[bbhavan]

A visit to Rameswaram for the darshan of the Shiva Temple was desired by my mother , after she undertook a visit to Varanasi , a few years back. Rameswaram is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingams, and as a matter of fact, we have already covered most of the other places, barring 3 ,4 such temples.Though it is believed that one should have a darshan first at Rameswaram before Kashi, we have left with no other option.

But somehow or other this trip never materialized, though we did several other trips, to locations like Rushikesh, prayags, Gujarat, Amritsar etc during this period.

The main reason for the Rameswaram trip,not happening was the non availability of a suitable vehicle. I wanted to go by road from our native place (Kottayam) and the hatchback we are having at our native place was not sufficient for carrying all the members. My sister who lives in Delhi , also wanted to join this trip and so the summer holidays is the only time for us to do this trip. We thought of hiring a taxi, but then I objected to it, as I was longed to have the driving pleasure, Thanks to Team BHP.

So this year , I have decided to take my innova to Kerala, and we left Mumbai on April 24th afternoon. A short detail of this trip is given in the thread Mumbai to Cochin. (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...i-kochi-5.html) The team consisted of two kids aged 10 and 8 and wife.

With the availability of the own vehicle, the trip plan got wider and greedier and we have decided to include many more places like Trichy, Madurai, Chidambaram and Tiruchendoor. There are no limits to the temple towns in Tamil Nadu, especially at Tanjaore- Kumbakonam area, but we restricted the no. of temples to suit with the limited time frame available for the trip.

We only had 4 days and 3 nights to spare, as I had to return to Mumbai before June 10th. Initially we thought of omitting chidambaram and Tiruchendoor from this list, but an assurance from none other than HVK sir has re kindled this desire and we decided to take a try.

With the help of HVK sir and Ampere, I have worked out a plan which is as follows.




Now as the news spread about our proposed Rameswaram trip, one of my cousin sister jumped into the fray and declared,about her participation also.

Hence formed a cricket team with 10 members ( 6 adults + 4 children) and our poor car!!.

me, wife and two kids
my sister, and her two children, aged 15 and 7
parents, septuagenarian
cousin sister, 67 years old


Disclaimer.


As I am not a good photographer and a vivid story teller, You may find this so called travelogue(my first attempt) a boring one, pls. excuse me for that.

I am just trying to narrate about the trip details with the help of some photos, which me and my son took as casually. We could have taken much better and more photos, if i have thought of posting a travelogue in this forum at that time.


We started on June 1st ,Saturday , 6.30 A.m from my house, on a rainy day, through the first monsoon showers of the year.

First showers of 2013 as viwed from my home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIxVF70M1VY

THE ODOMETER SHOWED 7783 KMS






We followed the google maps as showed in my phone. There was no GPS instrument other than that.

We went via Ettumanoor-Palai-Ponkunnam and reached KK road. The morning drive through the heavy downpour was enjoyable, as the roads are familiar to me. We reached Mundakkayam at 8.30 and had breakfast from vazhiyoram restaurant. It was interesting due to the buffet system at this restaurant.

After a hefty breakfast, we climbed the ghat roads and then started some vomiting sessions by the kids. At Peerumade, stopped for fresh tea again.


My Father - alone and in a pensive mood.




Peerumade Tea Estate

[bbhavan]

We reached Madurai at about 2 pm, and after having lunch from a city restaurant, parked the car at Temple parking place. We had expected a very hot climate at Tamilnadu, but thanks to the previous night's rain fall , temperature was hovering about only 34-36 degree Celsius. That was a great relief, and we waited for the temple reopening, ie at 4 pm.

Road condition

KK road was absolutely brilliant, right up to Peerumade, after that it was OK, but not so good till Kerala border.

Roads from Cumbum to Theni was also good, but 2 lane, and of course there were some bad patches in between.
After Theni, it is NH49 all the way to Madurai and in good road condition.


Temple opened at 4 pm, there was a short queue outside the temple as well, but after entering the temple, we realized that lot more people were already inside the temple. It took us about 3 hours to do the darshan and some sight seeing inside the temple.

I am not adding more details about the Temple, its Architecture etc, as it will be a needless exercise in vain. Much have been discussed already about the history, tradition and culture that is associated with this ancient temple.
One can only be awed by the huge Gopurams, the carvings and sculptures that adorn the walls and gopurams of this temple. It is my second visit to the temple, the last time I visited here was about 20 years back, as a part of the college tour.

