5 Best Beaches near Trichy (Tiruchirappalli)

Pondicherry or Puducherry is a city and capital of the Union Territory of Pondicherry and one of the most popular tourist places to visit near Chennai. It is among the most popular beach destinations in South India.

Pondicherry was the capital of French India for about 300 years, before it attained its independence in 1954. The city is separated into two quarters known as French quarter and the Indian quarter. The French quarter is characterized by building of colonial architecture typical painted in yellow and the latter boasts of ancient Tamil styles and designs. French War Memorial, Puducherry Museum, Aayi Mandapam, Auroville Ashram, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Promenade, Chunnambar Boathouse, Paradise Beach are among the most popular places to visit in Pondicherry.

The serene beaches of Pondicherry are the main attraction for visitors. Pondicherry needs at least 2 full days to visit main attractions, an additional day can cover Mahabalipuram or Kanchipuram.

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At a distance 130 km from Pondicherry, 285 km from Chennai, 66 km from Chidambaram, 283 km from Rameswaram, 274 km from Madurai, 96 km from Thanjavur & 154 km from Trichy, Karaikal is an important port town and district headquarters under the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Karaikal was a French colony until its merger with Indian Union in 1954. Karaikal is one of the best places to include in your Pondicherry tour packages.

French acquired Karaikal in 1674 and converted that into a major commercial port, primarily trading spices. French acquired trading rights in Karaikal by then Tanjore rulers. In 1739, the current town of Karaikal along with its adjacent villages were transferred to French East India Company by the king of Tanjore, Sahuji. This territory was surrendered to the British in 1761. The control changed between French and British few times until it was finally handed over to French in 1816 until the Treaty of Paris, 1814.

Karaikal has rich heritage and it still holds the old charm. Thirunallar, Karaikal Beach, Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple and Tantondreeswara Temple are few important places to visit around Karaikal. Nagore Dargah (14 km), Nagapattinam (20 km) and Velankanni Church (31 km) are other major attractions in the vicinity of the town.

Nearest Airport to Karaikal is Tiruchirapally ...

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At a distance of 40 km from Chidambaram, 40 km from Karaikal, 90 km from Thanjavur & 257 km from Chennai, Poompugar is a coastal town in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the major places to visit as part of Chidambaram trip.

Poompuhar was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam and was at its peak of glory under the earlier Chola kings. The River Kaveri is merging with the sea here. It was known as Puhar due to the exquisite beauty of the port town, and it later came to be called Poompuhar. Silappathikaram and Manimekalai, the Tamil epics, bring out the greatness of the city in some of the poems in Sangam literature.

It has now been established by marine archaeological research (conducted by the National Institute of Marine Archaeology, Goa) that much of the town was washed away by progressive erosion and floods. As per archaeological evidence found during excavation, this age-old city is said to have been established thousands of years ago. It has been destroyed several times by huge Tsunami waves in the past. Ancient Pottery dating back to the 4th century BCE have been discovered offshore by marine archaeologists east of this town.

Famous for its estuary of the Kaveri River, Poompuhar is one of the popular weekend getaways from Chennai for those who always look forward to witnessing and ...

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At a distance of 20 km from Karaikal, 85 Kms from Thanjavur & 298 Kms from Chennai, Nagapattinam is a coastal town on Bay of Bengal and is a district headquarters.

This place is also famous for its temples. There are few famous temples in Nagapattinam - The Shri Kayahorana Swami Neelayathatchi Amman Temple, Sowriraja Perumal Temple, and Nellukkadai Mariamman Temple.

The long and clear beaches of Nagapattinam attract large crowds on evenings.

This favourite town of Chola Kings was also celebrated later by Vijayanagara Kings. The Portuguese had a commercial contact with this town during the rule of the Thanjavur Nayak Sevvappa Nayakkar and Acchuthappa Nayakkar.

There are several historical and pilgrimage places around Nagapattinam.

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At a distance of 13 kms from Mahabalipuram (towards South) and 68 Kms from Chennai, Sadras is an outstanding beach resort that takes advantage of the beautiful landscape. This is one of the popular tourist places to visit around Chennai.

The beaches that surround Mahabalipuram are encompassed by beautiful, green casuarinas groves. The contrast of the vibrant green with the sparkling white beaches is breathtaking, and a sight that numerous tourists want to experience.

There is an old ruined Dutch Fort and a Dutch cemetery with finely carved headstones at Sadras as well.

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