Salem

Salem District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Salem is the district headquarter. Other major towns in the district are Mettur, Omalur and Attur. The district is well connected by rail and road networks.

Salem district is known for its Mangoes, Steel and Mettur dam, which is a major source of irrigation and drinking water for the state of Tamil Nadu. Ensure a special holidays with us.

History
Salem was the largest district in Tamil Nadu before it was bifurcated into two as Salem and Dharmapuri districts. Later, Salem district was again divided with the formation of the Namakkal district.The first cinema theater named Modern Theater was in Salem[citation needed].And it is the fourth urbanized city next to madurai. Ensure a special holidays with us.Salem is a Geologist's paradise, surrounded by hills and the landscape dotted with hillocks. Salem has vibrant culture dating back to the ancient Kongu Nadu. As a district, Salem has its significance in various aspects.Yercard is one of important tourism in Salem.

Modern Theatres was started by T R Sundaram in 1937, soon after the era of silent films ended in the South Indian film industry. It is built on nearly nine acres of land at the foot of the picturesque Yercaud hills. Sundaram or TRS as he was known, chose his location well. He was able to access verdant and beautiful shooting sites for his films within a 50 kilometer radii. He was also able to hire cheap and effecient labour in lightboys, cameramen and starstruck locals for his films. He produced nearly 117 films in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Sinhalese and other languages. Most of them were box office hits and he is credited with introducing M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran, M N Nambiar and Jayashankar to films. Sundaram was a punctuality freak and forced his crew to follow. It is rumoured that he would not hesitate to shout or use fists against rebellious actors. After his death in the 1970's, his son Sundaram continued his tradition shooting cowboy remake films with actor Jayashankar in the lead roles. However by then, the focus had shifted to studios in Chennai. After the younger Sundaram died, his widow Kalavani gave the studios to building promotors in 2004. The studios were demolished except for a small signpost and the gigantic stone arch with the Modern Theatres sign. Today it is the entrance to a township of bungalows and small flats called Sundaram Gardens. However nostalgic fans often visit the spot to gaze at the arch and relive the more exciting times. This includes current Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Ensure a special holidays with us.

Salem as a Tourist Destination
Leading to the picturesque trekking up Yercaud hills, Salem is an amphitheater of grand hills all around it. You have the Nagarmalai in the north, the Jeragamalai in the south, the Kanjanamalai on the west and Godumalai on the east. Indian Travel Agent offers Visit India and explore India.

Among the major tourists attractions you can visit Tharamangalam, which is situated about 27kms away from Salem and famous for Kailasanathar temple. Mettur dam is another popular picnic spot built across the river Cauvery. You can also savor the cascading Kiliyur Falls, a feast for your eyes.

Temples of Salem
The temples of Salem District are mainly known for their characteristic mariamman Goddesses and festivals. Salem district is a popular seat of textile industries and its archetypal temples. There are several mariamman temples in Salem district. Indian Travel Agent offers Visit India and explore India.

Mariamman is a Hindu Goddess; an incarnation of Shakti and majority of temples of Salem District boasts the shrines of this Goddess. Every year around July the city celebrates Mariamman festival for a fortnight. During this festival, Goddess Mariamman is decorated with jewellery and flower chariots, taken around the city at midnight, and then brought back to the temples of Salem District. On the first important day of the festival, people walk on fire and on the second day, colourful parades of fancy dress is seen across the district. This festival is celebrated at temples of Salem District at the locations of Fort, Shevapet, Ammapet, Gugai, Andheripati and others. Shevapet Mariamman temple is one of the most famous temples of Salem District and carries the biggest one among the cars of Amman temples across the state. Scintillating Special Holidays with us. This festival is celebrated for a week. The Kottai Marriamman temple is very famous not only in Salem but throughout Tamil Nadu.Kanjamalai Subramanyar Temple is located at Kanjamalai in Salem District. The temples of Salem District are associated with the great saints known as Sidhars. According to myth, a devotee of Lord Shiva, Kanjamalai Siddhar, attained a formless form here.

Devotees usually visit temples of Salem District after having a bath in the waters of the streams traversing the Kanjamalai. Daily pujas start in the temples of Salem District with Suprabhata Sevai in the morning. Skanda Temple, located at Skandasramam is an honoured temple of Salem District. Shantananda Swami founded the place Skandasramam, also called as Skandagiri, in the latter half of the 20th century. The temple is dedicated to Skanda (Muruga) and Mahishasuramardhini deities. Shrines for Navagrahas along with their individual consorts are situated in the temple premises. The main festival celebrated here is Kartikai Deepam.

Lakshminarayanaswami Temple,
one of the most visited temples of Salem District is dedicated to Lord Vishnu located at Puduplayam Kottaimedu near Tharamangalam in Salem District. This ancient temple dates back about 600 years and was built during Pandya period. It is also said that the temple is one of the seven built by the famous Ketti mudaliars. The temple boasts many Panchaloha (alloy of five metals) idols. Sukavaneswarar Temple, an ancient temple located at Salem is known to be the seat of sage Suka who worshipped Lord Shiva to free himself from Brahma`s curse, which would turn him into a parrot. There are many inscriptions on the walls of this temple dating back to the pre-Christian era. The deities of the temple are Sukavaneswarar and Swarnambika. Scintillating Special Holidays with us.

The temples of Salem District are some of the premier tourist destinations and also pilgrimages for the people visiting south India. These temple bear remarkable architecture and carvings.