MADURAI EAST TOWER-MAJESTIC



KIDS GETTING BLESSINGS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjqSuvKp-6w

By the time we came out,it was started to get dark. We had some evening tea , from an outside restaurant, and then head towards Trichy.

It was difficult to get outside of Madurai town, as the Google maps showed some narrow lanes through some market areas. At one point, I had to en quire about the way to a policeman, who indicated a different way than what Google map was showing. Somehow, we scraped out of the city and then hit 45B road to trichy.
It is a 4 lane beauty and within about 2 hours time we reached the outskirts of Trichy.

But disappointed to drive in the night, as we missed the country side views. It is the main reason, I hate to drive in the night, as for me the road side views are also important. The journey itself is as enjoyable as that of the destination for most of the trips.

We left Madurai at about 7.45pm and reached the destination at 10.15 pm,at a cousin's house near BHEL training center, around 20km from town.

We had a good night's sleep after spending some time with the relatives and that is the end of the first day of trip.



DAY TWO; TRICHY-CHIDAMBARAM

We have planned to leave for Srirangam, early the next day, but could manage to leave only at 9 Am. So after reaching Srirangam, at around 9.30 AM, we could find large gatherings of devotees, and already long queues were in place.
Being a Sunday, also has contributed to the large rush. We roamed around the temple for an hour and finally left the temple after having a darshan from outside the sanctum santorium.

It was a disappointment for all, but there was no other option. Waiting in the queue for long duration was not possible for us with aged parents and kids.
I am disgusted to see different entries based on varying entry fee at many temples, I cannot somehow digest this system.

Srirangam, is also known as Bhooloka Vaikuntam, is having the largest temple compound in India, at about 150 acres. It is second only to the Ankor watt of Combodia in area.
We forgot to take any photos here, as of course taking photos was never given any serious priority.


From Trichy, we went to Tanjore, which is about 60km away.The road was perfect, it is 4 lane Coimbatore - Nagapattinam highway.
We went straight to Brihadeeshwara temple. It is a splendid temple compound, absolutely majestic and stunning views all around.
Luckily we had taken some photos here and are showing below.

TRICHY- TANJAORE ROAD



BIG TEMPLE - FRONT VIEW



ANOTHER VIEW- BIG TEMPLE



ONE FOR FAMILY ALBUM



Another View -Big Temple


Left the big temple at about 1.30pm and the next target selected was Chidambaram. We deliberately avoided many temples in and around Tanjore and Kumbakonam and decided to go straight to Chidambaram temple.

We could hardly find a good restaurant on the way, and had lunch only at 3pm. By this time all were tired, after exposing the brazing sun for quite a long time at Big temple and the road condition also worsened the mood.

The 120km long road up to Chidambaram was not good at all. It goes through numerous small towns in between, 2 lane village road and the ride was quite bumpy.
We went via Kumbakonam, Myladuthurai, Sirkazhi. After Sirkazhi, it is ECR, and then it was much better.

We crossed Kaveri river en-route, some 10km before Chidambaram. It was a great feeling to see the river Kaveri again, which we are following from Mysore since April 25th. In fact we had seen her at Trichy also, but could not get down to the river.
I forgot to mention that Srirangam, is an island formed by Kaveri and one of her tributaries.
The river Kaveri is believed to be one of the seven most sacred rivers by Hindus, but felt sad to see , how the waste materials are dumped into the river bed and the un hygienic surroundings.

CHIDAMBARAM TEMPLE- COURTYARD


River Kaveri near Chidambaram.


Another view of Kaveri- Sad to see how the river is being treated.


We have booked rooms at Akshaya Hotel,very near to the Chidamabaram temple. Reached the hotel at about 6 pm and after a bath, went to have evening darshan. The tiredness of the full day was vanished after entering the temple gate, such was the effect of the cool breeze that welcomed us.
Contrary to other temples, one can have easy darshan here, as the sreekovil is fairly large and the Nataraja deity can be viewed from a wide range of angle.

We spent a quite lot of time inside the temple for the special aarti and pujas.

Went out for dinner at about 10 pm and retired to hotel for a good night's sleep and that culminated the second day's odyssey.

[bbhavan]

day Three; Chidambaram -Rameswaram


In the morning,we went to the temple again.After darshan, returned to the hotel, had breakfast and left Chidambaram for Rameswaram.
En route, filled up the diesel,and Tyre pressure got checked from the town itself.

