Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Tamilnadu Government is planning to identify and upgrade hidden tourist spots in the State to attract more tourists so that there will be more revenue for the state. Even TN Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan mentioned the soon-to-be-launched 'Tourism Policy' in his Annual Financial budget recently. He also stated that the State Government had allotted nearly ₹75 crores for transforming tourist spots in the state.
As a first step, the central part of the State, Trichy district has been chosen for the tourism upgrade. The district administration listed out the hidden gems of the district for the transformation.
Pachaimalai Hills - A wonderful tourist spot
Tamilnadu Government initiated this step firstly at Pachaimalai Hills. Pachaimalai Hills is a wonderful tourist spot which is located in the Trichy district. The weather in Pachaimalai is so similar to that in Ooty Hills. Pachaimalai spreads around 19,076 hectares. There isn't even a vehicle path to this mountain.
The mountain is located about 2,400 feet above sea level. As it is under the maintenance of the forest department, Pachaimalai hasn't lost its natural beauty so far. This hill covers 3 districts Trichy, Perambalur and Salem within its boundary. Many describe the hills as the 'Queen of Eastern Ghats'.
'Village Natural Place' YouTube channel wonderfully filmed the entire beauty of this Pachaimalai. The YouTuber shared, "Tourists should reach Pachaimalai via Thuraiyur. From there, tourists could use the Uppiliyapuram and Sobanapuram routes to reach Pachaimalai. Shallot cultivation is the major agricultural activity in the foothills. Whereas some farmers are indulging in Banana and Sugarcane Plantation.
The speciality of Pachaimalai is you could enjoy the wonders of Ooty on a very low budget. The hill is located 360 km from Chennai. As the hill is totally surrounded by dense forests, you could only see greenery throughout your visit".
Tamilnadu is contributing more to the Indian Tourism department in the country. The Indian tourism statistics revealed that Tamilnadu contributed nearly 21.31% nationally. Whereas in attracting International tourists, Tamilnadu's contribution is 21.86%.
Thus, Tamilnadu is performing better than many other states in the country in terms of tourism. Union Tourism Department Survey 2022 stated that Tamilnadu is in the first position by generating ₹11.50 crore in revenue from domestic tourism alone. This survey also explained the reasons behind this achievement.
Moderate rainfall, rare landslides, manageable Summers and tolerable winters are the natural gifts that Tamilnadu possesses.
This is the primary reason for Tamilnadu to be in the first position in Tourism. Moreover, there are many heritage temples, hill stations, Wildlife sanctuaries, and many places with scenic beauty and wonderful seashores in this state. Having a constant weather condition is also one of the fundamental reasons for the flourishment of Tamilnadu tourism as mentioned by the Indian Tourism Department itself.
As per the statistical data of the Tamilnadu Tourism Board, there are 15 wildlife sanctuaries, 5 national parks, 15 bird sanctuaries and 5 Tiger reserve sanctuaries in the State. More than these, there are 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tamilnadu. And 411 cultural monuments are in Tamilnadu under the preservation of the Indian Archeology Department. In the March 2023 Newsletter of the Tamilnadu Tourism Department, the state planned to upgrade nearly 10 tourist spots all over.
Several spots are identified in the Trichy district. To enhance hidden temples, hill stations and historical monuments, the state government sought aid from the Union government. Especially upgrading Pachaimalai in Trichy will improve the growth status of the district tremendously. Then, there is a butterfly park in Srirangam, Trichy. Considered to be one of the largest butterfly parks in Asia, this park is located on the banks of the Cauvery River. This park was constructed at a whopping budget of ₹ 8 Crores which spreads wide for nearly 25 acres.
There are 54 bird species and 135 butterfly species in this park. Deers are also more in numbers at Manmalai around the Pachaimalai hills, Kurinjimalai and Sobanapuram. In 2013, the Pachaimalai Eco-tourism project aided in View Point construction, Children's Play area and wooden houses at a budget of ₹2.30 crores.
Velmurugan, a tourist from Trichy shared, "If the tourism policy transforms this Pachaimalai hills, then it will also become a hotspot for lovers of hilly regions next to Ooty and Kodaikanal. People around this area are in high hopes of the Tamilnadu government to take necessary steps in upgrading this hill to be a hot tourist spot".
Trichy district administration made detailed research and submitted its report on developing Pachaimalai to be a tourist spot before the Tamilnadu government. Trichy District Collector M. Pradeep Kumar recently organized a meeting for government officials from the Revenue, Forest, Public Works, Water Resources, Tourism, Adi Dravidian and Tribal Welfare Departments. Many aspects regarding this matter were discussed in detail. The report was already sent to the State Government.
