• The Art and Bronze Gallery. (Closed on Friday and public holidays). Here one also finds a few examples of the Tanjore school of painting.
• The Flower and Fruit market.
• High Court.
• Fort Museum.
• Marina Beach.
• Santhome Cathedral.
• Snake Park.

Between two rivers in a 40 acre temple-complex, lies the temples of Chidambaram, one of the oldest magnificent temples of the South, Shiva Natraja or the Dancing Shiva stands in his cosmic dance pose in the golden rooted sanctum sanctorum. Flanking the temple are 108 sculptured illustrations of Bharat Natya Shashtra. In Akash Lingam hidden by a veil, lies the real secret of Chidambaram.

An Indian district of Tamilnadu on the eastern coast is the modern industrial city of Coimbatore and it thrives on its textile, engineering produce and synthetic gems. It is famous for its elephant training camp on Varaghliar and the Tirumurthi hill forest. Annamalai Sanctuary rich in wildlife and teak forests, tea and coffee plantations is an added attraction.

Kanchipuram (64 kms from Madras) is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of 1000 temples and still has 124 shrines. The first temple dedicated to Shiva was built in the 7^th and 8^th century and has paintings on the walls. Temples of Ekambaswara, Kailashnatha, Sri Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy are of interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks.

Visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country side). Later visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace - A gracious building in the Indo saracenic style, famous for the Stucco work on its domes and arches. Also visit the Alagar Hills and Tirupara Kundran rock temple.

120 kms from Madurai, Kodaikanal is a charming hill station situated amidst the grandeur of the southern coast of the upper Palani hill in the Western Ghats, at a height of 2135 mts. Its tranquil lake framed by wooded hill, mighty rocks, slopes and enchanting waterfalls mesmerize visitors. It is noted for hybrids and grafts, hill plantation, fruits and plums and - Kurunji- flower which blossoms once in 12 years.

The city of Mahabalipuram is famous for the seven pagodas. Here on the seashore is an interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples which are the examples of Dravidian style of Architecture.

The island of Rameshwaram spreads out over a 56 km swell with gentle sand dunes, embellished with the delicacy of casuarina tree and stark palms. This is a sacred place for Hindus since according to Ramayana, this is where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to absolve himself of the sin of killing Ravana. A dip into the sacred waters of the Agnitheertham which was calmed by Rama is a must for Hindus.

The beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons which was taken to the top with the help of a 6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptains for building pyramids. Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of a visit to South India.

This beautiful hill station was estabilished by the British in the early part of the 19^th century, in Nilgiris of the Blue Mountains-so called because of the blue haze that envelops them. Today an undefinable touch of the Raj still lingers in its little cottages, colourful gardens, winding lanes, old churches, its Botanical Gardens and the lake surrounded by eucalyptus groves. A fine retreat from the heat of the plains, Ooty offers scenic beauty and a relaxed ambience. One can also see the Dodabetta Peak and Wenlock Downs.

Kanyakumari is the 'Land's End' of India. Here, the Bay of Bengal meets athe Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea and, at Chaitrapurnima (the Tamil name for the full moon day that generally falls in April), it is possible to enjoy the unique experience of seeing the sun set and the moon rise over the ocean simultaneously. It's a popular day-trip for people staying at Kovalam Beach in Kerala.

Kanyakumari is also a popular pilgrimage destination and of great spiritual significance to Hindus. It is dedicated to the goddess Devi Kanya, the Youthful Virgin, who is an incarnation of Devi, Siva's wife. The pilgrims who come here from all over the country represent a good cross section of India.

Otherwise, Kanyakumari is highly overrated, with ist trinket stalls, a lousy beach and one of those places with megaphones at the end of each street which, during festival times, rip your eardrums apart between 4 am and 10 pm.

It is the Southern most tip of peninsular India, where the waters of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea meet. A place from where one can see spectacular sunrises and sunset. One can visit Swami Vivekananda Memorial perches on a little rocky island close to the sea shore. The Gandhi memorial is also a place that can be visited.

Trichy also known as Tiruchirapalli was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. In the 18^th century it witnessed the carnatic wars fought between the French and the English. Lord Robert Clive's house is still there to see and so is the Danish Church. The Rock-Fort is the landmark of Trichy. A climb of 434 steps leads to the ancient temple of Ganapati on top and a further climb to a Shiva temple.

Kanyakumari is the 'Land's End' of India. Here, the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea and, at Chaitrapurnima (the Tamil name for the full moon day that generally falls in April), it is possible to enjoy the unique experience of seeing the sun set and the moon rise over the ocean simultaneously. It's a popular day-trip for people staying at Kovalam Beach in Kerala.

Kanyakumari is also a popular pilgrimage destination and of great spiritual significance to Hindus. It is dedicated to the goddess Devi Kanya, the Youthful Virgin, who is an incarnation of Devi, Siva's wife. The pilgrims who come here from all over the country represent a good cross section of India.

Otherwise, Kanyakumari is highly overrated, with its trinket stall, a lousy beach and one of those places with megaphones at the end of each street which, during festival times, rip your eardrums apart between 4 am and 10 pm.