Ramblings and Musings

Life and Landscapes

2012-01-29T08:53:00.000-08:00

Photography Credit: Swaminathan Natarajan. He is a Techie with a passion for photography especially the rich heritage of India which has taken him to many places. He also captures beautiful landscapes during his travels. He believes photography is more about the moment & passion than aboutechniques. To know more about him and his photography you can log on to : https://www.facebook.com/SwaminathanNatarajan.Photography

Source of Life

Circle of Life

Dew Drops

Web of Life

Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Pharmacy

2012-01-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy & Chikitsalayam (hospital) was started in the year 1957 in the heart of Coimbatore City.This is one of the first Ayurvedic hospitals to achieve ISO 9001: 2000 certification for its compliance with international quality standards. The hospital provides classical Panchakarma and traditional Kerala & classical ayurvedic treatments for a wide range ailments. It also offers a range of relaxation & rejuvenation therapies.
There is a beautiful Dhanwantari Temple inside this campus. Dhanwantari is an Avatar (reincarnation) of Vishnu in Hindu tradition. He appears in the Vedas & Puranas as the Physician of the Gods & is also considered as the God of Ayurvedic medicine. In Hinduism people pray to Dhanwantari for good health. We visited this temple on Pongal day to offer special prayers and could take a few pictures:
1.Statue of Dhanwantari at the entrance of the New Block:
2.Deluxe cottages for the patients/families to stay
3.Entrance to the Dhanwantari Temple
4.View of the inner sanctum of the temple
5.View of the beautiful stone oil lamp at temple entrance
6.Lord Ganesa being worshipped at base of peepul tree7. Enclosure of the Nagas (serpent gods)
8.Shelter for visitors to relax in shade
9.Nice tree in the campus
10.Bamboo Grove
11.Money plant creeping up a big tree
12.Relaxation bay at the base of the tree

Pongal Day Celebration at Coimbatore

2012-01-20T06:25:00.000-08:00

Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu. Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan - sun's journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal in traditional mud pots.
I was driving through the busy flower market (poo market) on Pongal morning and couldn't resist stopping & taking a few pictures. Vendors obliged me by readily posing for photographs. After this we drove on to the Saradambal Temple to offer special pongal prayers. Here too we found ready volunteers for photo opportunities!
Mud Pots waiting to be bought.
Turmeric Plants
Little doggie relaxing in the shade
Poolai poo (poolai flower)
Sugarcane Displays Bananas a plenty Banana Vendor(his cart is hidden) Banana Vendors Sugarcane Vendors Sugarcane Buyers Flower Stall & Vendors Saradambal Temple entrance decorated for Pongal
Poo Kolam at Saradambal Temple(flower arrangement)
Sudents from Vedapatasala getting ready to chant mantras The priest distributing kumkum & vibhuti to devotees
The security guards distributing pongal prasadam to devotee

Kodanad in Kerala

2012-01-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

We left Cbte around 5.30 am and stopped over at Aryas Vadakkancherry for breakfast. Then we continued onwards in our journey, turned left at Angamali into Kalady Rd. Just before Perumbav

oor we took a left turn via Koovapady (my grandfather hailed from here) passed the Ganapathy Temple and reached the Elephant Kraal at Kodanad, a beautiful and charming semi-rural village situated on the south bank of

river Periyar and popular for eco tourism. Kodanad is known for it famous 'Elephant Kraal', the mini zoo and its easy access to the seasonal pilgrimage centre Malayatoor St.Thomas Church,both placed opposite on the beautiful banks of the river Periyar. Kodanad was very famous for elephant capturing and training. Elephant capturing started in Malayatoor reserve forests in 1895 and a Kraal was erected during that time. Newly captured e

lephants were kept in the kraal till they are sufficiently trained & disciplined to carry out forestry works. The present 6 room kraal was constructed in 1965. This kraal is now only sparingly used and serves more as a monument of the good old days.We saw two cute baby elephants in the kraal perhaps a couple of months old. Behind the kraal in a separate enclosure we saw 6 elephants of varying ages. The

mini zoo had a good collection of animals like monkeys includ

ing a lion tailed macaque, a python, several Brahminy kit

es,Large groups of Sambhar & spotted deer, peacocks. A group of school children had arrived in a bus and were excitedly viewing the animals. I obliged them by taking a photograph of the group and promising to send the same by e mail

Tiruchengode Ardhanareeswarar Temple

2012-01-04T03:05:00.000-08:00

This trip was made in July 2008. Left Coimbatore around 6.30 am and drove via Avinashi & Erode to reach Tiruchengode @9.00 am. Went straight to the Kodimaadachenkunrur temple which is atop a hill. This temple is considered the 4th among the seven Tevara Sthalams in Kongunadu.
The main deity is an amalgamation of Siva & Parvati in the form of Ardhanareeswarar (half man & half woman). While there is Dandayutham in Siva's hand , Parvati has her hands on her hips. Ambal is known as Baagampiriyaalammai.
Saint Sambandhar has sung here. There is a water spring at the foot of the image.
Skanda or Tiruchengotuvelavar shrine occupies an important position in this temple.Outside this sannithi are east facing subshrines of Arunagirinathar & Ganesha.
There is a Dwaja Sthambam & a Nandi on the western prakaram facing Ardhanareeswarar shrine. Likewise there is another Dwaja Sthambam & a Peacock on the east side facing Chengottuvelavar.
Legend: Adi Kesava Perumal instructed Gowri on the Kesava Gowri Vritam which she performed to unite with Shiva as Ardhanareeswarar. This is one of the 64 manifestations of Shiva.
A battle of strength between Vayu & Adi Seshan took place & the former was clinging tightly to Mt.Meru while Vayu was trying to blow it away. Vayu succeeded in blowing Adiseshan away to Tiruchengodu. The blood spilled by Adiseshan colored the hill as red & hence the name chengode. If you climb the hill by the steps you come across the image of a snake carved on the hill.
The Temple: Unique feature of the temple are the mandapams carrying exquisitely sculpted pillars which includes sculptures of Veerabhadran, Oordva tandavamurthy, Alangattu kali, Korathan & Koravi and a variety of other figures on stone. The sculptures are a supreme & sublime poetry on stone. There are stone inscriptions reportedly pertaining to the times of Parantaka Cholan, Gangaikonda Cholan, Vijyanagara & Mysore Kings & the Nayaks.
The view of Tiruchengodu town from atop the temple is magnificent. As you drive up or down you come close to the rock face and can clearly see the redness on the surface.
There is an elevated walkway on the South Prakaram from where you can clearly see the North Gopuram as well as well as the Vimanam of Ardhanareswarar. See pics below:

Tiruchengode Hill climb
Rock Surface - black & redTemple Entrance driveway
Sculptures on Temple wall
Exquisite Sculptures on Pillars
Rajagopuram (Entrance Tower)Dwaja Sthambam (Flag Staff) facing Ardhanareeswarar
The killing of a demon
A Man and his consort
Urthva Thandavar - a fierce dance form of Siva
A goddess
The King and his several wives
Sapth Mathas - Celestial Ladies
Lady paying obeisance to the Lord
A well attired male
Beautiful Lady carrying finely woven basket
Ardhanareeswarar Vimanam & Rajagopuram in backdrop
Ardhanareeswarar Vimanam - close up view
View of sub shrine vimanam
View of Tiruchengode town from Temple top
Return drive down the hill

Ayurveda Therapy Center - Kerala

2011-12-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

We visited an Ayurveda Therapy Center in Kerala about a year ago. The place is set in serene & sylvan surrounding with a salubrious climate which is so essential for this ancient form of treatment. This Center is located on the Coimbatore - Tattamangalam/Chittur road. I present some of the pictures taken there. The Center offers both remedial as well as relaxation therapies & is headed by a qualified & reputed Ayurvedic physician(personally known to me).
The elephant below belongs to a temple & we found it tethered under the shade of a tree en route to the Center.

Love Is............

2011-12-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hi ! This is my 200 th post - a landmark of sorts. Pics below are of my Periamma 97 yrs (mothers elder sister in green sari) & my mom (blue sari) 86 years. This post is dedicated to them.

Magic Weaves 2

2011-12-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of the earlier post. Here are some more magical designs. The first seven are kurti designs- part of the Gopika Collections. The supplier is based in Banguluru. Have a great weekend & Merry Christmas.

Magic Weaves at Coimbatore

2011-12-19T06:53:00.000-08:00

We recently visited an exhibition titled "Weaves" in Coimbatore. There was a dazzling & colorful array of cotton & silk fabrics, dresses, sarees & accessories on display. Participants were from very many different States of India Like Bengal, UP, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir & Andhra Pradesh. While wifey was busy shopping I was busy clicking. I was mistaken for a press photographer and in anticipation that some of these photos may find place in the next days newspapers I was allowed special privileges by the stall managers :)
Here is wishing you all a Merry Christmas & a Happy & Prosperous New Year 2012. Please make the festive season more meaningful - Try and weave some colorful magic into the fabric your own lives as well the lives of those around you.

