TOURISM IN TAMIL NADU

Tourism in Tamil Nadu,India.

Tamil Nadu is situated in the Indian Peninsula .It is bordered by the Bay of Bengal on the East and in the south by the Indian Ocean. On the North it borders Andhra Pradesh and the west by God's Own Country,Kerala. It is one of the most progressive states in India, and one of the most developed. The climate is warm throughout the year and the more pleasant months of the year are from December to March. The six major cities are Chennai, which is the capital,Madurai,Coimbatore,Trichirapalli,Tirunelveli and Salem. The major cities are well connected by road, air and by rail. There are plenty of fairly cheap hotels which provide clean lodging and good food all over the state.This is the land of temples. There are temples everywhere, new, old and very old. Many of them were built in the period of the Cholas and the Pandhyas and other dynasties. Some of them are more than 1000 years old.

Madurai Meenakshi Temple

As the name suggests the temple is located at Madurai, which is about is about 480 kms from Chennai. Many a visitor says that Madurai is more representative of Tamil Culture than Chennai.One feels the pulse of Tamil Nadu. On every street one sees temples everywhere big and small. But the biggest of them all is Meenkshi Temple. In fact life revolves around the temple.The main deity is Meenakshi who is the consort of Lord Shiva. The temple was believed to have been built over a period from the 12th and the 18th century. There are 4 gopurams or towers and the tallest is believed to be 48m.The gopurams are beautifully constructed and very symmetrical with intricate artwork. There are many temple festivals celebrated throughout the year at the temple. For people who are interested in a bit of shopping, there is a amazing variety to choose from! From beautiful wooden toys, dolls to other trinkets. One can find them all here, and very cheap also. There are cookery sets made of wood, very brightly colored for people with little girls.

Big Temple of Thanjavur

Thanjavur is about 380 kms from Chennai and is a small town situated in the Eastern
Tamil Nadu. The Chola King,Raja Raja Chola, built this temple sometime in the end of the first century.
Built magnificently by the Chola King, its very bigness and marvelous sculpture will not fail to astonish any visitor. One wonders how such a temple was built without any modern equipments or tools! The temple took 25 years to be completed. Recently taken over by the Archaeological Survey of India, this temple has been restored beautifully and well worth a visit.

Krishnapuram Temple

His is a little known temple. Many Indians would not have even heard it. This is situated about a half hour drive from Tirunelveli, a town that is about 12 hours from the capital, Chennai. It is said that the late Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi once visited this temple and had planned to spend about ten minutes, squeezed into his busy schedule. But so impressed was he with the sculptures within that he could barely tear himself away after two hours. In all the sculptures of the various Gods and Goddesses, great attention is paid even to the most minute details, like toe and finger nails, jewellery, hair etc.

Medical Tourism

For the ordinary tourist India is a very cheap destination! Great unusual varied places to see and at rock bottom prices! It also offers world class medical treatment at very affordable rates .Few countries in the world can offer as much as India! Long needed medical care plus a good rejuvenating holiday afterwards to help in the convalescence.. Tamil Nadu is one such state in India wherein one can avail of all-inclusive package! There are several world-class facilities in Tamil Nadu equipped with the latest testing facilities. The doctors, nurses and other Para medical staff, manning the hospitals are all dedicated and well trained. There are many private hospitals that are all professionally run, offering treatment at a very economical cost. It has been noticed that the cost of treatment is about one/tenth of the cost of a similar treatment in developed countries. All this is at a very high success rate, which compares very favorably to the best of hospitals in the West. One can come to Tamil Nadu for a specific treatment or even go for a Master Health Check Up while on holiday. Everything is taken care of by the concerned hospital in liaison with the Travel Agency. Cardiac Care, Dialysis and Kidney Transplant, Eye Care, Cosmetic Surgery is available in all hospitals in Tamil Nadu and at very reasonable rates.

