Places to Visit in Padmanabhapuram

Asia’s largest wooden palace, the old Travancore capital that sits in Tamil Nadu yet belongs to Kerala.

On a boulder-strewn hill in the far south, a 9th-century overhang carries rows of Jain saviours and their guardian goddesses — a rock-cut shrine that later became a Bhagavathy temple, high above the plains of Kanniyakumari.

At the very toe of India, three seas fold into one horizon—and a virgin goddess, a wandering monk, a Tamil poet and the Mahatma each left their mark.

Two well-paced days at the southern tip of India, from sunrise over three seas to Asia’s largest wooden palace.

From the gopurams of Madurai to the three-ocean tip at Kanyakumari — a pilgrim-friendly five-day road trip with real distances and drive times.

One unhurried week from Chennai to Kanyakumari, taking in Pallava rock temples, the Chola heartland, Madurai and India’s southern tip.

A multi-district trail through Tamil Nadu’s Christian heritage — the apostle’s tomb in Chennai, the great basilicas of Velankanni and Thoothukudi, and the Danish mission churches of Tranquebar.