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Cuddalore town is the headquarters of the cuddalore district. The town was earlier called as Koodalur and later it got its current name Cuddalore. Cuddalore was an important town during the rule of Pallavas and Medieval Cholas.
Cuddalore plays an important role is seven years was between the French and The British. It is majorly a fishing port, but with formation of SIPCOT, the town is now home to several pharmaceutical and Chemical Industries.
Silver Beach Cuddalore
Silver beach located near Cuddalore is one of the longest beaches in Asia. This beach located in the Coromandel Coast is 57Km long. Even though this beach is not as busy as beaches in Pondicherry, the silver beach stretch is facing severe erosion.
Important historical monument Fort St. David is present in the Silver beach. This fort was built by British.
Silver beach is located some 3Km from the Cuddalore bus stand and can be easily reached by auto. Even though the beach is clean, it needs more improvement. The waves in the beach are calm and its apt for bathing. However, one should be careful about the crabs in the shore.
It’s a must to visit this beach to see the sunrise. Now the government actively promoting tourism, few beach resorts have started to come up near the beach. Yet, the facilities cannot be compared with the beaches in Pondicherry or Chennai.
Best time to visit and Cuddalore Temparature
Winter (November – February)
The temperature during this season ranges from 12 degree Celsius to 30 degree Celsius. This can be said as the suited season to visit Cuddalore. Masi Magam is one of the famous festivals celebrated in this place. It happens during the time of February and March.
Monsoons (July – October)
This place gets heavy rainfalls and it is not advisable to visit this place during this season. Transport facilities get affected due to rainfall.
Summer (March – June)
The summers are extremely hot and you should avoid going during this period of time. You can experience a temperature ranging from 23 degree Celsius to 40 degree Celsius.
Places to visit Near Cuddalore
Fort St. David
It is actually a British Fort near Silver Beach. The Fort was constructed in 1608 and it acted as the Capital of British India in the period of 1746 to 1752. In 1758, French took over the Fort. And in 1785, it came under British control.
Chunnambur Boat house
Chunnambur boat house is located 16 Km from Cuddalore and it is one of the best place for boating. The beach at this boat house is called paradise beach. You can enjoy water sports at this place and there are also beach resorts coming up in this place. This place is kind of an Island, it is advisable to leave from shore in the afternoon and reach back to the shore by evening.
- Entry fee is Rs. 10 per head. They charge separately for the water sports
- Timings 9:30 in morning till 4 pm in evening.
Thiruvanthipuram Devanathaswamy Temple
Thiruvanthipuram Devanathaswamy temple is usually known as Devanathaswamy temple and it is located in Thiruvanthipuram 8 km from Cuddalore. The main deity is Lord Vishnu and Goddess Sengamalam (Thayar). The temple comes under 108 Divyadesam. It was constructed during Medieval Chola period and it has a Dravidian style of architecture.
- Timing: 6 AM to 11 AM and 4:30 PM to 8 PM. (All days of the week)
Veeranam Lake
Veeranam Lake is also known as Veeranarayanapuram Lake. Chennai city gets water from this lake only. The Lake was built in 907 to 955 during the Chola Period. The place is very calm and cycling in such a place will be a refreshing one.
Pitchavaram Backwaters
Pitchavaram Backwaters is situated near Chidambaram and it is the second largest Mangrove forest in the world. It extends to 2800 acres. The mangroves grown here are considered healthier. The place is well suited for numerous water sports and many other activities. Traveling in the boat into the forest gives a great experience of watching various birds and there are nearly 177 species of birds.
Thillai Kali Amman Temple
Thillai Kali Amman temple is located 43.4 kilometers from Cuddalore. The main deity here is Goddess Brahmma Chamundeeswari who appears to be in anger. Lord Dakshinamurthy is in female form in this Temple. The temple was built by Chola King Kopperunjingam during the time of 1229 to 1278.
- Timing: 6:30 AM to 12:00 AM and 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM. (All days of the week)
- Entry Fee: Free
Thiruvathigai Veerateeswarar Temple
From Cuddalore, this temple is 22 km. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva (Veerateeswarar). Pallava King Mahendravarman I constructed this temple before 2000 years. It is spread over 7 acres and it consists of Thiruneetru mandapam, Chakrateertha kulam, and Vasantha Mandapam. Other Gods here are Lord Saniswarar, Goddess Durga, Lord Siddivinayagar, Lord Muruga, and more.