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-12-18T03:31:00.001-08:00

I wish to thank Versatile Blogger

Ashok for his kindness in sending me a Versatile Blogger Award. I must say this was quite unexpected & I am deeply honored by this gesture. I wish to assure him as well as all my ardent readers that I shall endeavor to keep up the spirit of versatility. You have mentioned that there is a tradition to pass on similar Awards to other bloggers that I follow and find are enthusiastic,vibrant,creative, interesting & informative. I am working on this and after careful study & analysis shall present the Awards in due course to deserving bloggers. Please bear with me for the delay:)
Meanwhile I take this opportunity to wish all readers/followers and their families Merry Christmas and a Very Happy & Prosperous New Year 2012. May all your dreams take wings and all your desires be fulfilled.

Best Wishes & Warmest Regards
Ram

Wonders in Wood

2011-12-14T04:40:00.001-08:00

His name is Shanmugham and he is popularly known as "Antique Shanmugham". He lives in Coimbatore. He has plenty of "wonders in wood" to show you: Center Tables, Mirror frames,Pillars, Diwans, Wooden Chests, Swings, Sofa sets, Cradles, Cots, Dressing tables, Chest of Drawers, Cupboards, Key Holders, Book shelves. You name he has it or he can create it for you.
Shanmugham's is an interesting story. He initially took up hard ware business. but it sunk. Next he tried his hand at textile marketing but that too collapsed. During one of his business trips to Bangalore he chanced upon an Antique shop & there he discovered a passion that was to change his life forever.

Antique Shanmugham at his factory & workers
Wooden Pillars
Photo Frames for Tanjore painting
Another photo frame
Other creations
Low level Diwan & Mirror Frame
Door Frame
Wooden Pillars
Wooden Chests
Shanmugham has also converted his house into an antique musueum: See pics below:

Entrance Door Gate & Balcony
Side Balcony
Grandfather Clock & Puja(prayer) Corner
Drawing room corner

Thirupuvanam Temple

2011-12-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

Visited on 2 Sep'2011: After Lunch we took some rest and then left Madurai for Thiruppuvanam around 5.00 pm. We first crossed the Theppakulam at Madurai before moving on towards Thiruppuvanam - a Thevara Sthalam as also one of the Pandi Pathinaalu.The four Saivite saints have sung the glory of Poovana Nathar, deity of Tiruppuvanam temple, located 20 km east of Madurai on the road to Manamadurai, on the southern bank of the river Vaigai.

Temple Legend: The place is connected with a legend narrated in the ``Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam." Ponnanaiyall, an ardent devotee of Lord Siva used to take bath in the river early in the morning, offer garlands and dance before the Lord daily. She spent all her earnings and wealth in feeding the devotees of the Lord. To test her, the Lord created in her mind the desire to carve out His idol in gold. Appearing before her as an ascetic (Siddhar) he claimed that He could turn any metal given to Him into gold. Promptly the girl handed over all the vessels in the house. The siddhar smeared holy ash on them and went away telling her that she would find them golden the next morning. So it happened and the girl turned over the collection to a goldsmith to make an idol. And what she saw was so enchanting that she pinched the deity's cheek leaving a permanent mark there. Her statue is found at the entrance of the temple along with those of the Siddhar, Chokkappa Nayak, the king who built many portions of the temple, his queen and his minister. The idol of Somaskandar, which bears the pinch mark on His cheek even now, is known as Ponnanaiyan and Azhagiyapiran. When Saint Gnanasambandar visited this place he was held up on the northern bank of the river. The Lord asked the celestial bull Nandi to stand a little aside to give him darshan. One therefore finds Nandi seated a little aside and not right in front of the sanctum sanctorum. On our return we stopped at a nice roadside Bakery that was selling oven fresh biscuits, cakes and other niceties. We picked up a whole lot of goodies before proceeding further.

Theppakulam - dry but green.Normally a water tank,presently serves as a playground.

The Entrance Tower to Tirupuvanam TempleThe Lord appearing as Siddhar or Ascetic
The Nayak King & his Queen paying obeisance to the LordPonnanaiyall the ardent devotee who had unflinching faith in the Lord

Roadside bakery -sales girl posing in the midst of goodiesView of Bakery from Highway

Madurai Meenakshi Temple - Kambathadi Mandapam

2011-12-03T07:43:00.001-08:00

Visited on 1 Sept 2011: This mandapam is located in the outer prakaram of the Sundareswarar Sannithi. This is called the kambhathadi mandapam. Here one can see an most amazing collection of most exquisite & ornate sculptures on granite pillars. I could capture many of these on my camera:( Had to take special permission from temple officials to be able to take photographs in an inner prakara)

The Nandi Mandapam
Veerabhadrar & Bhikshandanar Urdhvathandavar & Bhadrakali Chakra Dhanar Nandi the Celestial Bull facing Sri Sundareswarar sanctum Sri Kalasamharar Sri Natarajar & his consort Sivakami Kanyadanam -Sri Vishnu giving away the hand of the bride Meenakshi to Sri Sundareshwarar
Arjunan & Pasu Patastar Sri Sankara Narayanar and Sri Ardhanareeswarar Sri Gaja Samharar Ravana carrying Siva & Parvati on his shoulders Agni Veerabhadrar & Agora Veerabhadrar Sri Rishabha Rudrar & Sri Eka Pather Sri Nandi Mandapam directly facing the sanctum sanctorum

Avani Festival @ Madurai Meenakshi Temple

2011-11-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

2/9/2011: We visited the temple once again on the afternoon of the second. We were extremely fortunate that we accidentally chanced on the occasion of the Avani Festival - the Utsava Murthy's (Festival Idols) of the various deities ready to embark on a procession around the temple as part of the Avani Festival celebrations. See photos below:

1. A colorfully decorated cow with dholak 2.Silver elephant on palanquin 3.The Temple Elephant-colorfully attired 4.Goddess Meenakshi & Lord Sunderaswarar in Golden Palanquin 5.Goddess Meenakshi - magnificently attired 6.Lord Muruga atop his favorite vehicle - peacock 7.Lord Ganesha atop his vehicle - a rat 8.The procession begins: Led by the temple elephant followed by other vehicles.

Madurai Meenakshi Temple - Pudhu Mandapam

2011-11-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

Pudhu Mandapam is a shopping arcade and also has some glorious sculptures> Please enjoy the photo tour:

The Magnificent bull Nandi at Mandapam Entrance
Kanyadhanam of Goddess Minakshi by Sri Vishnu to Sundareswarar Ravana the ten headed king of Lanka Ravana carrying Mt.Kailas with Lord Siva & Goddess Parvati seated aloft Urdhva Thandavam - a fierce dance form by Natarajar Thadathagai -Goddess Minakshi was born with three breasts but the third breast vanished after her marriage Shoppers Paradise Shoppers Delight

Madurai Meenakshi Temple

2011-11-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

We were in Madurai on Ganesh Chathurthi Day(1-9-2011). We reached in the evening & checked into TTDC Hotels near Arasaradi - we were given a nice double deluxe A/c suite with an annexe @ Rs.1250/-(which included a Sr,Citizens discount of Rs.350/-). After getting refreshed we went straightaway to the Madurai Meenakshi Temple:( Please log onto www.sankriti.blogspot.com/2008/10/madurai-meenakshi-temple.html for the earlier post of 2008).
In the outer prakaram of the Meenakshi sanctum we captured photographs of the King Thirumalai Naicker and his consorts who were associated significantly with the construction of the temple during the 17th Century.We noticed that the Lotus Pond was completely dry - but nevertheless looked so majestic in the fading light of the evening. The Vibhuti Pillayar continued to draw generous crowds - as per tradition, devotees picked up Vibhuti from the trough and showered the Pillayar with it.Since the day was Ganesh Chathurthi, a day of celebration for Lord Ganesha we noticed that the Mukkuruni Pillayar was adorned with Silver Kavacham (covering) apart from other adornments including plenty of flowers and garlands - it was truly magnificent to behold.(He got his name because a gigantic modhakam is given as an offering to him on the Vinaayakar Chathurthi Festival.This modakam is made with 3 kurunis of rice.A kuruni is a type of measure. It is equivalent to 4 padis. Mukkuruni is 3 X 4 = 12 padis of rice.12 measures of rice are taken and cleaned well with water. Then it is soaked. It is then pounded in a 'ural' - mortar. The flour is mixed with gram, coconut, cane sugar, salt, cardamom, etc. It is then moulded and wrapped in a cloth and made into a bundle. It is then steamed in a giant 'kopparai' - steamer which was made especially for this purpose. When appropriately cooked, it becomes a gigantic 'Modakam'.)
We paused for a few minutes at the Rajatha Sabhai - to admire the lareg dancing figure of Nataraja in Silver Kavacham. At the sanctum sanctorum of Sundareswarar we revisited the Astha Dik Gaja mandapam - a remarkable sight of eight elephants carved in stone around the sanctum - 2 elephants in each direction. Outside the sanctum is the Kambathadi Mandapam - which has the Nandi, the Dwaja sthambam and an array of magnificent stone sculptures.
At the Kili Mandapam we found devotees rubbing sandalwood on a large cylindrical stone to produce sandal paste - an old tradition that has been revived at this temple.We also noticed magnificent sculptures of the Mahabharatha heroes - the Pancha Pandavas ie.Dharma, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula & Sahadeva.
We found nice beautiful and bright frescoes depicting temple legends on the walls adjacent to the Lotus pond.We also visited another Mandapam near Adi Veethi which had some amazing sculptures - see pics below:

Mom's & Kid's Exhibition

2011-11-14T07:03:00.001-08:00

We recently visited an exhibition at Coimbatore. Here are some interesting pictures taken there !

