lake, Kodaikanal is a charming hill station of South India.
Kodaikanal is situated at an altitude of about 2,133-m high and covers
an area of 21.45-sq-km. The hill town is renowned for its educational
institutions of international repute. The pride of Kodaikanal is the 'Kurinji-flower',
which blossoms once in 12 years. The hill-plantain fruits and plums are
known for their freshness and taste.
How to Get There
Air
The nearest airport is at Madurai (120 km from Kodaikanal).
Rail
The nearest railway stations are the Kodai Road Railway Station (80-km)
and the Palani Railway Station (64-km).
Road
Kodaikanal is connected by road with Chennai (520-km), Ooty (264-km),
Trichy (197-km), Coimbatore (175-km), Kumili (160-km), and Madurai(120-km).
Regular bus services are available from Madurai, Palani, Kodaikanal Road,
Theni, Dindigul, Tiruchirapalli, Kumuli (Thekkady) and Coimbatore. Additional
buses ply during the season. Taxis and vans are available for local transportation.
There are no auto-rickshaws in Kodaikanal.
Madurai
Madurai or the "city of nectar" is the oldest and second largest
city of Tamil Nadu. This city is located on Vaigai River and was the capital
of Pandyan rulers till the 14th century. The Pandyan king, Kulasekhara had
built a gorgeous temple around which he created a lotus shaped city. Mythology
says when city was being named; Lord Shiva blessed the city and its people.
On the auspicious occasion some Divine nectar ("Madhu") fell from
the matted locks of Shiva and hence the city was named "Madhurapuri".
This sacred town of south attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors from
India as well as abroad.
Madurai's Pilgrimage - Meenakshi Temple
The life of Madurai revolves around the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple.
This magnificently carved temple is the main attraction of Madurai and
its huge Gopurams towers over the city. Meenakshi temple has a thousand
pillared 'Mandapam'. Precisely there are 985 pillars and each of them
is delicately and exquisitely carved. Among these are the musical pillars,
which produce music when tapped. Surprisingly, these musical pillars are
carved out of a single granite rock. The temple has been a hub of Tamil
culture and has been sponsoring literature, art, music, and dance in the
region for a long time. The temple also has an art museum. The city apart
from temple is crammed with shops, street markets and temples, pilgrims
choultries, hotels and restaurants. Though Madurai is considered as pilgrimage
but it has also developed as a business centre and is famed for its traditional
handicrafts in bronze and brass.
Mahabalipuram
About Mahabalipuram
The history of Mahabalipuram dates back to two thousand years, it contains
nearly forty monuments of different types including an "open air bas
relief" which is the largest in the world, for centuries it has been
a centre of pilgrimage, it figures in the early annals of the British search
for the picturesque in India in the 18th century, today it attracts shoals
of foreigners in search of relaxation and sea bathing, and most strange
of all, it has an atomic power plant for neighbour. A small library has
been written on it. Over its history and that of its monuments a number
of scholarly controversies rage.
Mahabalipuram was already a centre of pilgrimage when, in the 7th century
Mamalla made it a seaport and began to make temples fashioned of rock. It
was through Mahabalipuram that many Indian colonists, who included sages
and artists, migrated to Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka's national chronicle,
the "Mahavamsa" testifies to this fact.
How to Get There
Air
Chennai (58-km) is the nearest airport with both domestic and international
terminus. Chennai is connected with all the major places in India through
the numerous domestic flights. International flights operate from various
parts of the world to Chennai.
Rail
The nearest railway stations are Chengalpattu (29-km) and Chennai (58-km).
From these stations one has to take road to reach the Mahabalipuram.
Road
Buses are available from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai
to Mahabalipuram daily. The road to Mahabalipuram is good. Tourists can
also hire a taxi from Chennai.
Tamilnadu Cities Reservation Form
All rights reserved by South India Travel Tours