Eye Care

Tamil Nadu is the leader in this field. The Regional Institute of Opthamology and Government Opthalmic Hospital is the second oldest n the world. People come from all over the world for various eye ailments. There are some other world-renowned eye hospitals in Tamil Nadu. Apart from the well staffed Government hospitals staffed with experienced doctors and nurses, it has Arvind Hospitals at Madurai,Tirunelveli,Theni and Coimbatore, Sankara Nethralya at Chennai, Dr Agarwal’s Hospital at Chennai. There is a little known Rural Eye Hospital at Krishnan Kovil about 60 Kms from Madurai which provide excellent eye care to all the villages around. Almost all the patients are very poor and hence the treatment is almost entirely free.

LASIK or Refractive Surgery is extremely popular and available for eye care for cornea, squint and glaucoma. The ophthalmic surgeons have all honed their skills to perfection. Removal of cataract for both the eyes through the IOL method consists as little as about RS 22000,in most hospitals. This is the equivalent of little over USD 400.Treatment of myopia ,astigmatism is available at almost all eye hospitals all over Tamil Nadu .

Cardiac Care

Cardiac Care has become such a specialty in India .Tamil Nadu also has its share of some excellent hospitals which are well equipped to take care of all major heart diseases. Not only do these hospitals have expertise in heart care, but they also provide basic facilities in preventing heart diseases. All the major hospitals are equipped with the latest testing facilities, which are on par with the best hospital in the West. All this at a fraction of the cost in the West! Some of the good hospitals for cardiac care in Tamil Nadu are the Apollo Hospitals , Ramachandra Hospital, Vijaya Hospitals ,Madras Medical Misssion, Sundaram Heart Foundation all at Chennai,and CMC Hospital at Vellore about 150 Kms from Chennai.

Cosmetic Surgery

All the major hospitals in Tamil Nadu are equipped with excellent facilities for cosmetic surgeries like liposuction, rhinoplasty, hair transplants, facelifts, botox treatment for reduction of wrinkles, breast enhancement/reduction .In addition to the regular hospitals, there are many Skin Clinics where all specialized services are available.

Oncology

Most hospitals listed above have very good oncology departments offering radiation therapy as well as Bone Marrow Transplants.Special surgeons are avail;able for individual organs.A world famous hospital for treatment of cancer at Chennai is the Adyar Cancer Hospital,run by Dr V Shanta who was honoured with the Magsaysay Award in 2005 for her pioneer efforts in the treatment of cancer.

Orthoepaedics

All hospitals in Tamil Nadu have very experienced skilled surgeons, very well trained in the latest medical techniques. Shoulder/hip/knee replacement surgery are all performed here. One exclusive orthopedic hospital in Chennai is MIOT Hospitals, run by Prof Dr PVA Mohandas.

Dialysis and Kidney Transplant

All renal diseases are managed very well in all the major hospitals in Tamil Nadu. The hospitals have state of the art facilities in the operation theatre and Transplant Intensive Care Units.The hospitals in Tamil Nadu are leaders in cadaver transplants and have performed a considerable number of them with very high success rates .

Alternate Medical Treatment

Though Kerala , the neighbouring state, is spoken of in the same breath as Ayurveda, Tamil Nadu also does not lag far behind. If you are a person in search of alternate healing , there are plenty of reputed of such places in Tamil Nadu also. Ayurveda, Sidda, Homoeopathy , Acupuncture, Acupressure Pranic Healing, Reiki are all practiced here. Yoga Schools are aplenty here where one can undergo a short-term course for a reasonable fee. Tamil Nadu is home to Siddha, a native and ancient branch of medicine, said to be effective in the treatment of spastic ailments. The National Institute of Siddha was recently started in Chennai and draws around 2000 people daily. Varmam, an ancient martial art is still practised in southern most district of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu . It cures ailments through applying pressure on the nerve centres called Varmam Points. It is remarkable in relieving pain.
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