Brooms
Combs
Mini Massagers
Pictures
Toys Watches Pickles Seeds Kids Insect Repellant Kids Play Pen Ecalyptus Oil Goltheria
Ice Cream Cones Cotton Candy Appalams Chairs DVD's. King Kong

A Kerala Village

2011-11-07T02:35:00.000-08:00

Kalpathi is a small village located in Palakkad District of Kerala. It is around 50 Kms drive from Coimbatore.We visited this village on Sunday 6th November'11. The village was getting readied for the annual chariot festival to be held later this month. I reproduce below some photographs taken during the visit:

1.The small chariot above will be used for transportation Lord Muruga

2 & 3: This chariot being readied is for Lord Ganesha

4 & 5: The biggest chariot is reserved always for Lord Siva & his consort Goddess Parvathi

Generally during the Chariot Festival big crowds gather in Kalpathy for the festivities which last for around one week. It has become so famous now that that large groups of tourists from India and abroad also visit during this time.
Pictures below are of the Kalpathy River which is in spate after the heavy rains in recent weeks. Rain in the month of Aipasi (in Tamil) or Thulam (in Malayalam) is known as "Thula Varsham"
I already have an earlier post on Kalpathy Heritage Village. Please log onto: http://sankriti.blogspot.com/2009/07/kalpathy-heritage-village.html

Saradambal Temple Coimbatore - Golden Chariot Festival

2011-11-01T08:15:00.001-07:00

Navaratri Festival:(Sept'28-Oct'05): During the Navatri Festival the Rathotsavam or Chariot festival happens every evening on all 9 days. The Saradambal Temple in Coimbatore was established under the auspices if the Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri (Karnataka). The Peetham is the first and foremost of the four Peethams established by the renowned 8th century Hindu philosopher & saint Sri Adi Shankara, the principal exponent of Advaita (non-dualism). The Divinity of Knowledge, Goddess Sharada, installed at Sringeri by Sri Adi Shankara, graces the Peetham as the presiding deity.

See pics taken at Coimbatore Saradambal Temple during Navaratri festival :
1.Sri Saradambal in her sanctum sanctorum seated regally in her Golden Throne ( You can see both the Moolavar or fixed idol & the Utsavar festival idol)
2&3.The Golden Chariot in which The Goddess will be taken around
4.The Utsavar Idol being brought out by the temple priests.
5&6.The Goddess seated in her throne in the Golden Chariot
7.The procession begins - the chariot is being pulled by devotees
8.The goddess Queen is being fanned by priests
9.After being taken around the sanctum three times, the goddess returns to her sanctum

My Grand Daughter Mira

2011-10-21T04:23:00.000-07:00

My daughter Bhavana & her daughter Mira are on an annual vacation to India: I present below some of the images captured of Mira in various moods :

Chandi Homam at Sri Saradambal Temple

2011-10-21T03:41:00.000-07:00

Chandi Homam is a religious ritual performed by Hindus to invoke the blessings of Goddess Durga or Goddess Chandi. It begins with the Karta (devotee) invoking Agni (God of fire) and inviting him to carry the dravya (offerings into the fire) to the deity. The Goddess, pleased with the offerings grants the wishes of the devotees in the form of benefits like longevity, success in business,removal of obstacles, good health, prosperity, progeny etc.The core of the ceremony involves chanting of Durga Sapthashati. These are 700 secret & powerful mantras in praise of Goddess Durga in which she defeats various demons. With the recitation of each verse offerings are made in the sacrificial fire invoking the the goddess. In Chandi Homa Goddess Durga is considered to be a young Kanya girl, so while performing this homam girl children are worshipped and offered gifts.
During the recently concluded Navaratri Celebrations at Coimbatore I happened to participate in the Chandi Homam at the Sri Saradambal Temple - both as a devotee as well as a cameraman. I present below the series of pics of the homam:

Laksharchanai at Sri Saradambal Temple Coimbatore

2011-10-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

Laksharchani was performed at the Shri Sharadambal Temple at Coimbatore during the first three days of the Navaratri. This was chanted by the temple priests as well as students of the Veda Patashala. The Laksharchanai or 100,000 times chanting of the name of Goddess Saradambal was completed over a period of three days. Generous quantities of Kumkumam (Vermilliom) was used during the ceremony. Some pics are given below:
1-3: Laksharchanai chanting
4: Sanctum of Shri Saradamabl
5:Young students of the Veda Parasala

The Madisar or Nine Yards Saree

2011-10-06T02:35:00.000-07:00

The nine yard sari or "madisar" is traditional dress for South Indian women. A few decades ago this was a standard wear for all married women. Now a days nine yards saree is worn only on special occasions like weddings, death ceremonies, religious functions and festivals like Diwali.
A Tamil Brahmin girl customarily wears Red Koorai (9 yards silk saree) for the first time during her marriage -with the help of her sister in law just before the Kanya Dhanam( or the father giving away the bride.)
The madisar is complex to tie and even more complex to maintain due to its length.These factors have contributed to the madisar's steep decline in recent times. See below a recent picture of ladies wearing madisars at a religious function.

Rameswaram - Ramanathaswamy temple

2011-10-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

18-9-2011: After bathing at the 22 Teertams we went back to the hotel for bath and a change to dry clothes. We returned again to the Temple for darsan of the presiding deity and other important Sannathis. This a very significant Thevara Sthalam (considered 8th of the Thevara Sthalams in the Pandyanadu) where the holy saints Appar and Sambandhar have sung praises of the Lord. While the presiding deity is Ramanathaswamy the Ambal or consort is known as Malaivalarkaadali ot Parvathavardini. There is another shrine for Viswanathar-the Shivalingam brought by Hanuman from Kasi - also known as Kasilingam and Hanumanlingam.This temple spread over an area of 15 acres has lofty gopurams,massive walls and a colossal Nandi.It also boasts of a 4000 feet long pillared corridor presumably the longest in the world.What is unique is that the rock is not indigenous to the island and has been brought from elsewhere in Tamilnadu. Some spectacular pics of the famed corridors are presented below:

Rameswaram Teertha Yatra - 22 Holy Teerthams

2011-10-02T03:25:00.000-07:00

18-9-2011: After the holy dip in the sea we proceeded towards the Eastern Vimanam of the Temple. It is customary for devotees to visit all the 22 Holy teerthams located within the temple precincts and bathe in the water. Accordingly we bought tickets for the Teertam Yatra and we garnered a young student to accompany us with a rope & bucket to draw the water from the Teerthams (wells) and pour water over our heads. The names of the 22 Teerthams where we bathed are: Mahalakshimi,Savithiri, Gayatri,Saraswathi,Sethumadhava, Gandhamadana, Kavatcha,Gavaya,Nala,Neela,Sanku,Sakkara,Brahmahathi Vimochana,Soorya, Chandra, Ganga, Yamuna,Gaya,Siva,Sadyamirtha,Sarva & Kodi Teertams. These waters are said to possess medicinal qualities.
Pics below tell their own story:

Rameshwaram Theertha Yatra - part 1

2011-10-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

18-9-2011: I have never visited Rameswaram and have pondering over this for several months now - but always postponed travel owing to lack of a convenient transport from Coimbatore to Rameswaram. My prayers were answered when the Railways suddenly introduced a direct overnight train on this route couple of months ago. So we hastily planned and booked our tickets and took the train leaving Cbe on 17th night. The train stopped briefly at Mandapam then crossed over the Pamban Bridge built over the Bay of Bengal. This is the 2nd longest sea bridge in India at a length of 2.3 Kms (after Bandra Worli sea link). We reached Rameswaram early on 18th around 7.00 am took a ricksaw and checked into a decent hotel room located near the temple.
The temple island of Rameswaram has acquired this name because Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva here on return from Sri Lanka. According to legend, after killing Ravana, Rama returned with his consort Seetha to India first stepping on the shores of Rameswaram. To expiate the `Brahmahathi Dosha' of killing a brahmin Lord Rama wanted to offer worship to Lord Shiva. Since there was no shrine on the island he had dispatched Sri Hanuman to Benares to bring an image of Viswanathar. Anticipating delay in Hanuman's return Rama offered worship to a Shiva lingam fashioned out of sand by Sita. This lingam is called Ramalingam and thus the place got the name of Rameswaram. The temple is one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham shrines that has to be visited in one's lifetime and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holy abodes of Lord Shiva.
As per tradition we first went and had a dip in the ocean located on the East side of the temple. The water was cool and refreshing and the dip was energizing.
See above & below photos of Pamban Bridge & sea dip:
1:View of Bay of Bengal
2&3: Pamban Road Bridge as seen from the train
4-6:Devotees having dip in the Bay of Bengal at the special bathing ghat
7&8:View of East side Vimanam as you enter after dip in the sea ......................to be continued

