Travel & Accommodation

How to Reach Virudhunagar City .

By Air: The nearest International airports are at Madurai , Tiruchirappalli and Chennai. There are daily flights to Madurai from Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchi and Coimbatore. Conference Venue - VVV College for Women,Viudhunagar is 45 Kms from Madurai Airport.

By Rail: Direct trains are available to Virudhunagar from many cities of India. From Chennai it takes eight hours to reach Virudhunagar and about 20 trains run every day.( The fastest train on the route is the Vaigai Express, a super-fast day train between Chennai Egmore and Madurai) Conference Venue - VVV College for Women,Viudhunagar is 2 Kms from Virudhunagar Railway Station.

From Chennai Train with Numbers 16127; 16105; 12633; 12642; 12667; 12693; 16723; 12642; 16181; 12661; 12693; 12631; 12667
reach Virudanagar

By Road: Virudhunagar is well connected by national highway (connecting Kanyakumari and Kashmir)southern parts of India. Good connectivity leads to a good frequency of transport facilities for the travelers. So distances should not be a concern.

Conference Venue - VVV College for Women, Viudhunagar is 50 Kms from Madurai. Virudhunagar has a Bus Station and frequent buses ply between Madurai and Virudhunagar. The nearest bus stop to the venue is PRC bus stop, which is 0.5 KM from VVVC.

The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operates daily services connecting various cities to Virudhunagar. The State Express Transport Corporation operates long-distance buses connecting the town to important cities like Chennai, Tiruppur and Thoothukodi. The major inter-city bus routes from the town are to nearby cities like Madurai, Rajapalayam, Tenkasi, Kovilpatti, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Aruppukottai and Rameshwaram.

Accommodation

For Lady participants : The hosting Institution will provide accommodation for lady delegates.

For Gents and Families :
Virudhunagar covers very wide range of hotels and other accommodation facilities to suit every budget. Participants of the Conference are provided Accommodation in hotels at delegates cost, one can also directly book their accommodation; however in case of any difficulty we can assist on your prior request.

Places of Interest.

Parasakthi Mari Amman Temple : Popular Mari Amman temple was constructed in 1923. Elaborate 21 day festival of Panguni Uththiram is celebrated in the month of Panguni [Mar-Apr]. Thousands of pilgrims gather here to witness this main festival from surrounding areas of the District too.

Kamarajar House : Virudhunagar, it is the birthplace of K. Kamarajar, a highly revered and illustrious politician from the mid twentieth century. This house has been converted into a memorial. Kamarajar Memorial House is now a permanent gallery that exhibits photographs and personal effects of Kamaraj who rose from poverty to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Srivilliputttur : It is 43 kms from Virudhunagar. As per Hindu belief it is called Varahakshetram. Most popular Vaishnavite Shrine of Andal is located here. The inscriptions testify that this temple belongs to 18th Century. The temple consists of two parts. The first part is called VADABADRA SAYANAR TEMPLE the first temple built for Lord Vishnu. He was the principal deity before Andal was born. The second part is known as ANDAL SANNADHI. The 11 tier RAJA GOPURAM is the tallest in TAMIL NADU. It is also the Logo of Tamil Nadu Government. Andal Mannar Thirukalyanam, a 10 day grand Thiruppavai festival are some popular and special festivals of the temple. The great Tamil poet KAMBAN has praised it in lofty terms and the poem finds a place in the temple. Several Centuries old and massive wooden car is also a big attraction of this temple.

Timings 6.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.

