Thiruvarur
Accommodation in Thiruvarur
Thiruvarur combines impressive temple culture with a musical tradition and landscapes where paddy fields, bird sanctuaries and mangroves add their own highlights to a trip. The annual chariot festival at Thygarajaswamy Temple is especially striking. Celebrated in April and May, its temple chariot weighs 300 tonnes and stands 90 feet tall. If you are travelling with family, you might consider whether to focus your stay on a festival like this, temple art or nature watching.
Temple art and musical tradition
In addition to its chariot festival, Thyagarajaswamy Temple offers another cultural point of interest: an art gallery depicts the stature of the just king Manuneethi Cholan. At Arulmighu Subramanya Swamy Temple in Enkan, the sculpture of the god Arumuga riding his peacock is considered a remarkable work of art. The Thaipoosam festival is also celebrated there in mid-January. Combining a temple visit with festival activities offers a different way to experience the region than a trip focused primarily on scenery and wildlife watching.
Other temples have their own distinctive features. Koothanur is home to Arulmighu Maha Saraswathy Amman Temple, a temple built specifically for Saraswathi, the goddess of learning. Devotees from all over India take part in the Navarathri festival there. In Alangudi, the Guru shrine is located at Arulmighu Abthasahayeswarar Temple; countless devotees visit the temple every year during Guru Peyarchi. Festivals are celebrated throughout the year at Shri Raja Gopalaswamy Temple in Mannargudi. Its Rajagopuram is 154 feet tall; the temple also has 16 Gopurams, 7 Mandapams, 24 Sannathi and 18 Vimanas.
Music is also part of Thiruvarur’s identity: the town is considered the home of the three major figures of Carnatic music, Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri. A Carnatic music festival is held in Thiruvarur every year. Other events take place throughout the year, including the annual Periyahanduri Urs festival at Muthupet Dargah. If you want to plan your trip around a particular festival, the dates and annual events mentioned here offer different points of reference.
Bird sanctuaries and mangroves
The district is characterised by evergreen paddy fields. The bird sanctuaries and mangrove forest are particularly interesting for nature watching. Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary attracts more than 40 species of waterbirds; over 20,000 migratory birds arrive there in November and December. Two observation towers are available for birdwatching. There are also basic facilities for overnight stays by tourists. This makes it possible to combine a nature-focused trip with a stay centred on birdwatching.
Udayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary covers 45.28 hectares in Tiruvarur district and was designated a protected area in 1998. From September to December, its bird population rises to around 10,000; visitors will find two observation towers. The season in Udayamarthandapuram therefore begins earlier than the migratory bird season in Vaduvoor.
The Muthupettai mangrove forest offers a different natural setting. It covers 120 square kilometres and includes backwaters and mangroves. Tourists can reach Thalaimunai Mangrove Forest by motorboat from the Jambavanodai jetty near Muthupettai. Muthupettai mangrove forest also has a 162-metre-long wooden walkway for visitors. A boat trip and the walkway are specific ways to experience the mangrove landscape; they are quite different from birdwatching from observation towers.
Planning your trip
Thiruvarur is located between Nagapattinam and Thanjavur. Its railway junction connects it with Thanjavur to the west, Mayiladuthurai to the north, Nagapattinam to the east and Thiruthuraipoondi to the south. Tiruchirapalli International Airport is the nearest international airport, about 110 kilometres or a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. To decide what to focus on during your holiday, you can first weigh up whether temple festivals and music, birdwatching or the mangrove landscape are most important to your trip. These interests can also help guide your search for a holiday apartment in Thiruvarur.
If you would like to explore other places, you can also find Mangal here.
For the broader travel overview: Tamil Nadu.
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