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Tamil Nadu

Introduction

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Tamil Nadu is a state in southern India. Tamil Nadu is perhaps less visited than some other states in India, but it has plenty of fascinating, mystical and extraordinary places of worship and plenty of culture, spice and colour.

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Geography

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Cities

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Sights and Activities

From the magnificent almost 'technicolour' temples of Madurai to the beach side ruins of Mamallapurum and the former French colony of Pondicherry (or Puducherry) that now has a popular yoga and ashram scene and it still celebrates the French holiday of Bastille Day. Just outside of Pondicherry you can visit the unusual and unique Sri Aurobindo Ashram founded by 'the mother' in 1926. There is plenty to explore. If you like southern Indian temple culture there are some great sites to take in. Head for Madurai (Sri Meenakshi temple complex) or Thanjavur (Tanjore) for the Brihadishwara Temple and then perhaps Trichy (Tiruchirappalli) for the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.

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Events and Festivals

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Weather

The climate in Tamil Nadu differs somewhat to neighbouring Kerala. The monsoon rain in the southeast runs from October until early December which is a short, but perhaps more aggressive wet season to Kerala in the southwest.
Temperatures in Tamil Nadu range from roughly around 25 °C to 38 °C, sometimes more depending on the time of year. Temperatures and humidity remain relatively high all year round. January to April are usually the driest months and May to September tend to be the hotter months prior to the start of the monsoon. November is often the wettest month in Chennai, the capital of the state along the eastcoast.

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Getting There

By Plane

Chennai International Airport (MAA), located at Tirusulam is around 8 kilometres south of the city centre. The airport has both domestc and international terminals. Domestic flights are available to almost all the big cities in India. International flights are avialable to many cities around Asia and Europe, which include Frankfurt, London, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Muscat, Singapore and Colombo, amongst others.
Coimbatore Airport (CJB) has flights to/from Sharjah, Delhi, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Chennai, Bangalore, Singapore, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.