Trawling the Treasures of Tamizh Nad

Bangalore - Trichy - Chettinad - Thanjavur - Tranquebar - Chidambaram - Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram - Chennai - Bangalore
Duration - 8 days
Distance Covered - 1572kms covered in all.
When Sunith decided to get married at Chennai on Nov 24th. we decided to do a roadtrip through the heartland and hinterland of Tamizh Nad before ending up at the wedding. So, hotels were negotiated and booked, road routes researched and off we went in our lil buddy Santro on Nov 18th 2010 at 5.50am.
Day 1 - 18/11/2010 - Bangalore - Trichy

We reached A2B at Chinnar just shy of the Krishnagiri toll booth around 7.30am, had some hot pongal which was yum and a vada which refused to get cut with the flimsy plastic spoon! and a hot cuppa. Weather was perfect, and we were following NH7 via Salem - Namakkal till we veered off into SH6 towards Thottiyam and on to Trichy. This last stretch of 54 kms is a nightmare, the 300kms before that is a breeze. We were booked at the SRM hotel, which is a luxury hotel set in large open grounds but a little out of the city and hence took us about 45min to reach the place by 1.15pm. Rooms are lovely though the bathrooms are a little out of date but no complaints. Room service is good, food is extremely tasty and a wonderful place to stay. Highly recommend it, its worth the Rs.3,750/night for a deluxe AC room. Relaxed after a quick bite and left for SriRangam temple. We hired a taxi at Rs.450 for 3 hours as parking at the temple is an issue. SriRangam is 7kms from Trichy, an island between the waters of the rivers Cauvery and Kollidam, this temple boasts of a Rajgopuram 236 ft high, from the top of which as legend claims, you can see Sri Lanka! The deity - the Anthya Ranga - of the Ranganathar Swamy triumvirate (the previous two being the ones at Srirangapatna and Shivanasamudram - which we visited in the last 2 months) is absolutely resplendent in glistening ebony coloured granite. The gold Vimana gleams. Having paid Rs.200, we got VIP treatment and bypassed queues for a premier darshanam of both Ranganathar and Aandal. It makes one very peaceful in such a holy atmosphere. We then moved on to the Rockfort temple which was commenced by the Pallavas but completed by the Nayak kings of Madurai. This Dravidian style temple sits on a monolithic rock 83m high and the temple is dedicated to Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha. Since access is only through rock hewn steps which are steep and about 200 in number, me and my bad leg preferred to stay at ground level. This temple also doubled as a fort during the olden days and hence the name. We returned to the hotel by 7pm and called it a day. The weather had been pleasant and lovely, very unlikeTamizh Nad weather, thankfully. Clocked 350kms today.

Day 2 - 19/11/2010 - Trichy - Kanadukathan - Karaikudi - Thanjavur

After an invigorating dip in the pool and a hearty breakfast, we checked out at 10am and drove on NH 210 towards Karaikudi, 92 kms away, the Chettinad region, the land of Chettiars, the traders who crossed the seven seas and returned with huge wealth and built palatial mansions, with a small one with 50 rooms to the Raja's Bangala at Kanadukathan with 200 rooms, 10kms before Karaikudi, the place for ostentatious bungalows with inspirations from Kerala in its woodwork to the British Raj in its terraces. Architecture is an invigorating mix and depite an embarrassment of riches (read Burma teak floors, ceilings, Athangudi tiles etc), it is not vulgar but interestingly elegant, though many of these beautiful buildings have certainly seen better days, the ones that are still thriving are the ones which have been converted into heritage hotels with expensive rooms for the few travellers who search for the hatke experience. We then proceeded to Karaikudi to see the 1000 windows house and a simple yet typical Chettinad lunch at Hotel Subhalakshmi. While enquiring for a place to eat, a gentleman invited us over to his nephew's wedding, such is the warmth of the Tamizh people. Enroute back towards Pudukottai and then to Thanjavur we came upon the beautiful Thirumayam fort which is still quite intact and beautiful. Dark clouds gathered and cool winds made our 95kms jouney to Thanjavur on NH 286 absolutely wonderful. About 30kms before Thanjavur, we stopped to buy hot, sand roasted unsalted raw cashews...delightful! On reaching Thanjavur we found that our Hotel Gnanam is centrally placed between the great Brihadeeswara temple and the Palace, and both at walkable distances. We checked in at 3.30pm, the hotel has neat clean rooms and is otherwise unpretentious. The food though is expensive for this class of hotel. Yet at Rs.2150/night, room rent only(they insist on putting this on your bill/receipt et al!) it was good...the best part being the location and the fantastically efficient AC. The weather was still cool and comfortable and we went around 6.30pm to the Brihadeeswara temple, or as the locals call it - the Big temple. That is no exaggeration, the temple complex is a few hundred acres with all the temples, the Nandi and the main entrance Gopuram lined on a linear E-W axis. The entrance 5 storeyed Gopuram with Dravidian sculptures is absolutely fantastic. The 125 ton Nandi is simply awesome. The entire complex is so large that you do not feel the presence of a few thousand devotees at all. Space is abundant. The ceilings above the Nandi have carpet motifs and some panels still retain the vegetable dyes used a millenium ago! This temple built by Raja Raja Chola in 1010 completes 1000 years this year - prompting the TN Chief Minister to name a variant of their cash crop paddy as RajaRajan. Returned to the hotel at 9pm.