Padaleeswarar Temple
Padaleeswarar temple’s main deity is Lord Shiva (Pataleeswarar). The temple was built during the Pallava and Medieval Chola period. The temple is built with Gnazhar tree woods and it has Dravidian Style of Architecture. Hindus believe that worshipping this temple once is similar to 16 times worshipping Lord Shiva in Kasi, 8 times in Thiruvannamalai, and 3 times in Chidambaram.
Nataraja Temple
The temple is in Chidambaram and is also known as Thillai Nataraja temple. The main deity here is Lord Nataraja (Lord Shiva). The temple was constructed during Chola period in the 10th century in the Dravidian style of architecture. The temple extends to 40 acres of land. There are in total of nine Gopurams. Other deities you can worship here are Lord Vishnu, Goddess Devi, Lord Muruga, Lord Ganesha, and more.
How to reach Cuddalore?
By Road
Chennai to Cuddalore
The distance between Chennai to Cuddalore is around 145 Km and it will take around 4 and half hours of travel. Mostly, the route is through Pondicherry via ECR. There are frequent busses from Chennai CMBt to Cuddalore and the cost will be around rs 300 in a non AC bus and around rs 600 in AC sleeper bus.
Pondicherry to Cuddalore
The distance between Pondicherry and Cuddalore is around 25 Km and the travel time is around 45 mins. There are frequent bus service between Pondicherry and Cuddalore.
Bangalore to Cuddalore
The distance between Bangalore to Cuddalore is around 310 Km and the travel time is around 8 hours. The best option to reach Cuddalore is to via Pondicherry. You can take a bus to Pondicherry from Bangalore and from there you can reach Cuddalore.
By Train
Chennai To Cuddalore Train
There around 3 trains from Chennai to Cuddalore. The train journey time is around 4 hours.
Rameshwaram express with train no 16101 leaves from Chennai at 9.40 Pm and reaches Cuddalore Port station by 1 AM.
Uzhavan express with train no 16183 leaves from Chennai egmore by 11.30 PM and reaches Cuddalore Port by 3.30 AM
Trichy express with train no 16853 leaves from Chennai Egmore by 8.15 AM and reaches Cuddalore Port by 12.15 PM.
Restaurants in Cuddalore
Food of Cuddalore is unique. Few famous foods here are Cuddalore Kadala Kolambu, Meen Kolambu (fish curry) and fish cutlet. Here are few famous restaurants in Cuddalore.
Thalappakatti Biriyani
Address: Cuddalore Old Town, Tamil Nadu 607003
Category: Vegetarian and Non- vegetarian
Cuisines: South Indian
Abiram Restaurant Absolutely Vegetarian
Address: 1, Bharathi Rd, Manjakuppam, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu 607001
Category: Vegetarian
Cuisines: South Indian
Vegan Cafe And Green Store
Address: no.11c near k 600701, Silver Beach Rd, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu 607001
Category: Vegetarian
Cuisines: South Indian
CLASSIC RESTAURANT
Address: Manjakuppam, Cuddalore Old Town, Tamil Nadu 607003
Category: Vegetarian and Non- vegetarian
Cuisines: South Indian
Suvai Restaurant
Address: Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu 607001
Category: Vegetarian and Non- vegetarian
Cuisines: South Indian
Hotels in Cuddalore
Arcot Woodlands Hotel
Address: 1, Bharathi Road, Manjakuppam, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu 607001
Phone: 04142 230 717
Sri Valli Vilas Residency
Address: 189/2 bharathy road, near A2B hotel, Manjakuppam, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu 607001
Phone: 078670 04438
Krishna Residency
Address: 7 B Imperial Road Near Dinathanthi Office Cuddalore 607001, 607001
Phone: 04142 203 659
Hotel Devi
Address: 5 & 6, NH 45A, Chidamabaram Main Road, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu 607002
Phone: 096262 62475
Planning for your next trip? Check out the following Wesbites
- Makemytrip.com – To find best deals on hotels
- OYOrooms.com – For budget stays
- Goibibo.com – To get cheap air tickets
- Amazon.com – For travel shopping
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