Sibi & Vanathy: January 2009

Day 2 - Travelogue continued..

Day 2 - Jan 1, 2009
Kudanthai - Thirukarukkavur - Tanjore

The early morning of the new year saw us in the road from Kudanthai to Tanjore and we planned only one stop in between. This was to the Thirukarukkavur temple (where my mom had some 'nearthi kadan'). The road diverges in Papanasam and though the road is bad, the greenery of the place is absolutely stunning. After a bit of drive we came to a point on the banks of River Vettar with no bridge in sight. We parked the car and were told to cross the river using the small bridge and then walk to the temple. So we did the same except we took a share auto in the other bank.

The temple is in the midst of a village and not yet touched by the commercialization of other temples in the area. Mullaivananathar sits peacefully here doling out blessing to anyone and everyone who comes there. The amman is beautiful and after my mom's thing is done, we slowly walked back to the car.

Next stop was Tanjore Big temple. It was very hot when we reached Tanjore and there was a big crowd in the temple. We parked the car and walked inside. In the second gopuram, I stopped to try to read an inscription on the wall. It was actually easier than I thought. My wife was standing near me and she was looking up into the same and suddenly we both realized that this is a 'meikeerthi' of Raja Raja. It was so clear to start with the 'Swasthi sri thirumagal' in the first line. The entire trip was worth that one moment for me. That and the fact that I was able to make out 'Udayar sri Raja Raja Thevar' in almost all the places in the temple.

Once inside, we went to see Peruvudayar and then took a leisurely walk around the temple. Being new year, the crowd was high. During the walk, 2-3 Iyyappa swami's approached my father (who was lagging a bit) and asked 'samy, ithu enna ooru?' (Sir, whats the name of this city?). Sigh! apparently they dozed off in their van and were unable to figure where this 'Big temple' they are wandering about. Whom to blame for such a state of things? I also tried to search for the vanthiyathevan inscription in the back side of the temple with no luck. J enquired an ASI guide in the temple, that guy looked blank. But overall, it was a very satisfying visit (though I've been to this temple before). Most of the thanks should go to the PS group of which I am a member.

Thiruvarur - Kodikarai

We took some refreshments in Tanjore and drove to our next halt, Thiruvarur. I always wanted to vist the place where 'Mohanambal' danced. We checked into Hotel Selvies(hotelselvies.in) and had our lunch there itself. It was 3PM and we started for Kodikarai in earnest to vist the Kuzhagar temple.

The drive in itself was not eventful and the slow change in scenery, from green fields slowly changing into 'uppalams' and the coastal backwaters changing into the swamp lands of Kodikarai. It was just beautiful. We decided to hit the beach first when light is there. The beach in itself is not the standard beaches but more a fishing village with some amount to sands and shells strewn across. The sun was setting now and the sparkle on the water with the fishing boats was looking fantastic. The kids were a bit disappointed to see such a beach. Took a picture of the light house and drove to the Kuzhagar temple.

The temple is undergoing renovation and it was plain to see that there is not much left of the original temple. The madapalli and Kuzhagesar Himself have not changed but the other parts of the temple have changed a lot. I talked to the gurukkal, who opened the temple after seeing us, and he was happy that they have sponsors for most of the renovation work. I was a bit sad that the temple may not look the way it was but then afterall, change is the only permanant thing.

This a shot of the madapalli in Kuzhagar temple. If you want to contribute to the renovation, please get in touch with the following person for details and ways to contribute.
V. Sivaraja Kurukkal
South mada Vazhagam
Kuzhagar temple
Kodiakkadu 614807
Vedaranyam (Tlk)
Nagai dist. Ph (04369) 27247 (off) 9486606209(mobile)

J was happy to have visited Kodikarai and our only regret was that we couldn't spend more time there.

We retuned back to Thiruvarur for the well-deseved rest.

Happy new year...

I was planning for a trip to visit some of the places mentioned in Ponniyin Selvan and after talking about it with my wife since our marriage and after 2 kids, we were finally able to take off this Dec 31, 2008 for the trip.
Having in mind that I have 2 kids to take care of, I have to restrict the trip to most of the well-treaded roads and had to be content with visiting some of the places I have already visited. But then, it turned out to be one hell of a blast for all of us in the end. Here is a travelogue of the same.

Day 1 Dec 31, 2008

Chennai - Viranam Eri - Gangai konda cholapuram

We started by 5.30AM on Dec 31 with Gangai Konda Cholapuram as our first stop. Hitting NH45 early helped in avoiding most of the Chennai traffic and after passing through the toll plaza we stopped for a quick breakfast in Achirapakkam. The hotel (Ganesh Bhavan) basically runs a swindling operation in the guise of a hotel. Though the food is good, prices are exorbitant and better to avoid this. Moving on, the road was fantastic to drive on and we made good time till Tindivanam and after which the road work is still going on and roads are just OK. We took the detour to Panruti before Vilupuram and hit the gas till Neyveli and were forced to slow down till after Vadalur due to some real bad roads. We drove along the viranam Eri thinking of the 'Adi perukku' Vandiyathevan witnesses. Good monsoon this year means there was water all along in all the rivers and canals.

We went past the Viranam Eri and reached our first destination, Gangai konda Cholapuram. I've never been to this temple here and everyone in our party (my parents, kids and wifey) were excited to look at a near replica of the Big temple. Sibi was all excited about the cow-god (Nandhi) and was more impressed with the Yali sculptures. In every temple we visited, he started looking for Yali and was wondering whether they are powerful than lions.

We were just in time before the noon puja and after watching it to heart's content and letting the kids play in the surrounding lawns for sometime, we started back to our next stop, Kumbakonam.

Kumbakonam - Darasuram - Thirunageswaram - Oppiliappan temple
We had our lunch and checked into LeGarden Inn in Kumbakonam. It was actually a serviced apartment with two bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, hall and a dining area, which was quite a deal. After a little rest in the afternoon, we started again for Darasuram around 4PM. Airavatheeswarar temple was so fantastic we spent more than an hour roaming around still coming out feeling we haven't seen everything. We engaged a ASI guide and there was a trove of information he came up with for the panels, the 'Raja gambeeram' mandapam, the pillars, the overhead panels, the chariot-style etc. Sibi was busy counting the Yali's he could find and generally running around.

We left Darasuram and after a cup of tea from the local boiler shop, we proceeded to Nageswaram and Oppiliappan temple. We went back to the room after a tiring day for us and the kids. But then J had other ideas and dragged me along for a shopping trip in the shopping district of Kudanthai. After visiting 'Seemati silks' (a landmark I heard so much about in my school days courtesy of Trichy AM station), we bought the new year cake and came back to the apartment.