Thirukoshtiyur Sowmiya Narayana Perumal Temple

2011-09-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

4 September'2011: Thirukoshtiyur Sowmiya Narayana Perumal Temple is an ancient shrine located about 10 km from Thiruppathur in Sivagangai District TamilNadu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu,revered by the Tamil hymns of Alwars. Since, all the Rishis and Devas along with Sriman Narayanan and Lord Brahma met at this place and discussed the killing of the demon Hirayanyan, this Place is called as "Goshtiyoor". The temple enshrines Sowmiya Narayana Perumal as the presiding deity along with his divine consort Thirumagal Nachiyar. The temple has a Santhana Krishnan idol in the main sanctum sanctorum. Thirukoshtiyur Sowmya Narayana Perumal Temple is considered as the southern Badrinath. The Vimana in this temple is Ashtanga and it rises to a height of 96 ft. Most noteworthy feature of the shrine is that the deity can be found in all three postures -standing, sitting and sleeping. In Ground floor as Krishna in dancing posture – depicting Bhoolagam. Next level he is Sayana Thirukolam a posture resting on Adhisesha – depicting Devalogam. Directly above this the Lord is in Iruntha Kolam - depicting Indrakola. And top most level in standing posture as Sri Sowmya Narayana Perumal – depicting Vaikundam. There exist an important relationship between Sri Ramanuja and Thirukoshtiyur. Saint Ramanuja was advised by Thirukachi Nambigal to visit Thirukoshtiyur and learn the ' sacred 8 letter hymn ', Astachara manthra from Thirukoshtiyur Nambigal (i.e. thirukoshtiyur sage). Accordingly Ramanunja travelled 18 times all the way from Srirangam to Thirukoshtiyur. 17 times Ramanuja tried to meet the Nambigal refused to see him. 18th time when Ramanuja arived and knocked the doors of Nambigal ashram saying "Adiyen Sri Ramanujan vanthurukiran..!" ( which means "beloved student Sri Ramanuja here!!") on which he was allowed to enter. Thirukoshtiyur Nambigal blessed Ramanuja with the 'sacred 8 letter hymn' Astachara manthram ("Ohm Namo Narayanaya!!") and warned not to preach to anyone if so u will reside to hell!!. Ramanuja rushed to the top of temple, summoned the whole village and delivered the Ashtachara Manthram. This act angered nambigal and he questioned Ramanuja who replied - "Its my great fortune in showing the path and guiding people to heaven, I'm glad in going to hell for the act.." these words affected Nambigal to extent he just prostrated towards Ramanuja. It is said the event happened in front of Sri Lakshmi Narasimar Swami Sannathi, towards the Sowmya Narayana Perumal sannathi, third stage. We can climb through stairs of temple shrine and reach the top most layer from which Ramanuja preached the sacred words. We can have a full view of whole of Thirukoshtiyur. Ashtanga Vimanam:This kind of Vimanam is very rare - Ashta means Eight and 8 Vimanams are found on 4 sides (2 each) of the temple. For pics log onto: http://www.thirukoshtiyur.ramanujartemples.net/pg.htm

Pillayarpatti Vinayagar Temple

2011-09-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

4 Sep'2011: Our next destination - Pillayarpatti is situated between Pudukkottai and Karaikudi.The rock cut Karpaka Vinayakar Shrine at Pillayarpatti near Karaikkudi at one of the oldest Cave Temples temples of Tamilnadu. The town of Pillaiyarpatti is named after 'Pillayar' - the tamil name for Ganesha, and this ancient temple houses rock cut images of Shiva,Lingodbhavar and several other shrines.Karpaka Vinayakar is the presiding deity here, and he is portrayed with two arms and a trunk curled towards his right in the valampuri mode. This 6 feet tall mammoth image of Ganesha is a bas relief in an excavated cave, off of a hill in the precincts of the temple. Tiruveesar is a Shiva Lingam carved in a similar manner.The Pillayarpatti Nagarathar community which has been traditionally involved with the temple - patronizing the maintenance and the scrupulous conduct of worship services. There was huge security around the temple that day-we later came to know that Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram was due at Pillayarpatti to open a new IOB Branch there that day. Due to restrictions in photography I could only manage a few pics...

Kunrakudi Shanmughar Temple

2011-09-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

4 Sep 2011: We left Devakottai around 8.00 am after typical breakfast of idli/vada/dosa & coffee crossed Karaikudi and reached Kunrakudi Murugan Temple around 9.00 am. The temple sanctum is atop a hill and we had to climb a long flight of steps to reach there. Pics of the visit are presented below:

Chettiar Bungalow at Athangudi

2011-09-22T06:06:00.001-07:00

The Magic of Athangudi Tiles

2011-09-21T03:58:00.000-07:00

3 Sep'2011:Athangudi is a small village in Sivaganga District with a big reputation. Athangudi tiles, named after the place of manufacture in Chettinad, Tamil Nadu, come in myriad colors and patterns and are made by a unique process using local soil. These tiles are a testimony to the rich cultural heritage of the Chettiar community, who effectively adapted many influences to their own brand of local craftsmanship. The designs and colors used in Athangudi Tiles are still those of a bygone era. However, off late new designs and patters are being incorporated.The artisans say the charisma of these tiles is due to the sand, which is of just the right composition.
We visited one such manufacturer in Athangudi and witnessed the manufacture of these hand made tiles. The series of pictures presented below tell their own fascinating story:
1.Colors being applied on template design on mould
2.The design
3.Sand being applied
4.Cement being plastered on mould
5.Curing in a large water tank
6.Baking in the sunlight
7-9: Creation of Manual designs
10-12: Designs created manually
13-17: Designs created with template

Devakottai - Swarnavalli Vilas

2011-09-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

3 Sep'2011: From Kalayiarkoil we left for Thiruvadanai Temple but by the time we reached the priest was leaving and the temple doors were closing. Looks we we spent a lot more time at Kalayiarkoil than we intended.
So we motored on to Devakottai and reached Swarnavalli Vilas where Venkat's father & Athai live. ( Venkat is a well known Chennai based writer & a friend). This is Venkat's ancestral house and he had kindly arranged for our stay there.The hospitality at Swarnavalli Vilas was exemplary and both of them turned out to be outstanding and extremely caring hosts. We enjoyed authentic home cooked chettinad cuisine prepared under the expert stewardship of Venkat's Athai. Venkats family members are trustees of the Kalayiarkoil Temple. Venkat's father Subbiah Ramakrishnan is involved in a social venture called The Devakottai Initiative - through which he raises funds for higher education for girls in Devakottai. He is also a publisher and runs the Avenue Press at Chennai. He divides his time between Chennai & Devakottai.
Regarding the house it was constructed over a 100 years ago. The high ceilings with wooden beams, open central courtyard and the athangudi tiles with mesmerizing designs represent a typical charming old world Chettinad bungalow. Here are some pics of our short but sweet & memorable stay:
1.Swarnavalli Vilas - view from outside
2.Entrance foyer with large circular pillars with athangudi tiled floor
3.Shobha with the gracious hosts
4.Sitting room for guests with athangudi tiles
5 & 6: Nadu Mittham
7.Family meeting room
8.Drawing room
9-11: Lakshmi Nivas - another ancestral house nearby.

Kalayiarkovil Temple

2011-09-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

3 Sep'2011: We checked out of the TTDC hotel room and went straight to Meenakshi Bhavan(College House) for breakfast of Idli/vada & coffee. Then we left for Kalayiarkovil in Sivaganga distyrict - a 2 hour drive from Madurai - 66 Km South- East of Madurai. “ Kalayiarkoil” derived its name from the Kaleeswarar temple. Kalaiyarkoil was the seat of the kings from very early days. King Vengai Marban ruled over this area during Sangam period. It was the strong hold of rulers of Sivangangai. It was also the seat of the freedom fighters like Muthu Vaduga Natha Thevar and Maruthu brothers. The invading English forces plundered Kalaiarkovil and collected jewels worth 50,000 pagodas. The temple was kept locked and prayers stopped for some time. It was later re opened and substantial repairs and development were done by Devakottai Zamindar. Today this day Devakottai Zamindars continue to be the temple trustees and carry on the family tradition started by their forefathers by conducting the daily temple rituals & pujas.
A lofty Rajagopuram (150 feet) and an imposing Teppakkulam tank (with a mandapam) adorn this shrine. Airavatam the elephant of Indra is said to have created this tank. There are three shrines in this temple associated with the three functions of creation, preservation and completion. The presiding deity lord Shiva is called as Kaaleeswarar, Someswarar, Sundareswarar and the Ambal his consort Parvathy is called as Swarnambikai, Soundara Nayagi, Meenakshi. Stone inscriptions from the periods of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandian I, Jadavarma Sundara Pandian II, Veerapandian and Vanaathirayan are found in this temple.
This is indeed a unique temple with magnificent structures and superb sculptures: We were taken on a personal guided tour by a temple official and were therefore accorded the highest honors by the solitary temple priest who personally accompanied us to all the important sanctums. At the Swarnambigai Sannadhi he opened the Palli Arai for our viewing - it was truly a beautiful sight. Here are some memorable pics taken at the temple:
1.Swarna Kaleeswara & Someshwarar Gopurams
2.dwaja Sthambam at Swarna Kaleeswara Sannithi
3.100 pillar mandapam enroute to Ambal Sannithi
4.Dwaja Sthambam at Ambal Sannithi
5 & 6: Intricate sculptures
7.Chinna Marudu, Peria Marudu & Kizhavan Sethupati
8.Devakottao Zamindar sculpture- 1887
9.Devakottai Zamindars - Venkats forefathers
10&11.Theppakulam views
12-14: Temple elephant Swarnavalli & geese specially reared to keep away snakes from Swarnavalli

