Southern Sojourn 1 - Journey to the land of Rama (जय श्री राम)

It was an early beginning for me. Woke up before the Sun (literally)! We had a plan of a long roadtrip today. From Madurai first we will go to Rameshwaram & Dhanushkodi and then make a move to Kanyakumari. Since this is a long journey so I will be making it in more than one blog, so that one doesn't feel bored.

The journey was of 600kms and of around 10hrs long (though it exceeded well beyond that). Also when doing roadtrips in India, keep some change handy, as one would need it to pay toll tax and in TN there are quite a good number of toll plazas to cater you. Interestingly the amount also that they keep is not in tens' figure, so it's advisable to be handy with change or wait at the plaza longer! The time we took this roadtrip FASTag was not even on drawing boards. So coming back to the trip, since I woke up early I was ready by 5.30AM. Btw, I forgot to mention that the room which we were in had a view of the Nilgiris, so post being ready and texting my loved one back home morning, I looked out of the window. It was a sight to behold, or shall I say mesmerizing. It was something to be felt, to be experienced. A sunrise so beautiful is hard to be typed down to explained. Even the pics I am sharing would fail to create that beauty, when the rays poked through the clouds and made the sky turn Golden, was nothing short of beauty to the eye of the beholder especially for a late riser like me (except for the last few days).

This made me realize that how much we make ourselves beautiful, but everything seems fake in front of mother nature's beauty!

"Kudrat ki sundarta ke samne banawati sundarta fiki pad jati hai janab!"

Pretty soon we went down to the reception to do the check out formalities. By now the Sun was up, just to give us a prelude of what was in store for us ahead!

Soon our car arrived a bit late than it was supposed to. Quickly we boarded the car, did a final check of our belongings and set out for a long yet short journey. Soon we were crisscrossing the city. Quickly did a photo shoot of some of the landmarks of the city before going for a pit-stop for having our breakfast. It might sound strange but whenever I am on a trip/vacation I tend to be more hungry than back home! For breakfast we gorged onto some idlis and vadas. Must say that this restaurant was good in it, as those were some of best idlis I have ever had! (Sorry no pics). To finish it off we also had chai. Before leaving the restaurant took some bottle of water to keep hydrated en-route. Sharing below are the pics of some of other landmarks of Madurai. The city itself was pretty clean with wide roads and decent green cover.

Soon we meandered out of the city and hit the highways, only this time instead of NH it was SH. The basic difference were they were two laned ones instead of 4/6 laned, like the ones which we came across later on. The best part about SH in TN is that they are maintained properly, at least they were smooth pothole free with proper lane marking. So far these were the best SH in India. Since these were just two laned roads so there were ample green cover on both sides of the road. By 8 AM Sun was at its initial fury. Checked my phone and found it was 36℃ already. Thank God to the ac and dark tinted glasses and inside it was too comfy. To avoid the direct sun rays I even pulled down the sun shade. One more thing I would like to point out here is that in almost every small town in TN, one would find basic road facilities, which includes a washroom. Ofcourse, not to the standard of malls or the big highway petrol bunks, but yes Pay and use ones. They do maintain it also.

As time flew by we were also passing one town after another. Very soon we crossed Madurai district and entered the next district, I guess Sivaganga. And finally we entered Ramanathapuram, where our next destination Rameshwaram was. Rameshwaram is situated in the island of Pamban, which is connected by the famous Pamban bridge which connects the island of Rameshwaram to rest of India. Very soon we saw a board flashing Welcome to Indira Gandhi Bridge and Voila there we are on the famous Pamban bridge (the road one). At that time the road bridge was under renovation.

This Pamban bridge, especially the rail bridge is an engineering marvel. So I have decided to dedicate a blog for that as well. As of now I would be ending this blog here, but up ahead will be the experience of Pamban and Rameshwaram. So stay tuned!

