Flamingos in Pulicat

Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu is the “Cultural Capital of South India” due to its being a major commercial, cultural, economic and educational centre. One would agree that Chennai is also a great city from which to take off for weekend getaways.    

One such amazing weekend getaway is Pulicat particularly for bird and nature lovers. On the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh border, this little town has a lake that holds one of the most beautiful and breathtaking creatures of the world - flamingos. Only about sixty kilometres away from Chennai, it hardly takes an hour and a half to drive there.

Beautiful Pulicat Lake by  mckaysavage

A Sea of Pink in Pulicat (Photo Courtesy: Yahoo)

A Sea of Pink in Pulicat (Photo Courtesy: jitendraghij)

Flamingos in Pulicat lake (Photo Courtesy: Nurdeen)

The interesting fact about Pulicat lake is that it is the second largest brackish water or saline water lake in India. This is one of the reasons why it attracts many birds, particularly during the migration season between November and February. It was notified as a bird sanctuary in 1976 and to this day, continues to see a multitude of birds. The most fascinating species of birds being the flamingos for their bright orangish-pink colour which is rare for us to see in birds, the lake also sees birds such as painted storks, open billed storks, pelicans, pintails, plovers, terns and many more. It is definitely worth a visit to this place. Needless to say, there are many fascinating species of aquatic plants that thrive here as well.

Tourist exploring the Dutch cemetery (Photo Courtesy: Flickriver )

Locals Sleeping on the graves (Photo Courtesy: Flickriver)

Local Tamil Temple in Pulicat (Photo Courtesy: Flickriver)

Besides this, Pulicat is also of interest for the history buffs. The lake has been mentioned in writings dating back to the first century, and has been a region occupied at different periods of time by the Arabs, the Portuguese and the Dutch. One can see some of the old monuments built by these foreign occupants at Pulicat.

These are the amazing sights in store for you at Pulicat. Definitely worth a visit for you and your camera. Get on any of the Chennai flights and drive your way to the haven that is Pulicat lake when you get the chance.