Tamil Nadu
Discover Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (Tamil: தமிழ்நாடு Tamiḻnāṭu), the land of Tamils, is a state in the south of India known for its temples and architecture, food, movies and classical Indian dance and Carnatic music. It is the historical home of the famous Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallava kingdoms which thrived in ancient and medieval India. The Tamil language is one of the oldest living languages in the world, and Tamil culture is rooted in a long and continuous history. The region has been home to several prominent kingdoms, most notably the Chola Empire, which is considered one of the most influential dynasties in Indian history.
Taste of Tamil Nadu...
Tamil Nadu provides the visitor with a wide variety of delicious food for the vegetarians and for the non-vegetarians, though most food in Tamil Nadu consists of grains, lentils, rice and vegetables. Spices are added to give a distinctive taste. Breakfast or tiffin includes idli or steamed rice dumplings, dosai is a crisp pancake made from a batter of rice and lentils, vada is a deep fried doughnut made from a batter of lentils, pongal is a mixture of rice and lentils cooked together and seasoned with ghee, cashew nuts, pepper and cumin seed), uppuma is semolina cooked, seasoned in oil with mustard, pepper, cumin seed and dry lentils. Lunch usually consists of rice with Sambar, rasam, and yogurt along with a number of spicy side dishes. This is called meals. A decent meals costs often less than two dollars. Tamil Nadu has a wide range of accommodation to provide to its visitors, be it the class-conscious tourist or the budget-backpacker. The house owners require the services of helpers to attend to the needs of the tourists. Apart from this the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) has 36 Hotels in Tamil Nadu that are hygienic and suits the budget to middle category travelers. Decent budget categories abound from ₹300 to ₹700. The former will get you a non-AC room with clean bed, TV and a private bathroom in most parts of Tamil Nadu. The latter will fetch you an air-conditioned single room with basic amenities like TV, bed, room service and attached bathroom.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsTamil Nadu is served by Southern Railway and is well connected to all major railway stations across the country. The major junctions are in Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Tirunelveli. Chennai is one of the vertices of the Golden Quadrilateral project, a network of highways that connect the major cities of India. All other major cities are also well connected by national and state highways. Public transport system is well developed: a state owned transport corporation operates buses to and from various destinations within South India. Several private players also operate air conditioned buses between most important destinations. Most intercity buses are fully occupied and it's better to reserve a ticket in advance. Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses are in the intra-city routes in major cities which are cheap. You can book a bus tickets online for government buses via SETC, and for private buses you have options like Redbus and Abhibus....
Regions
Explore AreasThe Tamil language is one of the oldest living languages in the world, and Tamil culture is rooted in a long and continuous history. The region has been home to several prominent kingdoms, most notabl…...
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Tamil Nadu provides the visitor with a wide variety of delicious food for the vegetarians and for the non-vegetarians, though most food in Tamil Nadu consists of grains, lentils, rice and vegetables. Spices are added to give a distinctive taste. Breakfast or tiffin includes idli or steamed rice dumplings, dosai is a crisp pancake made from a batter of rice and lentils, vada is a deep fried doughnut made from a batter of lentils, pongal is a mixture of rice and lentils cooked together and seasoned with ghee, cashew nuts, pepper and cumin seed), uppuma is semolina cooked, seasoned in oil with mustard, pepper, cumin seed and dry lentils. Lunch usually consists of rice with Sambar, rasam, and yogurt along with a number of spicy side dishes. This is called meals. A decent meals costs often less than two dollars. Tamil Nadu has a wide range of accommodation to provide to its visitors, be it the class-conscious tourist or the budget-backpacker.
Where to Stay
Tamil Nadu has a wide range of accommodation to provide to its visitors, be it the class-conscious tourist or the budget-backpacker. The house owners require the services of helpers to attend to the needs of the tourists. Apart from this the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) has 36 Hotels in Tamil Nadu that are hygienic and suits the budget to middle category travelers. Decent budget categories abound from ₹300 to ₹700. The former will get you a non-AC room with clean bed, TV and a private bathroom in most parts of Tamil Nadu. The latter will fetch you an air-conditioned single room with basic amenities like TV, bed, room service and attached bathroom. If traveling as a couple expect to pay ₹500-1100. Though you might be lucky to find a decent English speaking concierge at this range, you will find lots of people well-versed in Tanglish (a concoction of Tamil and English) which can be understood quite clearly if you listen hard and pay attention.
Language & Talk
Tamils are fiercely proud of the Tamil language (also written as Thamizh), one of the few living classical languages that's over 3,000 years old. It is unrelated to the North Indian languages, and instead belongs to the Dravidian language family that includes languages such as Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Learning a few words of Tamil will most certainly endear you to the locals. Although Hindi has been gaining popularity lately, it is not widely understood by many of the locals. As is the case with the rest of South India, English is generally more widely-spoken than Hindi. English is spoken by most urban-dwellers, so English-speaking visitors should have no problem getting by.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Tamil Nadu is one of the safest states in India. Nevertheless, be aware and cautious of your surroundings. As in the rest of India, public displays of affection are frowned upon and may invite unwanted attention. If you are a Sri Lankan Sinhalese, never ever reveal that fact. You could easily invite unwanted attention from Tamil nationalists, or those who have strong opinions on the Sri Lankan Civil War. Like the rest of India, Tamil Nadu has its fair share of pollution and sanitation problems. Burning and dumping garbage in open areas is very common, and the problem is more profound in smaller cities. It's advisable to keep an eye on the AQI of the city you are planning to visit and, if possible, wear masks. Tamils are often negatively stereotyped as being "anti-Hindi", "anti-Northern", or both.