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Festivals are a daily feature in Tamil Nadu. Navaratri or Dussehra (September/October), Deepavali (October/ November), Karthika (November/December) and Pongal (January ) are the popular ones. A unique festival of Carnatic music, the Thyagaraja festival is held annually in January at Thiruvariyar, the birth place of famous singer poet Thyagaraja, where one can witness the amazing spectacle of mass performance, in total harmony and rhythm. 

At dawn on this day families everywhere gather around a new earthen pot. As the pot of milk boils over, signifying prosperity, a shout of "Pongalo Pongal" rents the air. 

In January, the sun gets into a pleasant holiday mood and Chennai gets a cool respite from her famous hot weather ! Time for family outings to the colourful TTDC Trade Fair. The exhibition presents a panorama of Tamil Nadu - all her places of tourist interest, her cultural wealth and economic progress. 

Madurai brings you a spectacular re-enactment of the marriage of the Pandiyan princess Meenakshi to Lord Sundareswarar. You can witness an ancient legend unfold right before your eyes as Lord Vishnu rides to his sister's wedding on gleaming real-gold horse chariot. 

Sit before an open-air 'stage' created 13 centuries ago the incredible monolithic rock sculptures of the Pallavas, next to the sea in this ancient city of Mamallapuram. Lovers of dance will be treated to a very unique and unforgettably aesthetic event : Bharatha Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Odissi, presented by the very best exponents of the art besides folk dances. 

The temple city of Chidambaram pays special tribute to Lord Nataraja the 'Cosmic dancer'. The setting is truly divine-Chidambaram's gold-roofed temple, with pillars depicting Lord Nataraja in 108 poses from Bharatha Natyam - Tamil Nadu's classical dance. 

A holy festival that will bring you to Kumbakonam once in 12 years - the temple city that gets its name from "Kumbha" - the divine pot. Legend has it that Brahma, the Creator, held a pot containing nectar and the seed of creation. Shiva. in the form of a hunter shot an arrow at the pot - spilling the nectar into the famous Mahamagam tank at the Adi Kumbeswarar Temple. 

Literally, 'Arubathimoovar' refers to the 63 saints of Shiva canonised for leading exemplary lives of devotion and penance. Bronze figures of these 63 saints adorn the magnificent Kapaliswar Temple at Mylapore, Chennai. Once, every year, they are carried in a colourful procession through the streets of Mylapore. 

The summer festival might find you in the 'Queen of Hill Stations', the evergreen Ooty; the exquisite Kodaikkanal or the salubrious heights of Yercaud - where boat races, flower and fruit shows are specially organised. Also, a splendid opportunity to go trekking in any of Tamil Nadu's other hill stations that promise unforgettable holidays off the beaten track. 

A festival that makes a celebration out of a simple, daily ritual bathing ! And indeed, a bath at the picturesque Courtallam waterfalls is no ordinary event. The healing waters of the roaring Courtallam are famed for their medicinal properties.

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