Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rice, lentil dishes,
rasam
(hot and sour tamarind soup) and chutneys, often served on a ba-
nana leaf - are also good. The main local exception to the all-veg diet is Chettinad food,
originating from the Chettinadu region south of Trichy but available at restaurants in big-
ger towns. The dishes are spicy but not fiery. For a state growing a lot of tea, Tamil Nadu
really loves its coffee; filtered coffee (mixed with milk and sugar, of course, and a dash of
chicory) is often more readily available than tea. Restaurant prices include the taxes added
to menu rates at some places.
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Top State Festivals
»
International Yoga Festival
( 4-7 Jan, Puducherry,
Click here
)
»
Pongal
( mid-Jan, statewide) Harvest festival.
»
Thyagaraja Aradhana
( Jan, Thiruvaiyaru,
Click here
)
»
Teppam (Float) Festival
( Jan/Feb, Madurai,
Click here
)
Meenakshi temple deities
are taken on a tour of the town.
»
Natyanjali Dance Festival
( Feb/Mar, Chidambaram,
Click here
)
»
Chithirai Festival
( Apr/May, Madurai,
Click here
)
Celebrates the marriage of
Meenakshi to Sundareswarar (Shiva).
»
Karthikai Deepam Festival
( Nov/Dec, statewide) Festival of lights.
»
Chennai Festival of Music & Dance
( mid-Dec-mid-Jan, Chennai,
Click here
)
Cel-
ebrates southern music and dance.
»
Mamallapuram Dance Festival
( Dec-Jan, Mamallapuram,
Click here
)
Four-weeks
of dance, drama and music.
MAIN POINTS OF ENTRY
Chennai Airport will be your probable entry point if you're flying into Tamil Nadu from overseas, although
Trichy, Madurai and Coimbatore also have (limited) international services. The same four cities are also the
state's major train junctions.
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