Chidambaram-Rameswaram is 346 km and passes through important places like Sirkazhi,Poompuhar,Tharangambadi,Karaikal,Nagapatt inam and Velankanni. I have resisted the temptation to explore Tharangambadi, and Tirunellar temple en route.

Before Sirkazhi, we crossed Kaveri again. The ride through ECR was a breeze, and I have never expected such type of a road. Though it is two lane, it is almost empty and the road surface is also good. Only point to be careful about is the stray animals which are trying to cross the road at their own pace.
We have stopped at Velankanni first, for a round of tea. In our family, we usually have minimum 4 rounds of tea everyday and that cannot be avoided as far as possible. We were also longing to visit Velankanni churches, for they are very much famous in our part of the world, back in kottayam. There are 4 churches, all of them are stunning to see, with their white shades, in the backdrop of the sea.
We went to the beach also, but the sea was absolutely calm, never reminded about the brute force with which it stroked the shore on that dreadful tsunami day.

velankanny Church - View 1



velankanny Church - View 2



velankanny Church - View 3


velankanny Church - View 4




Left Velankanni and joined the ECR again. The road got better and so the speed. At Muthupet, we took a slight deviation and didn't follow the Google map for taking the bye-pass. Instead we went straight to the small town, and had lunch, but the time was around 2.30.

Back to ECR and after an effortless drive, we reached Mandapam and then Pamban bridge at about 6pm. I was eager to arrive there before sunset, and also prayed to see a train on the rail bridge. Both accomplished and was also happy to take some snapshots.

ecr Towards Rameswaram


pamban Bridge 1




View from pamban Bridge




View from pamban Bridge



train On Pamban Bridge


pamban Bridge4


A Video taken at Pamban Bridge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUb9VlQUSJg

We have reserved our rooms at TTDC, hotel Tamilnadu. It is very near to the Rameswaram temple and also on the sea side. With ample parking space and small parks for children to play, and having restaurant also, I would recommend this place for you friends.

After taking some rest and and freshening up, we went to the temple. We could manage a good darshan, though there was a queue.

After having Dinner, decided to go to bed as early as possible, as tomorrow is going to be a very long day.

[bbhavan]

day Four; Rameshwaram-tiruchendoor-return


We have decided to wake up early in the morning to start the proceedings for the day as early as possible.
Today we have to cover Rameswaram,Dhanushkodi,Tiruchendoor and then return to home. But managed to start only at
6.30 in the morning. Though we have had darshan in the night, all were interested to have one more visit to
temple. So left for Temple and as expected there were huge rush of the devotees. We skipped the
snanams at the temple theerthams and only had darshan.

agnitheertham - Rameswaram




agnitheertham



rameswaram Temple - East Tower



hotel Tamilnadu - Ttdc Rameswaram



After breakfast, left the Hotel at about 9.30 for Dhanushkodi. We were told at the hotel that a taxi
can be arranged for about Rs 1000/- for the Dhanushkodi trip. But we have decided against it and went to
Dhanushkodi in our car itself. We can go up to the motorable road limit and that is about 5km before the land's end.
That 5km stretch is completely through sand. We could have hired a vehicle for that stretch as lots of vans,jeeps etc
were avaialble at the spot.
But after seeing the ride, decided against it and after spending some time there, we started our return journey.

The road which goes to Dhanushkodi from Rameswaram is in good condition( about 15-20km) and after the halfway mark,
it is absolutely lonely.
You can see the road as almost empty and on both sides, you can see the ocean barring a narrow strip of land and you are
at the centre of that land. No trace of any living beings, except for some tress and bushes.
It is an absolutely fantastic feeling and thanks bhpians for suggesting to include this trip to Dhanushkodi also.

Though we were disappointed to miss the last 5 kms, atleast had a feel of Dhanushkodi by going up to the taxi stand. This taxi stand is after the Rama temple at Dhanushkodi. The time restriction was the biggest reason and we
were already late by 3 hrs.Actually we have planned to leave Rameswaram by 9Am.
dhanushkodi Road


dhanushkodi View 1



dhanushkodi View 2



dhanushkodi Landscape


It was already at 11.45 Am and we have lot of distance to cover and Tiruchendoor is pending too. Had a 10 minute long discussion*along side the road before setting the destination in GPS. whether to set is as Tiruchendoor or Kottayam.
I have roughly calculated the time of arrival at home, if we go to Tiruchendoor and it was around 1.30AM in the night.


