Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)
The cape at the southern tip of Nagapattinam district where an old Chola-era lighthouse tower marks the meeting of the Palk Strait and Bay of Bengal.
Plan Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)
Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) is planned from Vedaranyam, one of the travel bases in Nagapattinam district. Use Vedaranyam for stays, food and local transport, then plan this place as a focused stop.
How to visit
- Base yourself in Vedaranyam or nearby in Nagapattinam, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel.
- If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.
Best time
October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.
Live forecast loads in your browser.
Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.
Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) in pictures
Stays, food & things to do near Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)
Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.
Book with the place itself. India’s cyber-crime coordination centre warned in April 2025 that convincing copies of hotel and pilgrimage booking sites are being pushed through sponsored search and social ads, taking payment for rooms the property never hears about. Every listing here links to the business’s own contact details and its own Google or Bing profile — we take no commission and sit in nobody’s payment path. If a booking page reached you through an ad, check the address bar against the property’s own site before you pay. Fraud can be reported on cybercrime.gov.in or on 1930.
Top experiences around Vedaranyam
2 more places around Vedaranyam. Open a guide to plan the visit and onward journey.
2.3 km · 29 min walk
A coastal sanctuary at the tip where the Palk Strait meets the Bay of Bengal, known for wintering flamingos, blackbuck, and dry evergreen forest.
9.3 km · ~16 min by cab
A coastal Shiva temple in the pilgrimage town of Vedaranyam, historically linked with the Kaveri-delta chain of Saivite shrines.
Roampedia is commission-free — own or know a stay, eatery, guide or shop near Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)? List it and it appears here once verified.
Add a nearby businessPoint Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) — at a glance
Entry: Free (lighthouse climb may need permission)
How to reach Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)
Nearest railway Vedaranyam ~15 km; nearest airport Tiruchirappalli (TRZ) ~185 km
If you need step-free access, contact the site before travelling. Ask about a level entrance, steps along the route, the nearest drop-off point, seating and accessible toilets.
Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.
What’s near Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)
A coastal sanctuary at the tip where the Palk Strait meets the Bay of Bengal, known for wintering flamingos, blackbuck, and dry evergreen forest.
2.3 km · 29 min walk · straight lineA Shiva temple near the southern tip of Point Calimere among the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams revered in the 7th-century Tevaram, where the deity is worshipped as Kodi Kuzhagar (Amirthakadeswarar) and the goddess as Anjanakshi. It is regarded as one of the southernmost of the Cauvery-delta Saiva shrines. Built in granite in the 10th century over an earlier structure, it has three prakarams and a five-tiered rajagopuram.
5.8 km · ~15 min by auto · straight line
A Shiva temple about 3 km from Vedaranyam that is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams revered in the 7th-century Tevaram, with the presiding deity Agastiswara and the goddess Pakampiriyal Nayagi. The site is linked to worship by the sage Agastya, from whom the village takes its name. It carries Chola-period inscriptions of Raja Raja Chola I, Rajendra Chola and Kulothunga Chola.
7.5 km · ~19 min by auto · straight lineA coastal Shiva temple in the pilgrimage town of Vedaranyam, historically linked with the Kaveri-delta chain of Saivite shrines.
9.3 km · ~16 min by cab · straight line
A working fishing beach beside the Velankanni Basilica, popular with pilgrims for a walk along the Bay of Bengal shoreline.
42.5 km · ~71 min by cab · straight line
Known as the 'Lourdes of the East', this Marian basilica draws millions of pilgrims of all faiths, especially during the 11-day September feast.
42.8 km · ~71 min by cab · straight line
A large modern Roman Catholic church at Velankanni and the newest of the cluster of shrines around the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health. It is noted as an architectural landmark whose vast interior is built without a single internal pillar. It complements the main pilgrimage circuit that draws millions of devotees to Velankanni each year.
42.9 km · ~72 min by cab · straight lineA well-known Murugan shrine in the Kaveri-delta temple belt, popular with regional pilgrims for its scenic rural setting.
48.2 km · ~80 min by cab · straight lineA memorial commemorating the victims of the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which struck Nagapattinam district harder than anywhere else in India and killed several thousand people along its coast. The pillar stands beside the Velankanni-Nagapattinam coastal road as a place of remembrance for the fishing and pilgrim communities that were devastated.
51.1 km · ~85 min by cab · straight lineA Murugan temple famous for its annual Soorasamharam vel festival, set on the banks of the Kaveri delta near Nagapattinam.
51.9 km · ~86 min by cab · straight lineThe site of an 11th-century Mahayana Buddhist monastery built in 1006 CE by the Srivijaya king Sri Vijaya Maravijayattungavarman with the patronage of Rajaraja Chola I, marking Nagapattinam as a major maritime Buddhist centre. Its tower survived as a landmark until Jesuit missionaries demolished it in 1867. Since 1856 around 350 Buddha bronzes dating from the 11th to 16th centuries have been excavated here, and the town is planned as the site of Tamil Nadu's first Buddhist museum.
52.6 km · ~88 min by cab · straight lineA Vishnu temple in Nagapattinam town, one of the local Divya Desam-adjacent shrines forming the town's temple cluster.
52.7 km · ~88 min by cab · straight lineWhere Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) is
Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) — frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)?
October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.
What are the entry fee and timings at Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)?
Entry: Free (lighthouse climb may need permission). Timings: Daylight hours (indicative — confirm on site).
How do I reach Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)?
Base yourself in Vedaranyam or nearby in Nagapattinam, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel. If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.
How much time do I need for Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)?
About an hour.
What else is near Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse)?
Nearby you can pair Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary (2.3 km), Kodi Kuzhagar (Amirthakadeswarar) Temple, Kodiyakkarai (5.8 km), Agastheeswarar Temple, Agasthiyampalli (7.5 km), Vedaranyeswarar Temple (9.3 km).
Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) guides, stories & itineraries
We have not published a story about Point Calimere (Cape and Chola Lighthouse) itself yet. These cover Vedaranyam and the wider district, with separate journeys between stops.
Tamil Nadu-wide guides & itineraries
Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Tamil Nadu.
Image credits
Photographs: PJeganathan (CC BY-SA 4.0), Chenthil (CC BY-SA 3.0). Wikimedia Commons.