Note: Madurai has recently been as one of the Smart cities of India. Madurai is well connected by rail, air and road. Nearest railway station would be Madurai Junction (MDU) and nearest airport would be Madurai International Airport (IXM). Other than that for intercity travel one can avail TNSTC/SETC buses. Though the buses are not that much impressive, but their service is very good with a good frequency. Also a huge chunk of Pvt operators are available from Madurai Integrated Bus Terminal. For intracity commuting one can use the city buses (Golden livery) or can avail Ola cabs as well. Uber is yet to start their services here!

Southern Sojourn 1 - Exploring Madurai

As we came out of the temple, we did shopping around the area, as it is quite famous for shopping being the main market of Madurai. After shopping was over we moved ahead to Madurai Mahal, not far from Meenakshi temple (about 1.2 kms). A piece of advice, while traveling in TN, make sure to keep yourself well hydrated and carry a pair of sun glasses.

This is the main market area of Madurai

Madurai mahal is also known as Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. It is a 17th-century palace erected in 1636 AD by King Thirumalai Nayak, a king of Madurai's Nayaka dynasty  who ruled Madurai from 1623–59, in the city of Madurai. This Palace is a classic fusion of Dravidian and Rajput styles. The building, which can be seen today, was the main Palace, in which the king lived. The original palace was four times bigger than the present structure. In its heyday, Tirumalai Nayak Palace at Madurai was considered to be one of the wonders of the South.

Upon entering gates of the palace, the visitor step into present day’s huge central courtyard measuring 3,700 m². 

The central courtyard with surrounded by pillars

Inside there were lots of sculptures and artifacts. The time when we visited, some restoration work was going on, so in the pictures below, one could see some as well. 

After independence, the Thirumalai Palace was declared as a national monument and is now under the protection of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department. This palace is open for the visitors from 9am to 5pm and the entry ticket price is Rs.10. There is a light and sound show which happens every evening at the palace in English & Tamil. Due to time constrain, we had to skip that.

Sharing some pictures taken inside the museum.

A vantage point for getting some good photo ops...

Detailing on the wall

These wall paintings were being restored

After a fresh coat of paint, this part looks gorgeous...

These are some of the stone figures exhibited by ASI...

I guess this is a durga idol carved out of stone...

Some of the ancient day art...

 

After the museum visit, we headed for lunch followed by an afternoon break of 2 hrs, as the heat was becoming unbearable. This gave me time to take an account back home how things are taking place. Came to know that rain has receded but there was severe water-logging across the city. After this took rest for an hour and half till the sun lessens down it's fury.

Later that afternoon around 4 we went to an old temple which was almost in ruins, but to visit that we had to go on top of a hill. Regarding the temple, it was a very old temple carved out of stone, but still it is a famous temple among the people of that area as they come here to worship. However, this temple was clean and maintained. Also it was not crowded, so spent some time there and thought about the plans for the next day, as we would be traveling a lot the following day. By the time we left the place it was dusk. The temple was about an hour from the hotel. It was not in the city, but was in Madurai district. By the time we entered our hotel it was evening.

The hill on which the ruin temple was situated...

And this is the temple, preserved...

By the time we returned it was evening.

Once back home I was preoccupation with call by my friends who called me to wish Dusherra. Back in North India it's a major festival and a day to wish ones friends and take blessings from elders. It also marks the end of Navratri/Durga Puja. One more information, though it's a public holiday across India, but down South Ravan Dahan is something unheard of! As far as I remember it was a normal working day in TN, something unseen in rest of India. No wonder why they call it Incredible India! India has lot of differences in language , geography and culture.

Soon we had our dinner and after bidding night to my loved one back home, I slipped inside my blanket for deep slumber.

Note: One can go to Kodaikanal for a day's visit, which is around 120kms from Madurai (about 3hrs). Its a hill station on the lap of Nilgiri hills. Since were time constrained, so we couldn't make it to Kodai. But my personal opinion would be a must visit if you have a day in hand to spare, but expect it to be crowded especially during holidays and weekends!


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Banjara_the nomadic