Looking for TN city with great ambience

joneall

Hi,

My wife and I love Varanasi for the ambience, even if there are no specially wonderful temples to visit. Wandering around the streets, markets and ghats is wonderful. We spend days there, just strolling around, happy with whatever we may fall upon. (Well, almost "whatever"... )

What cities in Tamil Nadu might one similarly want to spend time in? I was wondering if Madurai wasn't a good one.

Otherwise, we're thinking about Chennai, Kanchipuram, Mamallapuram, Trichy, Tanjore (with side trip to Kumbakonam) and then Madurai.

Oh, yes, we're also interested in seeing/hearing Indian classical music and dance.

We're planning to be there for about 3 weeks in February.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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evilnyberg

though i'm not in a position to compare it to varanasi (haven't made it to north india yet!), madurai is great - i didn't experience any of the negatives that people tend to talk about in connection with madurai (hordes of agressive touts, beggars, etc).

for a temple town with 'ambience', i would suggest tiruvannamalai. it is an endearlingly laid back place, and the arunachaleswar temple and hill are breathtaking. if you can, visit at the time of the full moon.

also, if you've been to varanasi and want to follow hindu protocol, you should visit rameswaram and danushkodi - apparently no pilgrimage to varanasi is complete until you bathe in the sacred waters here... check out my ode to rameswaram/danushkodi and yogagal's Rameswaram vignette.

sorry if i've added any confusion to your itinerary but the above are my three fave places in tn and i just couldn't not mention them...

a

ananda2193

Varanasi and Madurai are probably my favorite Indian cities. To me their the quintessential Indian cities.

Banarasi at heart

As pointed out, Tiruvannamalai is superb. Although small, it is well connecetd and the temple is of course great and with a lot of history. Although Tanjore district (where Tiruvannamalai is)is better known, there are a lot of underrated places in the Tirunelveli district too. Tenkasi and Kuttralam in the montains come to mind but are not very well connected. Following is from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenkasi

Of course, there are other places but I am partial to Tirunelveli. Tirunelveli town itself is quite nice and charming (according to me) and everytime I go, I feel like staying forever there. I think the Nellayappar Temple in Tirunelveli is one of the largest in area but is not evident until one goes inside. Following again from wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirunelveli

Oops, forgot to add. If you scroll down the Tirunelveli site in wikipedia, you will see some great photos taken in Tirunelveli.

SitaParityaga

Agree with you, evilnyberg and ananda: Madurai and Varanasi are wonderful destinations in my book. And thanks for the great post on Rameshwaram, evilnvberg. Didn't know a St Anthony cross was out there! (the patron saint of lost things and missing persons)

Varanasi has a unique, soul satisfying ambience. I remember planning to just pass through and ended up there for two blissful weeks.

You have made a good list of ambience type places to see in TN. Three weeks will give you adequate time to really settle in and enjoy yourselves. If you liked the food in Varanasi, you are going to love it in TN.

Nick-H

Chennai is the place in Southern India for music, although after the enormous festival in December/January, things will have wound down somewhat by Feb.

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vargoje3

Mamallapuram is a nice place but in my opinion real "touristy," not a problem if you don't mind however. They have some great ruins and lots of shops, hotels, and nice restaurants. I would try out Moonrakers if you get a chance. Great food and atmosphere. One city you did not mention was Pondicherry. I'm very fond of that city having lived there for 4 months and its quite nice to visit. The French influence can easily be seen in architecture and french cuisine restaurants. I spent many days wandering the streets in Pondy and never went bored, lots of shops and even some high end places if your interested.