For more than 2000 years the area has been
popular with seafarers, spice traders and cloth
merchants. The 16th century saw the arrival of
the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch. In 1693,
the British East India Company established a
settlement in the fishing village of Madraspatnam.For
St. George was constructed over a period of 15
years and finally completed in 1653.
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THANJAVUR : Thanjavur
was the ancient capital of the Chola kings whose
origins, go back to the beginning of the Christian
era. Power struggles between these groups were
a constant feature of their early history, with
one or other gaining the ascendancy at various
times. The Cholas' turn for empire building came
between 850 and 1270 AD and ,at the height of their
power. Probably the greatest chola emperors were
Raja Raja who was responsible for building the
Brihadishwara Temple (Thanjavur main attraction
) and his son Rajendra-I whose navy competed with
the Arabs for
controls of the Indian Ocean trade routes and who was
responsible for bringing Srivijaya under Chola
control.
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COIMBATORE : One
of the most important cities of Tamilnadu, Coimbatore
is called the 'Manchester of South India' and is
the third largest city in the state. The headquarters
of the Nilgiri region, its exposure to the Palghat
Gap of the Western Ghats
Coimbatore a Salubrious climate. A highly industrialized
city, it is the centre of textile manufacturing
in the
state - there are over a hundred mills in and around
Coimbatore. Primarily a business centre, it is
known for
the manufacturing of motor pump sets and various
engineering and electronic goods. |
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UDACAMANDALAM (OOTY): This
famous hill station in the Nillgiri Hills was founded
by the British in the early part of the 19th century
to serve as the summer headquarters of the Madras
government. Untill about two decades ago, 'Snooty'
Ooty resembled an unlikely combination of southern
England and Australia: single-storey stone cottages,
bijou fenced flower gardens, leafy, winding lanes,
and tall eucalypt stands covering the otherwise
barren hilltops.
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MADURAI : More
than 2500 years old ancient city, situated on the
banks of the river .Vaigai Madurai is believed
to have been built by the Pandyan King Kulasekara.
Legend has it
that drops of Maduram (nectar) fell from Lord Shiva's
locks when he came to bless its people for constructing
a temple for him. Madurai's history can be divided
into
four periods, beginning over 2000 years ago, when it
was the capital of the Pandyan Kings. Apart from
a brief
period it fell to the Cholas, Madurai remain with
Pandyan till the decline of the empire. The 200year old
reign of the Natakas marked the golden era when
art,
architecture and learning scaled new heights. |
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THIRUCHIRAPPALLY : The
most famous landmark of this bustling town is the
Rock Fort Temple, a spectacular monument perched
on a massive rocky outcrop which rises abruptly
from the plain to tower over the old city. It is
reached by a flight of steep steps cut into the
rock and from its summit you get a fantastic view
of the town plus its other main landmark.
Trichy itself has a long going back to the centuries
before Christian era when it was a Chola citadel.
The town and its fort as it stands today, was
built by the Nayaks of Madurai. It was one of
the main centre around which the wars of the
Carnatic were fought in the 18th century during
the British-French struggle for supremacy in
India.
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VELLORE
: Vellore,
145 km from Chennai, is a dusty, semi rural bazaar
town. For tourists, it is noteworthy only for
the Vijaynagar fort and its temple, which are
in an
excellent state of preservation and worth visiting.The
town has a modern church built in an old British
cemetery, which contains the tomb of a captain
who died in 1799'
of excessive fatigue incurred during the
glorious campaign which ended in the defeat of Tipoo
Sultan'. Here, too is a memorial to the victims
of the
little known 'Vellore Mutiny' of 1806. The mutiny was
instigated by the second son of Tipoo Sultan
, who was
incacerated in the fort at that time, and was put down
by a task force sent from Arcot. Vellore is now
best
known for its hospital, one of the best in the country. |
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RAMESWARAM : Rameswaram
known as the Varanasi of the south, Rameswaram
is a major pilgrimage centre for both Shaivites
and Vaishnavaites as it was here that Rama ( an
incarnation of Vishnu in the Indian epic the Ramayana
) offered thanks to Siva. At the town's core is
the Ramanathaswamy Temple, one of the most important
temples in southern India.
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KANYAKUMARI : Kanyakumari was once referred
to as the "ALEXANDRIA OF THE EAST".This place
has been a great centre for art,culture,civilization
and pilgrimage for years. It was also a famous
centre for commerce and trade. During the early
part of the 8th century A.D,Islam entered the
southern
part of India through the sea route with traders
and Missionaries.Through St.Thomas, Christianity
arrived in this area in 52 A.D.
Islam, Christianity and Jainism religions have greatly
contributed to the Architectural wealth and literal
heritage of this place. Kanyakumari was also
under the
control of the Cholas, the Cheras, the Pandyas and
the Nayaks who were the great rulers of South
India.
The
architectural beauty of the temples are the beautiful
work of these rulers. |
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KANCHIPURAM : Kanchipuram
is one of the seven sacred cities of India and
was, successively, capital of the kingdom of the
Pallavas, Cholas and rajas of Vijayanagar. During
Pallavas times, it was briefly occupied by the
Chalukyans of Badami, and by the Rashtrakutas when
the battle fortunes of the Pallavas kings reached
a low ebb |
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MAMALLAPURAM : The
town of temples, sand and sea - Mamallapuram, formely
known as Mahabalipuram is world renowned for its
beautiful Shore Temple. It was once the main port
and naval base of the great Pallava kingdom and
was later made the capital of this Dynasty.
'Mamall ', meaning the great wrestler was the name given to
king Narasimha Varman I. Most of the temples here is dedicathe
Lord Siva and Vishnu, were completed between 630 A.D and 728
A.D during the reign of Narasimha Varman II.
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