Mangala Buddha Vihar, Pulichapallam

An ancient Shiva temple near Auroville, revered in Tamil Saiva tradition and connected to legends of the sage Sadasiva Brahmendra. It is one of the historic temples of the Vanur-Marakkanam belt of the district, drawing pilgrims for its Mahakaleeswarar shrine.

An experimental international township founded in 1968 by the Mother, centred on the golden Matrimandir, and home to a community from many nations pursuing collective living and sustainability projects.

The golden spherical meditation hall at the centre of Auroville, designed as a place of silent individual concentration; entry to the inner chamber requires advance booking.

A Chola-era Shiva temple traditionally attributed to the queen Sembiyan Mahadevi, with the deity Chandramouleeswarar and consort Tenambikai. It is noted for fine stone sculpture and a large chariot-like mandapa with big Nandi and Ganesha carvings. It sits close to the well-known National Fossil Wood Park at the same village.

A national geo-heritage site preserving 20-million-year-old petrified and fossilised tree trunks scattered across a protected scrubland area.

A quiet fishing-village beach on the East Coast Road just north of Puducherry, within Viluppuram district. It has a fishing harbour and is a low-key coastal stop near the Auroville belt on the Bay of Bengal.

A large coastal brackish lagoon and wetland, one of the biggest such wetlands on the Coromandel Coast. Notified as a bird sanctuary in 2021 covering about 51.56 sq km, it was designated a Ramsar site of international importance in 2024. It is a major wintering ground for migratory waterbirds and flamingos.

A hilltop Murugan shrine near Tindivanam reached by a flight of steps, popular with pilgrims for its monumental gopuram tower.

A ruined hill fort on an isolated granite hill rising about 437 feet, roughly 12 km east of Tindivanam. It was fortified during the Vijayanagara period in the 14th century and contended over in later regional conflicts. The same hill carries the old Mukyachaleeswarar Shiva temple, said to be around 900 years old.

A Shiva temple in the coastal town of Marakkanam believed to be over a thousand years old and dating to the Chola period. It stands in a town that was an important ancient port, identified with the classical Sopatma, on the Bay of Bengal. Its setting near the salt pans and coast adds to its historical interest.

An irrigation dam and reservoir on the Malattar river feeding farmland across the district. The reservoir and its surroundings are a local picnic and scenic spot, especially when water is released during the monsoon.

An early Pallava-period structural Shiva temple, among the earliest stone temples of the dynasty, notable for its sculptural work predating the more famous Kanchipuram temples.