Day 3 - 20/11/2010 - Thanjavur - Gangaikondacholapuram

We went back to this awe inspiring temple in the morning as if pulled by a magnet to see the first rays of the sun strike the edifice turning the red granite to gold! We then, after breakfast drove to the palace Art Gallery, where some priceless bronzes from the 7th and 8th century, from the Pallavas dynasty, are displayed, albeit not very well maintained, the Art Gallery's displays are awesome.

After that we moved on to drive 80kms through Kumbakonam, via villages and rustic Tamizh Nad to Gangaikondacholapuram temple built by Rajendra Chola, son of Raja Raja Chola - an exact replica of the Brihadeeswara, this is a slightly smaller version and is maintained by the ASI in pristine condition. Check the scale of the temple in the adjoining photo. The route passes through an anicut which is lovely and some other very famous temples of the Navagrahas. Gangaikonda- cholapuram is mainly a Shaivite shrine and the huge Nandi and other smaller temples are even after nearly a 1000 years retain a fresh, new look which is absolutely amazing. If you plan to travel here, get something packed for lunch as absolutely nothing is available, so we hit back for Thanjavur and driving back we realised that Tamizh Nad is a land of temples, TVS and Taveras - seriously any bike you see is a TVS and any SUV, read taxi, you see is a Tavera! Thats a lot of Ts!! We reached back at 3pm and relaxed for the reminder of the day after a late lunch. Time travel of a millenium does tire one!

Day 4 - 21/11/2010 - Thanjavur - Tanquebar - Chidambaram - Pondicherry

We started off after breakfast for Tranquebar or Tharangambadi (the village of the singing waves) a well kept secret on the coast of Bay of Bengal. This little sleepy town was a Danish settlement in the 1600s and then was also under the British rule. Tranquil - The quiet place with the soothing sound of the lapping waves best describes this gem which has an old Dansborg castle standing guard over the seas, the oldest Protestant Chuch in India, the Zion Church built in 1701 (Christianity came to India wayback in 52AD) and the Tranquebar Mission celebrated 300 years recently with the Danish Government renewing ties with the Indian Government. Tanjore - Ayyampet - Papanasanam - Kumbakonam (40kms) - Mylathorai - Tranquebar was the route and the entire route is surprisingly scenic. Neemrana hotels runs a couple of good hotels on the beach, I'm certainly returning there sometime! Its an awesome hidden gem as yet unspoilt by commercial tourism. We then doubled back to Agoor for about 7kms, had our simple 'plate meals' ay Hotel Abirami, a down to earth yet clean restaurant, and then took the road to Seerkali for about 30kms and then on for another 20kms to Chidambaram via NH 45A. The Natarajar temple at Chidambaram is the place where Shiva is supposed to have done his cosmic dance, the Tandava and the famous Nataraja (dancing Shiva) pose we see is a part of this powerful dance. The only traceable evidence is up to the 12th century though there is a mention of this temple in ancient texts dating back to the 6th century - so we are talking seriously ancient! By then it was past 2.30pm and we moved on towards Cuddalore, 50kms from Chidambaram to the Zest Big Beach resort where we were staying the night. Being a Club Mahindra resort and having been there before, it almost felt homely. Relaxed after a drive of over 250kms with a leisurely swim and a good movie - 'Cast Away' - a superlative performance by Tom Hanks.

Day 5 - 22/11/2010 - Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram

Woke up late, went for a stroll along the sea, had a leisurely breakfast, which was yummilicious, we left for Mahabalipuram straight away, as Pondy we had explored recently. Though we took the green canopied ECR, we could not help wishing that this tolled road did not pass through villages and instead skirted the Bay of Bengal - what a spectacular route that would have been. Contrary to popular belief ECR or East Coast Road is not new but an old road revamped. Reached Mahabalipuram and checked into the Hotel Mahabs, on East Raja Street, a VFM hotel, which gives you huge rooms with a super AC, clean swimming pool and a decent meal for honest to goodness prices, unlike most of the other hotels there. At Rs.2150/night, it was a good deal. Only one grouse, it was not close to the sea, but otherwise well placed to explore the rock cut temples. We left for the Shore temple at 5pm but were told all monuments close by 5.30pm so we left. After the Tsunami ravaged these parts in 2005, the ASI has used soil stabilization membranes to stop soil erosion, planted a lot of Casuarina trees and grass and enclosed all monuments to preserve them from the vagaries of nature. A mere Rs.10 ticket allows one to enter all monuments which is practcally nothing. We drove back to the hotel via Arjuna's Penance - this is is an enormous relief made on two huge boulders. One of the biggest open-air rock canvases in the world, this bas-relief is 31m long and 9m high. The monuments and sanctuaries were built by the Pallava kings in the 7th and 8th centuries. The legend depicted in the relief is the story of the descent of the sacred river Ganga to earth from the heavens led by Bhagiratha. Also, a figure in the bas-relief who is standing on one leg is said to be Arjuna performing an austerity penance to receive a boon from Shiva as an aid in fighting the Mahabharata war.

