Southern Spice-Part TWO

Continuing with the trip..

DAY 2

We had planned for Rameshwaram on the second day.Since we had to come back to Madurai the same day after visiting Rameshwaram,we left quite early at about 6.00 in the morning. The weather was extremely good with the overcast conditions providing just the right temperature.
The journey was a pleasant one with the road also being extremely good.Surprisingly,the traffic also was extremely thin.On the way,you get to see a lot of windmills on either side of the road.Strange,considering its not all that windy in this part.After about 3 hours of drive,we reached Rameshwaram.To enter Rameshwaram,you have to cross a bridge thats built on the sea.So,as you travel,you can see the sea on both the sides.

Tradition has it that once you come to Rameshwaram,you must have bath in the holy waters from the 21 wells that one finds here.We kept up with the tradition,and had a bath.(There are people here who pour water drawn from the well on you, at one rupee per well, per person).We paid obeisance to the lord and while returning back saw a couple of places of historic significance.

-The place from where Hanuman is said to have taken a leap to Srilanka.

-Near The bridge which Ram built in order to cross over to Lanka (called "Dhanush Kodi")

-House of Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam (Yes,this will eventually become a place of historic significance)

After another drive of 3 odd hours,reached back Madurai in the evening.My uncle wanted to buy some sarees for my aunt from Madurai and so a few people from the group went shopping.The rest stayed back in the lodge.Surprisingly he didn't find any suitable one and they came back empty handed.

DAY 3

This was the penultimate day of our trip.Woke up pretty early as we had to catch a 6.30 train to Nagercoil.As we reached the station,our baggage had to pass through an X-Ray machine and we also had to undergo security check,just like in airports.We later realised that this precautionary measure was in view of the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary that falls on December 6.Owing to this fact,the train also was entirely empty.Had a good sleep in the train as Nagercoil was a good 5 hour journey.Reached there at around 12.00 in the afternoon.And yes,it was really humid.What a contrast when compared to the December weather at Bangalore.

Sadly,the temple here was closed for the "session"(can't help the use of the word session.Been watching too much of test cricket these days).It would open only in the evening and since we had other plans,we had to satisfy ourselves only seeing the closed doors.

From Nagercoil,we left for Kanyakumari.Its only about half an hours journey and we then checked into a lodge there.It had a view of the sea and could see the rock from here.After a refreshment,we left for Vivekananda rock in the ferry.Again,as it was December 6th,the crowd was extremely sparse barring for a couple of foreigners.The last time I was here in 2001 with my sister when she had come from US.This visit rekindled fond memories of that trip.Got a bit nostalgic and really missed her.After a brief stay at the rock (I simply love the wind that blows over this place),we returned back to the shore.

By this time,my toe had started hurting badly.I started limping but ignored it, as nothing visible was wrong with it.After some petty shopping by the ladies,we retired to the comfort of our lodge.Though I tried hard to sleep,the pain in the toe reached unbearable proportions.Had a look at it,only to see it swollen badly.Seemed like I had hurt it unknowingly.Then took a painkiller and put my head to rest.

DAY 4

The last day of our trip.Our train to Bangalore was scheduled at 10.30.Since we still had not visited the temple we made a rush to it.The idol of the goddess here is one of the most beautiful idols.She has an innocent face and you will just fall in love with it.Added to it,her sparkling nose-ring simply enchants you.

The rest of the day was spent entirely in the train.It was very hot thoroughout the journey.Not because of the presence of some "goddess" in the compartment (I have always been unlucky on this account),but because of the sweltering heat in Kerala,and this was the route that the train took.

After about 20 hours of train journey,we reached Bangalore the next morning at around 8.00.All in all,a wonderful trip that would remain in my memory for quite some time....

Southern Spice - Part ONE

My uncle(dad's younger bro) had come from the US a couple of weeks back to attend one of his conferences here.He got me a Canon Powershot A520, 4.0 MP digital camera.Its really a beauty with so many features.I still haven't even gone through all of them.
He was then free the whole of last week and dad planned for a south india tour.And so, I took the whole week off from work.
Armed with the Powershot,the eight of us left for Trichy the previous saturday by Tanjavur express.It was quite some time now that I had travelled in a train, and was pretty happy about it.For me,train is the best mode of transport, as I find bus travel too boring and the pressure variations in the aircraft a pain in the ears.

DAY-1
We reached Trichy early morning the next day at around 4.30.A scorpio (arranged from here itself) was waiting in the station that took us to our lodge.A pretty decent one.Thanks to "Baaz", there was a faint drizzle and we were quite scared, if the rain would ruin our grand plans.
After refreshing and a moderate breakfast ,we left for Srirangam in a qualis that we managed to book in Trichy.On the way,we also visited a ganesha temple by name "Uchhi-pilliar".Pilliar in tamil refers to lord ganesha.The temple was at an elevation and one could see the whole of Trichy town from there.A worthwhile scene.
I had been to Srirangam around 10 years back and had vague memories about it.After worshipping to a dozen deities there,we left Srirangam at around 1.00 in the afternoon.It was already lunch time and so we finished our lunch there itself.The best part about Tamil Nadu, apart from the grandiose temples, is the amazing food that you get there.And if you are hungry on top of that, its pure bliss.

Our next stop was Madurai.It seemed like our prayers must have pleased the gods,for Baaz spared us of its fury and took its course towards nothern Tamil Nadu and AP.We had a smooth ride throughout the 3 hour journey except that when we had almost reached madurai,one of the tyres got punctured.The fact that it happened right in front of a puncture repairing shop suggested more than just a coincidence.We had tea at a roadside shop as the driver got the tyre repaired.Resuming our journey, we reached Madurai at around 5.30 in the evening.

The Meenakshi temple there is simply outstanding in terms of its gopurams.No temple,I have ever seen, has such magnificient gopurams.I was amazed the last time I saw them and that continued even this time around.
It,being a sunday there was a quite a crowd and we had to wait almost an hour before we could have our darshan.While in the queue,my uncle asked me an interesting question which my cousin had asked him.

Does Hinduism support evolution (as proposed by Darwin) ?
That basically translated, as to what was Hinduism's idea of creation of the universe.Though he seemed to suggest that it did,I have my own doubts regarding that.

After some photo sessions at the temple we retired to our lodge after another lipsmacking round of dinner.That was pretty much about how DAY-1 was spent.
Rest of the trip in a subsequent post.