Most people who come to Rameshwaram from far off Indian states or from foreign countries, plan on visiting not just Rameshwaram but a few other nearby attractions to complete a 3-4 day weekend trip or sometimes even a week. If you have a vehicle (your own or rented) you can cover all the temples and tourist attractions in Rameshwaram within 2 days.
So what do you do with the remaining 2-3 days? What other places you can visit from Rameshwaram? You have plenty of options actually, from other temple towns like Madurai or Thanjavur for the religious and spirituality oriented pilgrims to Munnar for the nature lovers and Kanyakumari for the History seekers. If you combine a couple of these weekend getaways along with Rameshwaram, you will have a fabulous week long holiday covering the very best that the region has to offer.
Let’s have a look at 7 such weekend getaways from Rameshwaram.
Madurai
If you are visiting Rameshwaram, then you are most likely a pilgrim and as such you just can’t miss visiting Madurai, the Temple Town of South India. Madurai is around 148 km from Rameshwaram and boasts of the famous Meenakshi Devi Temple. Madurai is one of the oldest cities of India and is rich in history and Hindu temple architecture. Madurai has other sightseeing options also, like Gandhi Memorial Museum, Tirumalai Nayak Palace, Pudhu Mandapa, etc.
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (or Tanjore) used to be the one of the capital and most important cities of the famous Chola dynasty and boasts of significant Chola temples. Many of these temples have brilliant architecture and are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So if you are looking at more than just religion, Tanjore can give you a piece of ancient South Indian history. Thanjavur is 170 Km from rameshwaram
Munnar
Munnar is a Nature Lover’s paradise. It is as exotic as it can get. It is about 262 Km from Rameshwaram and full of dark green hilly terrains and tea gardens on hill slopes. It is also beside Eravikulam Nationla Park, the first national park of Kerala. Excellent climate, easy to climb hills, greenery, animals – Munnar has everything a nature lover could ask for.
Thekkady
Thekaddy is about 233 Km from Rameshwaram and houses the famous Periyar National Park. Spread over 925 Sq. Km., Periyar national Park is one of the 27 Tiger Reserves of India. It is full of scenic beauty and is rich in bio diversity, and if you are lucky, you may very well spot a roaring tiger!
Kanyakumari
Located at the southernmost tip of India and at a distance of about 294Km from Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari is rich in History and religion. Popular attractions of Kanyakumari include Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Thiruvalluvar Statue and the temple of Devi Kanyakumari. And the glorious sight of hige sea waves crashing onto the rocks is a bonus!
Pondicherry
Pondicherry at a distance of about 300 Km from Rameshwaram, is a hidden gem of a place and is full of the old world charm. A quiet beach town, it used to be a French colony and boasts of great beaches, clean roads, great food and most importantly, Ashrams of Shri Aurobindo, who had made Pondicherry, his home.
Thiruchirapalli
Another of the many temple towns of South India, Thiruchirapalli (popularly known as Trichy), is at a distance of about 230 Km from Rameshwaram and boasts of ancient temples, cave temples, waterfalls and dams. Attractions in Trichy include Ranganathaswamy Temple, Kallanai Dam, Rockfort Temple and Puliancholai Falls.
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