What to see around Muthupet

Adirampattinam

The nearest proper fishing harbour, on the Palk Strait. Not a swimming beach — go for the boats coming in, the fish auction on the quay in the early morning, and the sea air. Combine it with Manora if you’re heading that way.

Manora fort & beach

An eight-storey hexagonal tower on the shore at Sarabendrarajanpattinam, built by the Maratha king Serfoji II in 1814 to mark Napoleon’s defeat — the name comes from “minar”. It stands 23 metres over the Bay of Bengal inside a moat and wall, and the beach beside it is long, quiet and good for the end of the day.

Vedaranyam

The Vedaranyeswarar temple is one of the old Chola shrines of the delta, and the town sits among the salt pans that made it famous — it was here that Rajaji led the 1930 Salt March in the south, mirroring Gandhi at Dandi. The memorial is in the town. From Vedaranyam the road runs on to Point Calimere and the beach at Pushpavanam, so it makes a natural half or full day.

Mannargudi

The Rajagopalaswamy temple here is called the “Dakshina Dwaraka” — the Dwaraka of the south — with a towering gopuram and a temple tank the size of a small lake. The Panguni Brahmotsavam festival each March–April draws enormous crowds; outside that, it is calm and worth an unhurried couple of hours.

Pushpavanam beach

A seashore village ten kilometres north of Vedaranyam with a long, mostly empty beach and a small temple. There are no facilities to speak of, which is the point — bring water and go for the walk and the horizon. Easily combined with Vedaranyam and Point Calimere on the same day.

Point Calimere (Kodiyakarai)

The south-eastern tip of the delta, where the coast turns and Sri Lanka is just over the horizon. The sanctuary is known for its blackbuck — you will almost certainly see them — and for the lagoon behind the point, where flamingos and tens of thousands of migrant waders arrive each winter. There is a lighthouse, a small forest rest house, and the old Chola-era lighthouse ruin near the shore.

Take the forest office’s permit at the gate; a guide is worth it for the birds. Early morning or late afternoon.

Thiruvarur

The district capital and one of the great temple towns of the delta. The Thyagaraja temple is vast — the Kamalalayam tank beside it is among the largest temple tanks in India — and its chariot, the Aazhi Ther, is the biggest in Tamil Nadu: pulled through the streets each April by tens of thousands of people. Thiruvarur is also the birthplace of the composer Tyagaraja.

Velankanni

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, on the beach south of Nagapattinam, is one of the most visited shrines in India — the “Lourdes of the East”. The white church is striking against the sea, and the town around it is built for pilgrims: it is lively, not quiet. The feast in early September brings millions.

Thanjavur

The Brihadeeswarar temple — the Big Temple — built by Rajaraja Chola a thousand years ago, with a 66-metre tower topped by a single stone said to weigh eighty tonnes. It is the finest building in South India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Give it the whole morning. Then the Maratha palace, the Saraswathi Mahal library and the bronze gallery in the afternoon. Thanjavur is also where you buy the famous painted plates and dolls.

Tharangambadi (Tranquebar)

A Danish trading post from 1620, and the only one in India. Fort Dansborg stands on the beach, the old town behind it still has its colonial streets, church and gateway, and the whole place is unhurried. It is a long day from Muthupet — worth it if you have three nights, and a good stop on the way to or from Pondicherry.