Things to Do in Tamil Nadu - page 2

The ghost town of Dhanushkodi sits at the southeast tip of Pamban Island in India’s Tamil Nadu state, just 30 kilometers from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Rama built a bridge between the mainland and Sri Lanka in order to bring his army across. After the war, Rama was said to destroy the bridge with one end of his bow, hence the name Dhanushkodi, which means 'end of the bow'. Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the waters here before completing their pilgrimage to the city of Rameswaram. Visitors can hire a jeep or join a minibus to traverse the beach, visiting the Kodanda Rama Temple, which juts out into the ocean, along the way. The beach is a stunning strip of white sand and, since there is little commercialism here, it remains clean and picturesque.

The heritage village of Dakshinachitra, meaning ‘A Picture of the South,' was established to help preserve the folk art and cultural traditions of southern India, particularly from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Artisans trained in traditional techniques work in the 17 heritage houses and village tableaus within the 10 acres (four hectares) of rural land just south of Chennai. Many of the pots, baskets, woven silk pieces, puppets and stone carvings you see being made can be purchased directly from the artists or in the gift shop; and items from these artists are both authentic and of high quality. Dancers, musicians, traditional fortune tellers and puppeteers all perform throughout the day in the open-air venue.

Located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside of central Chennai, Covelong Beach offers visitors a cleaner, quieter alternative to the urban Marina Beach. The beach is named after the small fishing village where it’s found and occupies the former site of a Dutch fort by the same name. Today, Covelong Beach is one of the few on the eastern coast of India to offer wind surfing, as well as regular surfing, swimming and a variety of other water sports. Like Marina Beach, it’s also an excellent place for sitting back and people watching, as you’ll often see locals playing cricket, collecting sea shells and bringing in their fishing boats after a day on the water.