NYT slots Tamil Nadu 24th among 52 places to visit in 2016

Newspaper major's list highlights undiscovered history and its major temple culture

Tamil Nadu is in The New York Times’ global list of 52 places to visit in 2016, the only such place from India. The southern state is at 24th place. The first three are Mexico City, Bordeaux in France and the Mediterranean island of Malta.

The description of Tamil Nadu, mentioned as “new gateways to India's cultural core”, reads: “North India, with its famous Moghul era palaces and forts, might be the country’s most popular tourist destination but Tamil Nadu in the south has an equally rich and undiscovered history. The state is where India’s major temple cultural complexes are, and some are so large that they’re considered minicities. There’s the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, a sprawling complex dedicated to a powerful female deity, the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, built by the ancient Cholas, one of India’s greatest dynasties, and several hundred other temples dotting the countryside and brimming with art carvings dating back as far as the 9th century.”

It also details on the 50 villages of Chettinad, filled with 18th century mansions of carved Burma teak and the “spiciest and most aromatic” cuisine often served on banana leaves. “Limited infrastructure in Tamil Nadu made accessibility a challenge for travellers but the recent burst of boutique hotels is changing that.”

Over a dozen properties recently opened or on their way to debuting include Chidambara Vilas and the Bangala in Chettinad, Heritage Madurai in Madurai and Ideal River Vira Resort in Thanjavur,” it added.

Among neighbouring countries listed are the east coast of Sri Lanka at 41st place.