Salem Tourist Places - "A place around the hills"

The name 'Salem' seems to have been derived from Sela or Shalya, where these terms refer to ‘a place around the hills’. Historical evidence claims that Salem was the birthplace of the famous Tamil poetess ‘Avvaiyar’. Salem is also well known for its distinct mango variety. It was a part of the Chera dynasty, who predominantly ruled the present Kerala state. Salem was under the rule of the Gatti Mudalis and the Poligars who shared their contribution for many temples and forts. During the early 18th century, the region was annexed by Hyder Ali.


Salem was taken over from Hyder Ali by British troops under ‘Colonel Wood’ at the beginning of 1768 and recaptured by Ali in the latter part of 1772. During British rule, Salem was headed by various Governors and colonels till it came under Lord Clive who turned it into a military station. It served as the same till 1861 when the troops were withdrawn. Salem and Sankagiri were chosen battlefields between the Kongu Nadu soldiers led by Dheeran Chinnamalai and the British. Dheeran was hanged in the Sankagiri fort, which later became the headquarters of British Army. In the early 19th century, Salem was converted into a town and became a municipal corporation in 1994. The city enjoys all the facilities with Coimbatore and Bengaluru, the nearest big metropoles.





Sugavaneswarar Temple

The Sugavaneswarar temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the name Sugavaneswarar along with his consort Goddess Parvathi as Maragathavalli (Swarnambigai). It is a reasonably big sized temple and one of the primary landmarks of the town. The legend is that Lord Brahma was preaching holy books to some of the sages and Shuka Muni (the king of parrots) was one among them....

Ariyanoor 1008 Lingam Temple

One of the most popular temples in Salem, 1008 Sivalingam temple is a famous tourist attraction. The temple, as its name suggests, has 1008 Shiva Lingams that are named after all the various names of Lord Shiva, and is situated on a small hillock. The temple was constructed in 2010 under the control of a department of the Vinayaka Mission. As we enter the gates of the temple, you can see a huge statue of lord Vinayaka to welcome us....

Tharamangalam Kailasanathar Temple

The Kailasanathar temple in Tharamangalam at the outskirts of Salem town is an architectural marvel with sculptures equivalent to Madurai Meenakshi temple, is dedicated to lord Shiva. Some parts of the temple go back to the 10th century period. The present structure is claimed to belong to the 17th century Gatti Mudali rule. An amazing fact about the construction of this temple is that the sculptures here were based on monolithic stones....

Mettur Dam

Considered to be one of the largest dams in south India, the construction of this dam was completed in the year 1934 across the river Cauvery. It is designed in a way to cater the needs of irrigation to the central districts of Tamil Nadu. The dam had a long history from the year 1834 to 1934. The construction work of the dam was started in 1925. The entire work was supervised by the then Governor of Madras, Sir George Stanley....

Yercaud Hills

Located in the Eastern Ghats hill range, Yercaud is a tranquil destination which is predominantly chosen for the locals due to its subtleness. It is famous for its serenity, verdant greenery, pleasant climate all over the year and coffee plantations. The prime plantation crop for commercial purpose here is coffee though some species like cardamom and black pepper are also grown.






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