After a lot of discussions, a decision was taken and they left it to my discretion. So I took the decision, and set the GPS to Tiruchendoor.(220km)


It was a long ride and we reached Tiruchendoor at 4 pm. It was a long ride through ECR and covered places like Tiruppulani,Vembar,Tuticorin etc.


We were guided through a village road as a bye-pass for Ramanathapuram by the Google map. I dont know that was the right option.*
Anyway, the road was narrow, but traffic was less, and was having some bad patches in between.
After entering ECR, it was back to business and with salt pans on both sides of the road and no other scenery, we cruised at a good pace.

Crossed Tuticorin and in between had entered into the Madurai- Tuticorin 4 laned road also. Refuelled at Tuticorin and had lunch from Athur.
The road from Tuticorin to Tiruchendoor was not that good for speedy riding, due to narrow and curvy roads and through villages.

Reached Tiruchendoor at 4pm and went stright to have darshan. By this time everyone was tired and the feel of ending the journey*
soon had saddened them also.
tiruchendoor Temple 1



tiruchendoor 2



tiruchendoor Gopuram




tiruchendoor Passage




tiruchendoor - View From Beach


Tiruchendoor temple is perfectly pitched against a beautiful sea shore and the sreekovil is at a low level or equal to the sea level.
Legend is that Varuna has an agreement with Muruga that sea water will never enter into the temple. In the last tsunami time, sea water
has actually receded by half a km into the sea and protected the temple.

[bbhavan]

We quickly had a darshan and even skipping the usual tea, started the last leg of the journey- Return to home.

The Google showed a distance of 282 km to my home , and through Tirunelveli,Tenkasi,Punalur, Adoor and then MC road to Kottayam.

We reached Tirunelveli at about 7 pm after leaving Tiruchendoor at 5.30pm. Had tea and some snacks from town.

At Tirunelveli, we were caught in the traffic jam and after a frustating period of about half an hour, we were back in the Tenkasi road.

I was surprised, if any bye-pass to Tirunelveli town is existing or not.

The rain had also started and all were silent in the car, as they were left with out any sight seeings, but only the images out of memory
from the past 4 days.


The road condition was OK, but had to go through all the towns,Tenkasi, Chengotta,etc. By the time we reached Punalur, it was almost 9.30
and had a small break for next round of Tea and light dinner for kids.

I preferred this route than the Tirunelveli-Madurai-KK road because to explore this road as it covers places like Tenkasi,
Tenmalai dam, Kuttalam and Palaruvi water falls. I had thought of visiting Aryankavu Aiyyappa Temple also, if time permits.
But nothing had happened, we have to just skip all these places and head straight to home.

The roads in Kerala up to MC road was in a poor condition, with lots of potholes filled with the rain water.


The MC road section up to Ettumanoor was covered in a matter of minutes,and at exact 1.30 in the night, as calculated at Rameswaram, we hit home.


We went to bed without having dinner and the next day, was for complete rest.

[bbhavan]

That was an exciting but hectic trip to the core, for the elderly people and the kids. I must say, they showed lots of patience and team spirit
and it was essential for such a trip.

Thankfully no one was got any serious health issue, for the trip duration.

A special thanks to my car, as i cannot imagine any other car than innova for such a trip.

But after 2 days, I myself has caught cold and throat infection.

That prompted me to cancel my return trip to Mumbai by road, and was forced to leave the car at my native place, and return by flight.


There ends this travelogue, and thanks all for your patience and time.
And I will definitely try to improve the quality of the travelogue for my next trip.

[Eddy]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[vindrider2626]

Kudos to you bhavan for covering all the major attractions on that circuit in one trip.You should have waited at sreerangam because that one was not to be missed.there is always another time.I too have visited all these places with my parents and wife long time back which are cherished memories.

[arindamray]

How was the temperature on those areas. We thought of visting that area, but then decided against it due to hot weather.

[ampere]

@Bhavan, Nothing like completing a trip on the dot with so much of uncertainties! Was looking forward to you trip log.