Rameswaram

Rameswaram is a small Island and Major Pilgrim Centre in the Gulf of Mannar. It is connected to the mainland by Pamban Bridge. On his return from Ceylon after Ravana Yudhdham in Lanka , Sri Rama offered his repentance prayer to Lord Siva

Meenakshi Temple
Location:   Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Dedicated to:   Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) and Meenakshi (Goddess Parvati)
Also known as:   Meenakshi Amman Temple
Significance:   One of the sacred abodes of Goddess Parvati
How to reach:   One can easily reach Meenakshi Temple by taking local buses, Rickshaws or by hiring taxis from Madurai

Meenakshi Amman Temple is an ancient and one amongst the most important temples of India. Located in the holy city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Meenakshi Temple can be reached easily by the means of local transport from Madurai. The city comprises its own domestic airport that is connected with all the major cities of India. Renowned for its astonishing architecture, Meenakshi Amman Temple has been nominated for the new Seven Wonders of the World. Hundreds and thousands of devotees come every year to pay their obeisance of the Lord.

The next place worth visiting in Madurai is Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. It is a palace of King Thirumalai Nayak. He ruled Madurai from 1623-59. There are shows in which the history of King Thirumallai is told through an audio. During this, there is a spectacular light show which goes hand in hand with the audio depicting the history of King Thirumallai. I felt that this sort of initiatives should also be followed in Shaniwarwada or various forts in Maharashtra so that the tourists coming from all over the world will come to know about our glorious history.

Kanyakumari was called Cape Comorin in British times. Kanyakumari is also spelled as Kanniyakumari or Kanniakumari. It is one of the famous tourist spots of India by virtue of being located at the southernmost point of Peninsular India. This town is bordered by colorful sea-shores edged with swaying coconut trees that make it an ideal spot for travelers.
The whole region is known for its rich history and cultural heritage which is a blend of diverse culture and profound inheritance. Two of the most famous things about this place are rocks known as ‘twin rocks’ serving as monuments of Swami Vivekananda and Saint Thiruvalluvar. Thousands of people from all over the world come here to experience the a place where one can watch the sunrise and sunset from a single beach because this place is almost surrounded by water.

Velankanni is 12 kms from Nagapattinam. Most important and revered Christian Pilgrim Center of the State. It is dedicated to ‘Our Lady of Health’ and popularly known as ‘ Sacred Arogya Matha Church’. Devotees believe Virgin Mary has miraculous healing Powers. Pilgrims of all faiths and religion come to this church to get the blessings of Our Lady of Health. The Church has an imposing façade with Tall Spires and the wings present the shape of a cross. The Legend goes like this: It is believed that Virgin Mary appeared before a shepherd and asked Milk to feed Infant Jesus. Since then the milk pitcher of this sphepherd never dried and kept filling with fresh milk always. Later at the end of 16th Century Virgin Lady appeared and cured a Lame Boy. It is after this miracle the Church was constructed. Lighting a candle and offering the same to Virgin Lady is the simplest form of Prayer. Velankanni is famous for its annual Feast of Our Lady celebrated as 10 days festival during August-September, starting on 29th August. This festival attracts millions of pilgrim from all parts of India and the world irrespective of faith and religion. Devotees offer metal replica of the parts of the body, cured by Lady of Health on answering their prayer. Imbibing the Local Culture , Tonsuring of heads and ear-boring ceremony too are performed in this Church by the pilgrims. A Small Museum is attached to the church, which displays the collection of the offerings made by the faithful devotees. Museum Timings: 6.30 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

Nagore Dargha:

One of the popular pilgrimage centres for Muslims and symbol of religious harmony. The Nagore Dargah shrines are situated at three locations, Nagore, Vanjur and Silladi. The golden dome building houses three tombs in three separate chambers, inside the compound of the main campus. In the tombs lay buried the mortal remains of Meeran Sahib, his son Syed Mohammed Yusuf and his daughter-in-law Syed Sultana Biwi. Adjacent to the golden dome building is the ‘Peer Mandap’ where the ‘Peer of the Dargah’ stays fasting for three days during festive season of the Dargah. A mosque is located some distance away from here where regular prayers are held. The Friday congregations in this Mosque are massive. The second part of the dargah, the Vanjur Shrine where Meeran Sahib reportedly stayed in meditation for 40 days inside an underground cave, is about 2 km from the main Dargah. The third campus Silladi Shrine is loacted about a km east of the main dargah. The main festival ‘Kandhuri Urs’ falls in the month of May.