The district of Karaikal is one of the four regions of the union territory of
Pondicherry. It is about 300 km south of
Chennai and about 135 km from
Pondicherry town. Karaikal is surrounded by the
Nagapattinam and
Tiruvarur districts of
Tamil Nadu. It has a rich religious heritage. Karaikal, covering an area of 161 sq km, has a population of over 170,000. The climate is tropical.
There are around 100 Hindu temples. The seasonal festivals are conducted every year during June-July and October-November. The major tourist destinations are the Lord Darbaraneswara Temple, Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple, Jadaayupureeswar Temple, Mastan Syed Dawood Dargah, Our Lady Angels Church and Nagore Andavar Dargah. The nearest airport is at
Tiruchirapalli, 168 km away from the district headquarters. The nearest railway station is at Nagore. Karaikal is connected by road directly to
Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruvarur, Velankanni and Nagapattinam.
