Things to do in Tuticorin

Tuticorin, originally known as Thirumandhira Nagar and also known as Thoothukudi or the ‘Pearl city’ is a port city situated in the state of Tamil Nadu. This city is known for Pearl fishing, Shipbuilding industries and serves as one of the Sea gateways of Tamil Nadu.  Tuticorin is a city that is growing very rapidly in terms of industries because of the availability of Salt and Copper.

The city also offers some beautiful sight-seeing spots and it has a natural harbour. There are Temples, Mosques, Churches and Cathedrals for the religiously driven tourists who come to find peace and calm in this small city.

Some of the must see places in Tuticorin are:

Sankara Rameshwarar Temple: It was made in the devotion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi and attracts a lot of devotees because of its historical background.

Sankara Rameshwarar Temple (Photo Courtesy: http://tamilaham.com)

Kalugumalai: Popular for its Jain temple, Kalumugai is also a famous tourist attraction. The temple is carved in a rock.

Kalugumalai Temple (Photo Courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org)

Kalakadu Wildlife Sanctuary: Spread in a huge area, this sanctuary comprises of a wide variety of Flora and Fauna.

Kalakadu Wildlife Sanctuary (Photo Courtesy: http://www.indianholiday.com)

Roche Park: Situated around 4 km from the city, Roche Park is an ideal place to get rid of all the stress and tiredness.

Roche Park (Photo Courtesy: http://wikimapia.org)

PaniyaMatha Church: Also known as the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Snow, this is a very old church and holds a lot of importance for a lot of devotees and Pilgrims.

PaniyaMatha Church (Photo Courtesy: http://www.nativeplanet.com)

There are a lot of other places including temples, statues, parks that can be visited while reaching the neighbouring cities too.

One major attraction of this city is the Our Lady of Snows Shrine Basilica festival which takes place in August. In the festival, the devotees take the magnificent statue of the Lady of snows around in a golden car during her feast day. This festival is very unique and tourists from all around the world come to witness it.

Shrine Basilica festival (Photo Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com)

For food lovers, Tuticorin is famous for its ParottaSalna Set and also a wide variety of Snacks and Sweets. The city also has its own version of Macaroon and is worth trying. It has special places for mouth-watering non vegetarian as a well as vegetarian food.

The summers in Tuticorin are very hot and humid and extend between March and June. The best time to visit this city is November to January as it is the winter time.

Tuticorin flights connect the city to Bangalore and Chennai by SpiceJet flights. Tuticorin airport is situated about 14 km from the main city. One can also take flights from the Madurai airport.