After nearly a week of good pleasant weather, today was hot and humid.

Day 6 - 23/11/2010 - Mahabalipuram

It had rained heavily through the night and it was a clean washed sky we woke up to. All monuments are open by 6.30am so we decided to go around before the sun beat down and made us all sweaty and irritable, plus, being the last day before we went for the wedding, we just wanted to laze, after all we had been driving every day for long stretches. So we left the hotel at 6.30pm, bought our tickets at the Shore temple and barring a single Brit traveller, we were by ourselves at the Shore Temple, this Temple on the Bay of Bengal was constructed in the 7th century during the rule of King Narsimha-Varman II Rajasimha. The Shore temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and consist of two Shiva temples and a carving of Anantasayana Vishnu. Set in rolling green lawns, clean and serene, we stayed there for over an hour enjoying the ambience. It is believed that there were seven magnificent temples what are known as the seven pagodas, built near the sea shore. But the lonely survivor is the shore temples. Then we moved on to the Five Rathas which are monolithic chariot temples dedicated to Hindu gods. The five rathas are Dharmaraja Ratha, Bhima Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Draupadi Ratha and Nakul Sahadev Ratha. These are monolithic temples, each created in a different style, also known as the Pancha Pandava Rathas. These temples are considered pioneer of the Dravidian monolith era and mark the point of transition between the earlier tradition of rock-carved temples and the later tradition of freestanding stone structures. Then on to the Krishna Mandapam - This is a 12 column cave temple. It has a natural figure of a cow being milked. There is a sculpture of Krishana holding up the Govardhan mountain to protect his people from Indra's flood, on the black wall, inside the Mandapam. About 15kms away on Chennai road is the Tiger Cave - The cave has sculptures of tigers all over and hence the name. This is a magnificent mandapa which contains a shrine dedicated to goddess Durga which has big beautiful figures in front. The depiction here is the battle of Goddess Durga and Mahishasura. The figure of Somaskanda is found in Athiranachanda Mandapa to the south of Tiger cave. There is also an ancient Shiva Temple near the cave, in the same large complex. Small hillocks, big boulders set amidst casuarina trees and the sandy shores make this a great haven for birds and an idyllic picnic spot . The mandapam is like an open air theatre and even today, some cultural events are held here. Beautiful and quiet, the early morning calm really put us in an invigorating mood and we returned to the hotel for a late breakfast. Watched the movie 'The Firm' (based on the novel by John Grisham) in the evening with a drink and basically chilled at an excellent swimming pool.

Day 7 - 24/11/2010 - Mahabalipuram - Chennai

Got an early start by 7.30am and reached Chennai by 8.30am, covering the 55kms on ECR in an hour. Then we were rudely thrown straight into the morning peak hour traffic of a metro and the idyllic holiday was effectively over. The traffic was so bad, we barely could ask directions so we asked an auto to pilot us to our Hotel Breeze on Poonamallee High Road, Kilpauk and after shelling out Rs.300 to him, we finally reached the hotel at 10.45am. Super hotel, great rooms, comfortable and very well located - we felt at Rs.4250/night, it was a great hotel. Only peeve - no swimming pool and they do not allow you to wash cars nor do they have a car wash facility (huh?) - but a little talking allowed us to get the car cleaned at a fee. But still, whenever I visit Chennai, I shall stay at the Breeze definitely. The day was spent at the wedding along with all the family which always makes one feel good, late night calls to friends and we settled into VERY comfortable beds and soft sheets and sighed our contentment.

Day 8 - 26/11/2010 - Chennai - Bangalore

After breakfast at 7.30am we left the hotel at 8am, topped up the gas tank and hit NH 46 which after Ranipet connects to NH7 and the entire 350kms is a delightful drive though monotonous. If you want a scenic route take the Old Madras Road via Kolar. Stopped for lunch at A2B and reached home at 3.30pm. We lose an hour and a half each in both cities trying to get out and in, the actual distance barely takes 4 hours to cover, but with a lunch stop and indeterminate traffic, you need to set aside 7 to 7 1/2 hours.

Its been a wonderful trip through 1000s of years of history, walking the paths of the Gods and beautiful weather which was really the key to the whole trip being a great experience. 2 places we will return to in the future - Mahabalipuram and Tranquebar and of course one of my favs - Pondy!!