Madurai Meenakshi - Pudhu Mandapam

2011-09-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

Pudhu Mandapam is a shopping arcade and also has some glorious sculptures> Please enjoy the photo tour:

The Magnificent Nandi
Kanyadhanam of Goddess Minakshi by Sri Vishnu to Sundareswarar Ravana the ten headed king of Lanka Ravana carrying Mt.Kailas with Lord Siva & Goddess Parvati seated aloft Urdhva Thandavam - a dance form by Nataraja Thadathagai - a form of Minakshi before her wedding Shoppers Paradise

Madurai - Thirupuvanam & Thiruvedagam

2011-09-19T03:32:00.000-07:00

2 Sep'2011: After Lunch we took some rest and then left for Thiruppuvanam around 5.00 pm. We first crossed the Theppakulam at Madurai before moving on towards Thiruppuvanam - a thevara sthalam as as one of the Pandi Pathinaalu.The four Saivite saints have sung the glory of Poovana Nathar, deity of Tiruppuvanam temple, located 20 km east of Madurai on the road to Manamadurai, on the southern bank of the Vaigai.The place is connected with an legend narrated in the ``Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam." Ponnanaiyall, an ardent devotee of Lord Siva used to take bath in the river early in the morning, offer garlands and dance before the Lord daily. She spent all her earnings and wealth in feeding the devotees of the Lord. To test her, the Lord created in her mind the desire to carve out His idol in gold. Appearing before her as an ascetic (Siddhar) he claimed that He could turn any metal given to Him into gold. Promptly the girl handed over all the vessels in the house. The siddhar smeared holy ash on them and went away telling her that she would find them golden the next morning. So it happened and the girl turned over the collection to a goldsmith to make an idol. And what she saw was so enchanting that she pinched the deity's cheek leaving a permanent mark there. Her statue is found at the entrance of the temple along with those of the Siddhar, Chokkappa Nayak, the king who built many portions of the temple, his queen and his minister. The idol of Somaskandar, which bears the pinch mark on His cheek even now, is known as Ponnanaiyan and Azhagiyapiran. When Gnanasambandar visited this place he was held up on the northern bank of the river. The Lord asked Nandi to stand a little aside to give him darshan. One therefore finds Nandi seated a little aside and not right in front of the sanctum sanctorum. On our return we stopped at a nice roadside Bakery that was selling oven fresh biscuits, cakes and other niceties. We picked up a whole lot of goodies before proceeding further.
1.Theppakulam - dry but green.Presently serves as a playground.
2.The entrance gopuram
3.Lord appearing as Siddar
4.The Naayak King paying obeisance to the Lord
5.Ponnanaiyall the ardent devotee
6 & 7: Pics of & in the bakery.
Our next destination was Thiruvedagam Temple located on the Madurai - Sholavanadam bus route on the banks of the river Vaigai. This is another thevara sthalam as as one more of the Pandi Pathinaalu. Presiding deity is Edaganatheswarar & his consort is Elavaarkuzhali Maadeviyambikai. This is a famous historical place where the palm-leaf manuscript of Saivite Saint Thirunavakkarasar is believed to have washed ashore floating against the currents of vaigai river (upstream). In the Sekkilar's Periyapuranam, this event is described in detail.

Madurai - Thirumogur

2011-09-19T02:22:00.000-07:00

2 Sep'2011: This temple is around 8 Kms from Madurai. The temple has sanctums for: Kalamegha Perumal(presiding deity) , His consort Mohanavalli thayar (Meghavalli, Moghurvalli), Aandal, Garuda, Krishna, Alwars & Hanuman. The pushkarni is called Ksheerapthi Pushkarni while the vimanam is Ketaki vimanam. This temple is among one of the Pandiyanaatu Divya desams of Sri Vaishnavas. The Moolavar is Kal
aamegha Perumal in nindra thirukolam or standing posture. The Utsavar is Thirumogur Aapthan.The specialty of the temple is the presence of Chakratalwar with 16 hands and each hand holding a different weapon. There is Lord Narasimha behind Chakratalwar with shanku chakra.
This temple is also known as Mohanakshetram. It got its name as Moghur due to the Mohini avatharam taken by Lord Vishnu to ensure that the devas got the amrutham ( that came out of the churning of the ocean) rather than the asuras so that the devas get back the lost power. It is believed that a drop of amrutham fell into the temple tank.
After visit to temple it was nearing 1.00 O'clock - hence we returned to Madurai city for lunch. We went to Shri Ram mess (located in Kaka Thoppu Street near the Meenakshi Temple) for a nice South Indian meal served on plaintain leaf. It was fairly sumptuous. The rasam was piping hot with superb flavor.Here are some photos of the temple & the mess:
1.The temple outer prakaram with the entrance gopurams in backdrop.
2.The Temple Vimanam
3.Ksheerapthi Pushkarni
4.Lunch South style
5.Excellent service

Madurai - Azhagarkoil

2011-09-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

2 Sep'2011: Azhagarkoil is located 21 Kms from Madurai - A Vishnu Temple at the foot of a range of hills called Alagarmalai. Here Vishnu is known as Meenakshi's brother Azhagar(the beautiful one). The Main tower entrance (Mukya Gopuram) always remains closed, with the shrine of Karupanna Swami. The very closed door itself is worshipped as Patinettam padi or 18 steps. There are various legends associated with this. Only once a year, the door is opened and Sudarshana Chakra(Or ChakrathAlvar as the temple devotees mention), the famous Vishnu's wheel, passes over through the open door. This is a centuries old practice. The style of the architectuer denotes, 3rd or early 4th Century construction.
The main deity is called Paramaswamy and the utsavar is known as Azhagar & also Sundararajar. There are also shrines for Kalyana Sundaravalli, Chakrathalwar & Andal.
On top of this hill is Pazhamudirsolai subrahmanyar temple, one of the 6 Murugan shrines known as Arupadai Veedu. This is a contemporary temple built about 50 years ago. A small spring known as Noopura Gangai runs near this temple. The waters of this mountain spring are considered sacred and devotees normally have a bath here.
Here are some pics taken during the trip: 1.The main Gopuram at Azhagarkoil from outside
2.The main gopuram as seen from inside
3.The Vimananam and main mandapam in front of the sanctum
4. Enroute to Chakrathalwar Mandapam
5.Monkeys atop a jeep 6.The Temple Chariot used during festival time - when the presiding deity is taken the temple town pulled by thick ropes.

Madurai - Thiru Appanoor

2011-09-15T02:54:00.001-07:00

2 Sep'2011: This temple lies in the shadow of Meenakshi Sunderaswarar temple in Madurai city.. The name 'Aappudaiyaar' comes from the word 'Aappu' - a wedge that was worshipped as a Shivalingam by a Pandya ruler solandhagan because, he cant cross the flooded river vaigai to reach the meenakshi amman temple on the other side. That 'Aappu' is said to have transformed miraculously into a Shivalingam. Shiva is also believed to have miraculously caused sand of the river to turn into rice during the time of an unbearable famine, hence he got the other name Anna Lingeswarar.The temple is initially constructed by the Pandya rulers and further developed by Nayakars.The presiding deity lord shiva is called as Aappudaiyar, Rishabeswarar and the female deity his consort is known as Kuravankamazhum Kuzhalammai, Sugandha Kudalambal. A shrine to Subramanyar is situated between the shrines of Siva and Ambal. Thus the temple is said to be in Somaskanda type.
We found some fascinating sculptures on pillars located outside the Natarajar-Sivakami mandapam. These are presented below:

Madurai - Tiruparankundran Murugan Temple

2011-09-11T03:18:00.000-07:00

2 Sep 2011: We reached this temple(around 12 Kms from Madurai) quite early in the morning around 5.00 am. There was no crowd and we were among the first ones to reach the sanctum. We were immediately followed by a large marriage group. This temple was built by Pandayan King in the 8th century. The innermost shrine is cut out of a solid rock. This is considered as the first of the six abodes of Lord Muruga,Apart from Lord Subramanya(Muruga), there are also separate shrines for Lord Shiva, Lord Vinayaka, Goddess Durga, Lord Vishnu and other deities.It is believed that the marriage of Lord Subrahmanya with Devasena, the daughter of Lord Indra, took place here only. Therefore, this temple is regarded as an auspicious place for marriages,

