Tiruchendur Beach

One of the six Arupadai Veedu abodes of Lord Murugan, a vast seashore temple on the Gulf of Mannar where Murugan is said to have worshipped Shiva before defeating the asura Surapadman.

A natural spring about 10 km from Tiruchendur where water gushes out to form a narrow stream locally called a 'sunai'. The Arunchunai Kaatha Ayyanar Temple stands on the banks of this spring, giving the place its name. It is a small pilgrimage and picnic spot combining a temple with a perennial natural water source.

A centuries-old Arab-trade port town of Islamic heritage, home to some of India's oldest mosques rebuilt over successive centuries with pillared prayer halls.

The grand Friday mosque of Kayalpatnam is one of the oldest mosques in India, traditionally dated to 842 CE and rebuilt in the 14th century by Sultan Sayyid Jamaluddin. Known as the 'Mosque of a Thousand Pillars' for its vast pillared prayer hall, it is the principal Islamic monument of this historic Arab-trading port town on the Bay of Bengal. It remains an active centre of worship and Islamic scholarship.

A coastal Amman temple famed for its 10-day Dasara festival, when devotees dress as gods, goddesses and other figures in elaborate disguise processions after weeks of fasting.

A 16th-century coastal church on the cape where St Francis Xavier is said to have lived and prayed in a seaside cave; holds a relic believed to be a fragment of the True Cross.

A historic harbour village at the mouth of the Thamirabarani river, called 'Punicale' by the Portuguese, who made it their principal southern-coast possession for about 50 years from 1551. They built hospitals, a seminary and a mud fort here, and the first Tamil printing press was set up at Punnaikayal in 1579. It succeeded the older port of Kayal in regional maritime trade.

A scenic coastal beach near the village of Manapad, about 18 km south of Tiruchendur, known for its unusual rock formations and headland along the southeastern coast. It sits beside the historic Holy Cross Church built by Portuguese sailors, blending a serene seascape with Christian heritage. The area is drawing attention as a spot for wind and water sports.

St. John's Cathedral is a large 19th-century Gothic-style church at the centre of Nazareth, a planned Christian town founded by SPG missionaries and developed by Canon Arthur Margoschis. It serves as the seat of the CSI Thoothukudi-Nazareth Diocese. Its tall, flat-topped tower is visible across the surrounding plains.

A village whose name means 'first village', founded in 1799 by Christian converts from Palayamkottai as the first purely Christian planned settlement in the region. It became an early cradle of Protestant mission work in southern Tamil Nadu and is home to St. Michael and All Angels Church. It remains a notable landmark of the district's Christian heritage.

One of the nine Nava Tirupati Divya Desams, dedicated to Vishnu as Vaithamanidhi; birthplace of the Alwar saint Madhurakavi.

A village near Srivaikuntam whose Thamirabarani-valley urn-burial finds have been dated to roughly 3,200 years ago, cited as evidence of an ancient Tamil Iron Age civilisation.