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1. List of Places To See In Cuddalore    “TRAVEL LEAVES US SPEECHLESS BUT TURNS US INTO A STORYTELLER”. My hometown is Cuddalore. It’s a temple town with lots of temples, some famous and some not that famous. In spite of that they always have their own values. When I decided to write a blog on travel, I could not think of any other place other than Cuddalore. One cannot miss these famous places and temples if they are in Cuddalore. THE TEMPLETOWN – CUDDALORE  Cuddalore district is one of the main districts in the state of Tamil Nadu. There are a lot of temples and few entertainment places in Cuddalore. Earlier it used to be a small fishing village and even today the old town in Cuddalore is famous for fishing.

2. There is a huge Industrial area, ​SIPCOT​ in the old town of ​Cuddalore​. It has an anchorage port. This port is going to be renovated very soon. FORT ST. DAVID     Fort St. David was a British fort near Silver Beach built by Dutch for business purposes. But later on The British took possession of the fort and now the fort is in ruins. Cuddalore was the capital to South Indian territories which was under British control. British ruled a greater part of South India (entire Tamil Nadu, parts of present Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka) from this fort (St. David). Thiruppapuliyur is the new town in Cuddalore and all the famous temples and the Silver Beach are situated here. . So here are some of the famous places and temples to see in Cuddalore ● Padaleeswarar Temple (Lord Siva)

3. ● Devanathaswamy Temple (Lord Vishnu), Hayagriva Temple ● Silver Beach ● Jain Temple ● Vamaneeswar Temple (Thirumanikkuzhi) ● Chakrathazhwar Temple(Arisi Periyankuppam) Padaleeswarar Temple    This temple of Lord Shiva is one of the ancient temples in Tamil Nadu. It was built during the period of Pallava and medieval Chola period. Lord Shiva and Parvati (Periyanayagi Amman) are the main deities of the temple. The temple’s architecture is excellent and this huge temple is the pride of Cuddalore. It takes almost an hour to see the temple completely. The auspicious day to see the temple would be on Monday’s and during Pradosham days. There is a pond near the temple which is closed temporarily. There was an incident in which a young man slipped and fell into the pond and died. From that year the town witnessed one death a year in the pond.

4. The locals started to believe that the pond is haunted and the spirit of that young boy is still roaming in the pond and killing people. Some feel that god asks for sacred sacrifice every year. I being a kid then and a localite have witnessed some incidents which forced me to believe these stories. This temple is definitely a best place to see in Cuddalore. Devanatha Swamy (Lord Vishnu) and  Lakshmi Hayagriva Temple    Thiruvanthipuram is a small village in the outskirts of Cuddalore. This famous temple in Cuddalore has Lord Vishnu as the main deity (Devanathaswamy) and his consort Lakshmi (Hemambhujavalli). Apart from the main deities, the temple is also famous for Lord Haygriva and his consort Lakshmi. This temple has a unique architecture with Lord Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi at the ground level and Lord Hayagriva at the first level (hill top). This horse faced god is known to give good education, knowledge and wisdom. For this history one can find students from all over the state come to this temple during exams. The temple is very crowded during public exams and university exams.

5. Children offer special pooja and place their hall ticket in Lord Hayagrivas golden feet and seek blessings. It’s a belief that students get good marks after seeking his blessings. One who is visiting the temple can find the exam registration numbers on the walls of the temple. This ritual is very popular there and all the students do this on a regular basis. So if you are in Cuddalore, Hayagriva Temple is not to be missed. ​Silver beach    Silver beach also known as Devanampattinam beach is in the same area. Primarily, a fishing village, it is the second largest coast in Asia. Being a fishing village, the hygiene and cleanliness in the beach was always a question mark. Gang fights, murder, illegal activities were on high in early days. My parents were always scared to take me to the beach because of these reasons.

6. The efforts of collector Gagandeep Singh paid off when he converted this whole place into one of the famous tourist spots in Cuddalore. Play area for children, food stalls, fun rides etc are part of the attraction in Silver beach. He even appointed coast guards for the security of the visitors. WHAT’S THE FAMOUS FOOD IN  SILVER BEACH?  Being a fishing village, fish is very famous food here and also one can get all food items including chats, ice creams, juices and other snacks in the beach but I would personally recommend not to eat anything from the beach. Food sold here are not of great standards and hygiene factor is a big question mark. What are things one can do on the beach? ● Play in the waves ● Fun rides ● Horse riding ● Balloon shooting ● Children’s play area If you are in​ Cuddalore​, Silver beach should be on the list of places to see. Jain Temple 

7.   The “Chintamani Parshwa​nath Jain Temple is situated in sannidhi street, Thirupapuliyur. Cuddalore gives a lot of opportunities to migrant workers. One can see a lot of people from the Jain community. We can see them doing jewellery business, food business and pawn shops as well. They are a very close knit community and they have built this jain temple. It’s on the same street as Padaleeswarar Temple. Vamanapureeswarar Temple    This temple of Lord Siva is situated in Thirumanikuzhi. This temple is one of the famous temples near Cuddalore. It is about fifteen kilometres from Cuddalore and

8. one can reach there by bus going towards Panruti or can go in a private vehicle. The temple is about 2000 years old and has a history attached to it. Every temple has separate sannidhi for Lord Siva and Parvathi but in this temple both the statues are together. Unlike other temples, darshan is not available all the time. The curtain is raised for approximately two minutes and the devotees pray. On the other hand, married couple’s visit this temple seeking a child. People visiting should definitely visit this famous temple near Cuddalore. Chakrathazhwar Temple (Arisi  Periyankuppam)  This temple of Lord Vishnu is very famous among the locals. This temple is around 1300 years old. There is an interesting history to this temple. Once, when Lord Vishnu visited the earth, he came to this place with all his weapons. He left all his weapons in the banks of the Theerthavari (a small river) and went to have a bath. When he returned, he decided to leave the chakra for the welfare of the people. After a few days people noticed that Lord Vishnu’s statue emerged by itself (suyambu). From that time onwards, the Chakrathazhwar Temple has been a famous temple to visit in Cuddalore. Of all the Chakrathazhwar Temples, this is the only temple on the hill top. So this is one of the must see temples in Cuddalore. What are other things I can do  in Cuddalore? 

9. Cuddalore is primarily a templetown and one can find a lot of temples. Except for Silver beach, there is no big entertainment in the town. For movie lovers there are three to four cinema halls. There is a small market place and a children’s park. What is the famous food in  cuddalore?  As I said earlier, fish is very famous here. One can find good restaurants to eat in Cuddalore. Adyar Ananda Bhavan and Anandha Bhavan is a good option for veggies. Hotel Anjappar and Woodlands are also an option. Where to Stay in Cuddalore?  There are no big hotels in Cuddalore but one can find decent hotels and lodges to stay in Cuddalore. Following are the best places to stay in Cuddalore ● Hotel Vaigai ● Hotel Suriyapriya ● Hotel Yogi Ram Inn How do I Reach Cuddalore  By Air, Puducherry is the nearest Airport. By Rail, Thirupathiripuliyur is the nearest Railway Station. By Road, you can enter via Puducherry, Panruti, Neyveli and Chidambaram.

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