Madurai -Koodal Azhagar Temple

2011-09-11T02:24:00.000-07:00

1 Sep'2011: This temple also known as "Thirukoodal" is located near the Madurai Meenakshi Temple. This is one the 108 Divyadesams celebrated by Vaishnavites. Perialwar has sung praises of the Lord Azhagar here. The Deity can be seen in three different forms:
In the lower portion of the temple, the lord appears as “Viyooga soundararajan” in sitting posture called veetriruntha thirukolam under Aadhiseshan. In the second portion the lord is in sleeping posture and known as Andhara Vaanathu Empiraan.In the final portion the lord appears as Sooriya Narayanan in nindra tirukolam or standing posture. There are three different sanctums one above the other.
Koodal is another name for Madurai. It also means "meeting point" - Madurai is a place where all gods and goddesses, devas and saints had congregated to witness the wedding of Madurai Meenakshi with Lord Sunderaswarar. This temple is unique in the sense that this is the only Divya Desam among the 108 to have Navagrahas Sannithi located in the Temple.
The LOrd here is known as Koodal Azhagar(Azhagar means the beautiful one) and his consort or Thayar as Maduravalli Thayar ( also known as varagunavalli, maragadha valli and vagulavalli)
We also visited sub sanctums of Chakrathalwar, Lakshmi Narasimhar & Andal.
After this visit we were quite hungry and went to a nearby cafe 'Murugan Idly' for tiffin. It was a small but neat place and the food was good - we were served piping hot idli's followed by delicious onion uthappam's. The cafe also served Jil Jil (cool cool) Jigarthadna - a special beverage that has its origins in Madurai. In Hindi it means Cold Heart. Please log onto website for details and recipe for jigarthanda: http://sukanya-keralaiyer.blogspot.com/2007/05/jigar-thanda.html

Madurai Meenakshi -Ashta Sakthi Mandapam

2011-09-06T03:49:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of the Astha Sakthi Mandapam. Each of the eight saktis ( representing female consorts of different Gods) is elegantly and skilfully sculpted.
1.Kaumari2.Rowthri3.Vaishnavi4.Mahalakshmi5.Manonmani6.Maheswari7.Shyamala & Yagyaroopini 9.Other Sculptures:

Avani Festival @ Madurai Meenakshi Temple

2011-09-06T03:16:00.000-07:00

Madurai Meenakshi Revisited

2011-09-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

1/9/11 : We were in Madurai on Ganesh Chathurthi Day.We reached in the evening & checked into TTDC Hotels near Arasaradi - we were given a nice double deluxe A/c suite with an annexe @ Rs.1250/-(which included a Sr,Citizens discount of Rs.350/-). After getting refreshed we went straightaway to the Madurai Meenakshi Temple:( Please log onto www.sankriti.blogspot.com/2008/10/madurai-meenakshi-temple.html for the earlier post of 2008).
In the outer prakaram of the Meenakshi sanctum we captured photographs of the King Thirumalai Naicker and his consorts who were associated significantly with the construction of the temple during the 17th Century.We noticed that the Lotus Pond was completely dry - but nevertheless looked so majestic in the fading light of the evening. The Vibhuti Pillayar continued to draw generous crowds - as per tradition, devotees picked up Vibhuti from the trough and showered the Pillayar with it.Since the day was Ganesh Chathurthi, a day of celebration for Lord Ganesha we noticed that the Mukkuruni Pillayar was adorned with Silver Kavacham (covering) apart from other adornments including plenty of flowers and garlands - it was truly magnificent to behold.(He got his name because a gigantic modhakam is given as an offering to him on the Vinaayakar Chathurthi Festival.This modakam is made with 3 kurunis of rice.A kuruni is a type of measure. It is equivalent to 4 padis. Mukkuruni is 3 X 4 = 12 padis of rice.12 measures of rice are taken and cleaned well with water. Then it is soaked. It is then pounded in a 'ural' - mortar. The flour is mixed with gram, coconut, cane sugar, salt, cardamom, etc. It is then moulded and wrapped in a cloth and made into a bundle. It is then steamed in a giant 'kopparai' - steamer which was made especially for this purpose. When appropriately cooked, it becomes a gigantic 'Modakam'.)
We paused for a few minutes at the Rajatha Sabhai - to admire the lareg dancing figure of Nataraja in Silver Kavacham. At the sanctum sanctorum of Sundareswarar we revisited the Astha Dik Gaja mandapam - a remarkable sight of eight elephants carved in stone around the sanctum - 2 elephants in each direction. Outside the sanctum is the Kambathadi Mandapam - which has the Nandi, the Dwaja sthambam and an array of magnificent stone sculptures.
At the Kili Mandapam we found devotees rubbing sandalwood on a large cylindrical stone to produce sandal paste - an old tradition that has been revived at this temple.We also noticed magnificent sculptures of the Mahabharatha heroes - the Pancha Pandavas ie.Dharma, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula & Sahadeva.
We found nice beautiful and bright frescoes depicting temple legends on the walls adjacent to the Lotus pond.We also visited another Mandapam near Adi Veethi which had some amazing sculptures - see pics below:

Windmills of Udumalpet

2011-08-25T00:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was driving from Coimbatore to Udumalpet via Pollachi(in the state of Tamilnadu which is one of the prominent Southern States in India). It was amazing to see the large number of Windmill Turbines on the Pollachi Udumalpet belt - imposing structures with huge fan blades harnessing the massive windpower into electricity.At present, around 2,200 wind turbines with a capacity of 850 MW are operational in the region and installation of about 200 turbines is progressing.
The capacity of turbines ranges from 225 KV(electricity generated in an hour) to 1,650 KV and they need six acres of land depending on their size. According to a rough estimate, if the wind is good, a 1,650 KV turbine generates 54 lakh units of power a year.The State Electricity Board buys a unit of electricity at Rs. 2.70. Here are some pics for you: They are indeed the Windmills of the Gods !

Parambikulam Wild life Sanctuary - Part 2

2011-07-14T04:21:00.000-07:00

Here are the balance pictures taken at Parambikulam Wild Life Sanctuary:
1. Thunakadavu Dam View taken from an elevation enroute to Parambikulam Dam
2.A blissful shot of yours faithfully & Shobha my better half
3,4,5,6: Pics taken at Parambikulam Dam
7,8 :Refreshment Zone: Tea Stalls carry exotic names like Maruthu, Chandanam, Thekku, Veetti, Veppu etc ( all local names of trees)
9,10 : Parambikulam Area
11. Another group of deer grazing
12. Checkpost at Sanctuary exit
13. Bamboo Grove at Top Slip
14. Archway enroute from Top Slip to Pollachi on return trip.

Parambikulam Wild life Sanctuary - Part 1

2011-06-18T01:47:00.000-07:00

12 June 2011: This happened to be our 36th wedding Anniversary Day ! We planned to do something unique - instead of the customary celebration at home or going to a nice restaurant. We decided to take a day trip to the Parambikulam wild life sanctuary. We left Coimbatore around 7.00 am. We reached Pollachi around 8.15 am then turned towards Trichur Road and motored another 40 Kms via Zamin Uthukuli (famous for butter) & Vettaikaranpudur, to reach the foothills of the Anamalai mountain Range. At the checkpost at the foothills we had to back entry tickets for Top Slip- From thereon it was an 8 Km ghat road ( this road was mostly kuccha) with several hair pin bends. The last few Kms of the climb there were thick bamboo groves on either side of the road - see pic below.

See above some shots taken at Top Slip.
From there we traveled another 3 Kms to the Kerala Border where the Parambikulam Sanctuary begins. We had to wait for about one hour at the Forest Office. At 11.00 am we boarded a special bus which was to take us through a 3 hour drive through the Sanctuary. This was one of the most exciting, exotic & scintillating trips we have ever undertaken.Pics above: 1. Checkpost/Forest Office 2. Waiting for the Bus 3. Bus enters the Sanctuary - Tour begins. Almost immediately after we took off we found spotted deer (see pic below)We also sighted a black bear but from a distance. Then we reached the Thunakadavu Dam & reservoir where we had a brief stopover. Pics below were taken at this spot. Magnificent Views !
Next we proceeded through dense forest area. Our route was lined with teak plantations - we came across more deer groups. We saw a couple of stags with large antlers indulging in a stag fight. We were taken to the Kannimara Teak Tree - believed to be over 450 years old, the largest living teak tree in the world with a girth of 6.57 metres and a height of 48.5 metres. Kanni - Mara means virgin tree. According to an old tribal legend when this tree was axed blood oozed out - since then it has been worshiped as a sacred virgin tree. A truly magnificent specimen.(See pics below) ---To be continued ( for official website log onto : www.parambikulam.org)

Kodanad View

2011-06-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

1 May 2011: This year May Day fell on a Sunday. We had not gone on a long drive for quite awhile and we took a spot decision to take a day trip to Kothagiri in the Nilgiris. Kothagiri, which is around80 kms. from Coimbatore is a small unpretentious town which has a salubrious climate. It forms a triangle with Ooty and Conoor. Situated at a altitude of 1750 metres it is one of the lesser frequented hill stations. Kothagiri derives its names from the Kota Tribes - who are the traditional artisans who are experts in the art of pottery & terracotta baking.