- Your point on Innova is very true! Nothing can be a better car than this one for a family long distance drive. And reliability? No need to mention!
- I had a quiet chuckle when I read you saying, its a ritual for us to have 4 rounds of tea every day and it cannot be avoided! Afterall do we need a reason to have tea? And that too on a drive!
- As you said Chidambaram/Kumbakonam is a temple tour in itself. So restricting oneself to what all can be seen in a specific timeline is very crucial. Because we can easily get carried away with so many places to see and hence get derailed from our schedule.
- Its good to note that Tirunelveli-Tenkasi-Punalur road is good (well... lets say decent). But the fact that you covered it late in the night speaks something about it.
- Coming to bypasses, Tirunelveli has a by-pass for the 4-lane (NH7). But since you cut through in the other way, you had to go through the town. We dont generally see a complete bypass being constructed for most towns. Its desirable no doubt.
- Over all kudos to your family members who came along for long drives and did not let fatigue get in your way.
- Lastly I hope you recover well and come back to take your vehicle soon! Congrats again for a good drive.

[bbhavan]

Originally Posted by vindrider2626

Kudos to you bhavan for covering all the major attractions on that circuit in one trip.You should have waited at sreerangam because that one was not to be missed.there is always another time.I too have visited all these places with my parents and wife long time back which are cherished memories.

Thanks vindrider.

Yes, Now I have also started dreaming for that second time. A trip to Thiruvannamali, Tirupati etc. is also pending.

Originally Posted by arindamray

How was the temperature on those areas. We thought of visting that area, but then decided against it due to hot weather.

Climate was not that extreme, manageable, and contrary to what we were anticipating before the trip. The onset of monsoon in kerala, by that time may have helped it.

Originally Posted by ampere

@Bhavan, Nothing like completing a trip on the dot with so much of uncertainties! Was looking forward to you trip log.

- I had a quiet chuckle when I read you saying, its a ritual for us to have 4 rounds of tea every day and it cannot be avoided! Afterall do we need a reason to have tea? And that too on a drive!

Thanks Ampere. Your suggestions about the routes and timings were really helped me.Thanks again for your prompt responses at that time.

- Its good to note that Tirunelveli-Tenkasi-Punalur road is good (well... lets say decent). But the fact that you covered it late in the night speaks something about it.

But it was not a happy ride. All were tired, and as you know all return trips are boring.

- Lastly I hope you recover well and come back to take your vehicle soon! Congrats again for a good drive.

Thanks for your concern. I am back to normal already and fully immersed in the Mumbai schedule. Now thinking about bringing the car and how it can be done by exploring new places.

[bbhavan]

Originally Posted by bbhavan

Another view of Kaveri- Sad to see how the river is being treated.
Attachment 1097877

Can any one from this area can throw some idea,on the status of this river now? I like to have a view of the river Kaveri in spate

[Ddrive]

Originally Posted by bbhavan

Can any one from this area can throw some idea,on the status of this river now? I like to have a view of the river Kaveri in spate

Plastics... Yes it is very sad and its the same agony everywhere.

Good write-up and nice photos sir.
Happy to see the pictures of my hometown Madurai .

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by bbhavan

With the help of HVK sir and Ampere, I have worked out a plan which is as follows.

Congrats on your wonderful looking road trip!!

As I had posted in the "roads to Kerala" thread, I'll be doing a Thiruvalla - Tuticorin drive next week. Google suggested Punalur - Tenkasi - Tirunelveli - Tuticorin, which is almost the same route you took back. (which in turn was pointed out by 'ampere'!)

Could you throw some light on the road and traffic conditions? Anything to be particularly aware of?

I'll be driving a Jazz.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3195450

[bbhavan]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Congrats on your wonderful looking road trip!!

As I had posted in the "roads to Kerala" thread, I'll be doing a Thiruvalla - Tuticorin drive next week. Google suggested Punalur - Tenkasi - Tirunelveli - Tuticorin, which is almost the same route you took back. (which in turn was pointed out by 'ampere'!)

Could you throw some light on the road and traffic conditions? Anything to be particularly aware of?

I'll be driving a Jazz.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3195450

Thanks Geo.

The condition of the road was pretty average between Tirunelveli till the start of the Ghat section. We covered that stretch in the night, still there was lots of traffic.
After that it was not good, with some bad patches in the Ghat area.

The road between Punalur and Adur was also average, but had a very bad stretch just before Adoor. Road construction was going on at that time and so there was no asphalt surface.

After Adoor, you know it is M.C Road and no need to mention. I haven't covered Tirunelveli- Tuticorin sector, but heard about it earlier as a good one.


But pls. remember, my trip was just before the monsoon, so pls. take a recent update, as you know, what havoc rain can do to the tar roads.

All the best for your trip,