From Kothagiri we drove 18 Kms to Kodanad - it was a spectacular drive with through well manicured tea gardens. The Kodanad estate measuring around 20 acres is currently owned by J.Jayalalitha the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. Here are some of pics taken enroute to & at Kodanad. The four chaps in traditional attire are Irulavar tribals who actually live in the valley deep down. Many of these tribals have taken to snake catching for a living. These four though work on banana plantations.

Aranmula - A Quaint Kerala Village

2010-05-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

12 May 2010: Our next stop was at the Aranmula located at a distance of around 7 Kms from Chengannur. First we visited the Parthasarathy temple, located atop a hill, whose architecture is similar to the Chengannur Temple. It is situated on a sprawling campus with many trees and several sub shrines. We witnessed the Thulabharam (weighing a person on the temple scales against items like rice, bananas, sugar etc which are then given as offerring to the deity) of a 6 months baby and pics are enclosed.

Next we visited the Vastu Vidya Gurukulam where we had a morning appointment with the consultant design engineer. Vasthu sasthra is the branch of Veda which deals with traditional Indian way of environmental friendly construction adopting universal principles of creation. This is a combination of science engineering and spirituality. Vastu vidya came from, Sanskrit word Vas & Vidya. Vas means dwell and Vidya is knowledge is stated to spring from Sthapadya Veda the sub Veda of Atharvaveda. Traditional Kerala temple is an excellent example of Vasthu designing. This institution, under Department of Culture, offers consultancy services for Vastu Vidya and Mural painting (Traditional Kerala Temple painting). Enclosing herewith pics of the main office building of the Gurukulam.

Aranmula is situated on the banks of the river Pamba. We went to the local PWD Guest House, a quaint old building with nice rooms recently renovated. There is a full grown jackfruit tree with plenty of green prickly fruits hanging down. From there we had breathtaking view of the river(see pics below). Incidentally these are nice rooms where one can stay at a very nominal tariff @Rs.500/day :Vallam Kali means boat race in Malayalam which is the language of the State of Kerala. It is mainly conducted during the season of the harvest festival Onam in Autumn. Vallam Kali include races of many kinds of traditional boats (paddled longboat) of Kerala. The race of Chundan Vallam (snake boat) is the major event. Hence Vallam Kali is also known in English as Snake Boat Race and now in recent years has become a major tourist attraction. Typical snake boats are 100 to 120 feet long, and hold around 100 rowers. Each of the villages in the region has its own snake boat, which they take great pride in. The battling snake boats of Kerala have over 400 years of history associated with them.(Sorry no pics!)

Aranmula is also famous for its traditional metallic mirrors known as Aranmula Kannadi. It is made of copper tin alloy and the ratio is a closely guarded secret.This is a unique art & handed down from generation to generation. Presently only five families are involved in this art in Aranmula and these families hold a patent. We visited one such family and studied the process of manufacture of this unique and beautiful mirror. See pics below:

Chengannur Mahadeva Kshetram

2010-05-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

12 May 2010:
We made a day’s visit to Chengannur & Aranmula , two small but important towns in Kerala State. Our first stop was at Chengannur. It is 117 km north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on the banks of the Pamba River. The nearest towns are Pandalam on the south, Thiruvalla on the north, Mavelikkara on the west and Aranmula and Pathanamthitta on the east. It is also the nearest railway station to go to Sabarimalai.(Sabarimalai is the abode of Lord Ayyappa where lakhs of devotees flock every year for darsan after trekking barefoot for miles through jungles and rocky hills)

Chengannur is famous for its Shiva temple -“Chengannur Mahadeva Kshetram”, where thousands have darshan of Aaratu festival of Goddess Parvati or Devi.(The goddess is taken and immersed in the temple tank in a grand ceremony) As per Temple legends this is assumed to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. It is a sprawling temple complex with a circular Sanctum. Lord Shiva and Parvathi Devi are the main investitures of this temple. The vimanam of the main shrine is a conical copper plated structure similar to pagodas in Thailand. Devi’s main Idol is made with an alloy of five metals (Pancha-loham). The temple was constructed centuries back in accordance with an architectural design evolved by the famous Perunthachan.
Here are some photographs of the temple complex:

Heritage Resort in Kerala

2010-02-04T07:34:00.001-08:00

Here are some pics taken during an afternoon visit to Heritage Resort located in Kottayam District of Kerala - set in the backwaters of the Vembanad Lake. The Lake Village Heritage Resort is a lush green planet of shimmering lagoon, meandering canals, herbal gardens & whispering palms. Amongst this stands the traditional Kerala style cottages- alongside the backwaters giving you the feeling of being in a Kerala Houseboat. There is lush green lawn all around. the cottages interspersed with multi coloured varieties of flowers in bloom giving a riot of brightly hued colours in sparkling sunlight - predominant of these are hibiscus and "tecchhi".The Lake Village is an inspirational reproduction of bygone Kerala characterised by backwaters, boating, fishing & traditional fishing nets,wooden houses, garden bathrooms (open to sky). The Village also has facilities like the Mandapam-the culture centre, Ettukettu-the tradional cultural eatout, Nalukettu-the authentic Kerala restaurant, the Koothambalam, the Temple pool,The Banyan Island,the Dhanwantari-Ayurveda Centre. There are a number of fearless resident geese which live in the campus. I could get close enough to some to take some wonderful snaps.The buffet lunch was a veritable feast - a combination of North Indian & Kerala cuisines topped off with ice cream,choco sauce chocolate cake,badam halwa and semiya payasam. After the heavy meal I was tempted to enter one of the wooden cottages, bolt the door from inside and take a nice long nap. Alas that was not to be as I had a meeting set up with the company lawyer immediately thereafter.Here are some resplendent photographs for the connoiseur & nature lover. Good place to plan your next pleasure and leisure vacation !

Historical Sites near Chennai - Sangam Age Temple

2010-01-24T03:56:00.001-08:00

THE remains of an ancient brick temple, possibly 2,000 years old, have been discovered on the beach near Tiger Cave in Mamallapuram, 50 km from Chennai. According to archaeologists involved in the excavation, the temple; dedicated to Muruga, also known as Karthikeya, may date back to the late Tamil Sangam age, between 1st century B.C. and 2nd century A.D. An inscription in Tamil on a rock near the excavated site led to the discovery of the temple. The rock, lodged in sand, was exposed fully by the tsunami that struck Mammalapuram on December 26, 2004.

The original temple was damaged severely by what archaeologists think was a tsunami or a massive tidal wave action. Subsequently, the Pallava kings converted it into a granite temple in the 8th and 9th century A.D., which too fell to tidal waves . The Pallava rulers filled the sanctum sanctorum of the brick temple with sand, placed granite slabs over it and used it as a foundation to build a new temple. This temple had a vimana (tower) made of granite blocks with carvings. So the temple had two distinct phases: the late Sangam age and the Pallava period.

An important discovery was that of two carved, granite pillars of the Pallava period. Both the pillars have inscriptions in Tamil. While one pillar mentions the seventh regnal year (813 A.D.) of the Pallava king Dantivarman, the other has an inscription belonging to the 12th regnal year (858 A.D.) of another Pallava king, Nandivarman III. The inscriptions on the pillars speak about donations made to a Subrahmanya temple at a place called Thiruvizhchil, which is the present-day Salavankuppam, where the Tiger Cave monuments are located.
Other Pallava age artefacts unearthed include carved granite blocks from the collapsed temple vimana, a bronze lamp with a carving of a cock (the vehicle of Muruga or Subrahmanya), and roofing tiles. The granite blocks have carvings of Ganesa, elephants, mythical animals and floral motifs. A copper coin belonging to the Chola period was found on the surface of the site.

Historical Sites Near Chennai - Mamalla Quarries

2010-01-14T20:43:00.001-08:00

Mahabalipuram was under control by Pallava kings from the Third Century to Ninth century AD. Mahabalipuram , a world heritage site, famous centre of Pallava art and architecture in South India, was also a seaport right from the beginning of the Christian era. The epigraphical sources confirm Pallava kings' active contacts with Ceylon, China and the Southeast Asian countries. A few Roman coins of Theodosius (4th century AD) found from the region suggest that Mababalipuram also had trade contact with the Roman world around Christian era. It came to the glory only after the Pallava started building the structural and monolithic temple architecture in this area.
Shown below are pictures taken during recent visit to the Valiankuttan and Pidari Rathams at Mamalla Quarry at Mahabalipuram.
Pictures
1 & 2: Bas Relief of Hindu elephant god Ganesha.
3 & 4: Unfinished Valiankuttan rathas (chariots) carved from monolithic granite blocks
5,6 & 7 : Quarried blocks of granite - unsuitable because of cracks & fissures
8 & 9: Shows how the rocks are dressed
10-15: Unfinished Pidari rathas - not completed because of defects in rock
16: View of Light House Mahabalipuram from Quarry

Historical Sites Near Chennai - Sadras Fort

2010-01-12T03:12:00.001-08:00

Sadras (Saduranga pattinam) is an old Dutch fort that is located just past Mahabalipuram, near the Kalpakkam atomic power plant. A flourishing weaver settlement during the medieval period, Sadras became a Dutch settlement after they obtained it in 1612 from the rulers of Carnatic. The Dutch East India Company established a factory, essentially to produce and trade the famous muslin cloth till the settlement was razed to the ground in British bombardment. This fort had a small settlement of Dutch traders. The Dutch traders used this fort to export goods from India. In mid 17th century, the British attacked and took over this fort. The first battle between British East India Company and the Dutch started here as Battle of Sadras. It has a cemetery of Dutch East India Company or VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) soldiers and officers. It is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India in efforts to contain further dilapidation of this great monument.Fort walls

Restored Granary - outside view

Partially restored warehouse/granary

Ruins of the fort

The Ponniyin Selvam group atop the walls

The group scaling the ruined fort walls

Within the fort is a cemetery with exquisitely engraved granite tombstones, the inscriptions on them giving the details of the Dutch buried there. One tombstone has a beautiful bas relief of a vessel with sails, another is chiselled with a coat of arms, a third has a rose, and so on. The inscriptions on the tombstones tell tragic tales of the dead

Insignias on the tombstone

The cemetry at the Dutch fort

Cannons at the fort entrance

A cannon at the entrance of the fort

For detailed writeup and more pictures log onto: http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2010/stories/20030523000106500.htm

Historical Sites near Chennai -Palar & Voyalur

2009-12-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

An Island Temple on dry Palar river bed-Parameshwarimangalam Kailasanatha temple

Closeup view of the Kailasanatha Temple A small Vishnu temple on the banks of the river palar

An open well being inspected

Relics & artefacts preserved on the river bank

The sanctum of Mahavishnu with his consorts Bhoodevi & Dreedevi

Stone idols and artefacts

Temple at voyalur under under administration of the Archaeological Survey of India

Voyalur Temple - dates to Vijayanagara Empire

Sub shrine inside Voyalur Temple above and stone image of Anjaneya below

Niche images around the semi circular sanctum of the Tirupuleeswarar Temple at Voyalur

Sanctum of Muruga with consorts Valli & Devyani - the lord with 6 faces & 12 hands seated on peacock

A stone mandapam with beautifully carved pillars

Close up of the bas reliefs on stone

The Ponniyin Selvam Group

A hand pump above and a group of village children below

Historical Sites near Chennai - Alhambra Fort

2009-12-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Our next destination on this historical tour was the Al Hambra Fort. Enroute we briefly stopped at the Marakkanam Salt pans to witness how salt is produced. Al Hambra or Alambarai lies on the East coast, also called the Coramandel Coast, served as Fort as well as sea port in ancient Tamilnadu. This fort was built by the Mughals by the end of the 17th Century. During 1735 AD it was ruled by Nawab Doste Ali Khan. In 1750 the services rendered by the famous French Commander Dupleix to Subedar Muzaffarzang, the Fort was gifted to the French. When the French were defeated by the British, the Fort was captured and partly destroyed in 1760 AD. Now only the remains of the ruined portions of the Fort can be seen. The square shaped fort with towers at angles was built of bricks and lime mortar. It occupies an area of nearly 15 acres and the length of the dockyard is nearly 100 metres. Zari clothes, salt and ghee were exported from Alamparai port. Alamparai kasu(coins) were produced at the Alamparai mint.

Historical Sites near Chennai - Marakkanam

2009-12-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

17 August'2009: A small group of around 20 "Ponniyin Selvan" enthusiasts had planned a visit to little known but significant historical sites near Chennai on the Mahabalipuram-Pondicherry route also known as East Coast Road. The group met and boarded a mini bus at Tiruvanmiyur at the Maruntheeswarar Temple(A ancient Siva Temple). From there we drove straight to Mahabalipuram, around 50 Kms from Chennai, where we stopped over at the outskirts for breakfast of piping hot idli/dosa/vada/pongal/coffee at Anandas. Next we drove to Marakkanam on the Pondicherry road and visited the Bhoomiswarar Temple. This is an ancient Siva temple belonging to the Chola period -which means around 1000 years old. This is evident from the stone epigraphs on the temple walls which contains references to Raja Raja Chola.
In Hinduism Shiva is considered The Destroyer and is one of the Trimurtis - the other two being Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the Protector. Raja Raja Chola was one the greatest Tamil Kings to rule over South India and his sphere of influence spread across the sea to Srilanka as well as to many South East Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia,Cambodia, etc.
Incidentally Ponniyin Selvan is a historical fiction written about 60 years ago by the celebrated Tamil writer Kalki. The story revolves around characters durring the period when Raja Raja Chola was a young man and had not yet ascended the trone.

The colorful richly embellished Maruntheeswarar Temple entrance gopuram The sanctum of valmiki at Tiruvanmiyur

The Ponniyin Selvan Group alighting for breakfast at Anandas
View of Pallava quarry & unfinished rathas as seen from highway at Mahabalipuram

The view of the Bhumiswarar temple on entry

The base of the dwaja sthambam or flagstaff
Nandi the bull - the celestial vehicle of the Hindu God Siva Epigraphs on stone walls of the temple or KalvettuMore Epigraphs on stone walls & Buddhist faces above
Stone Idol of Dakshinamoorthy - the South facing God destroying the evil muyalavan. In every Siva temple the stone image of Dakshinamurthy is installed, on the southern circumambulatory path around the sanctum sanctorum. Dakshinamurthy is an aspect of Shiva as a guru (teacher) . - his personification as the supreme of awareness, understanding and knowledge.Stone epigraphs in Tamil Script on temple wall

Stone idol of the three headed Hindu God Brahma - the Creator of the Universe
Evidence of Buddhist Influence in the temple Architecture
Stone idol of Bhairavar the fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation. He is one of the most important deities of Nepal, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike.
He is depicted ornamented with a range of twisted serpents, which serve as earrings, bracelets, anklets, and sacred thread (yajnopavita). He wears a tiger skin and a ritual apron composed of human bones.Bhairava has a dog as his divine vahana (vehicle).

Havelock Island - ANI

2009-11-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

This was the penultimate day of the tour and two very exciting activities had been planned - trip to Havelock Island during the day and the Awards Ceremony at night. The Group once again reached the Phoenix Boat Jetty and boarded a well equipped modern comfortable luxury liner. The sea was magical in colour when viewed from the window. The cruise was fine for a while after which the ship experienced severe pitching due to rough sea. Many of us enjoyed this unique experience but some unfortunates felt nauseus and rushed unbalanced to the wash rooms to throw up. The sea settled down after a while and the rest of cruise was smooth. We reached Havelock Island after about 75 minutes. Havelock Island is a very small Island and most of the population are Bengali settlers. The distance between Port Blair and Havelock Island is 54 kilometers. Havelock Island is famous for its pristine beaches, coral reefs and for a relaxing holiday.

At the boat jetty we were transported into buses & jeeps and we soon reached an exotic plush green resort with bamboo hut cottages, huge lawns and dotted with coconut palms. The crowd was once again treated to delicious refreshing tender coconut water. Some made a bee line towards a table laid out with choicest range of alcohol. While others went straight to the adjoining sparkling white beach where catamarans (also known as dugongs) carrying "Edge 2009" placards were waiting to take us to a faraway beach for snorkelling. The boat ride took around 30 minutes after which we arrived in one of the most magnificent and glorious beaches. We were in Paradise. The sky was clear and the weather perfect for snorkelling. Quite a few in the group changed to swimming costumes and ventured for snorkelling while others were content with taking rides in glass bottomed boats to view the most breathtaking view of corals at the sea bottom - such an amazing variety of colors, shapes & sizes. It was an awesome experience. The sea was so transparent and crystal clear.

We would have loved to linger on in this paradise for ever but we had deadlines to keep and we returned to base for a quick lunch and rushed back to the jetty to board the cruise for the return journey to Port Blair.

At night we were witness to a dazzling Awards Ceremony with plenty of entertainment in the form of crooners and comedy shows in between the Awards presentation.

The show was followed by dinner and that brought the curtains down on a very exciting and enjoyable day.

The Cellular Jail - ANI

2009-11-26T07:29:00.000-08:00

From Ross Island we returned to Port Blair boat Jetty and immediately proceeded to the Cellular Jail(also known as Kala Pani), which is historically the most significant spot to visit in Port Blair. The prison was known to house many notable Indian activists during the struggle for India's independence. By the late 19th century the independence movement had picked up momentum. As a result, the number of prisoners being sent to the Andamans started growing and the need for a high-security prison was felt. The construction of the prison started in 1896 and was completed in 1906. The building had seven wings, at the centre of which a central tower served as the fulcrum and was used by guards to keep watch on the inmates. The wings radiated from the tower in straight lines, much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. A large bell was kept in the tower to raise the alarm in any eventuality. Each of the seven wings had three stories and a total of 698 cells. Each cell was 4.5 metres x 2.7 metres in size with a ventilator located at a height of three metres.

The Empire of Japan invaded the Andaman islands in 1942 and drove the British out. The Cellular Jail now became home to British prisoners. Two out of the seven wings of the Jail were demolished during the Japanese regime. In 1945, the British reoccupied the islands. Another two wings of the Jail were demolished after India achieved independence. The remaining three wings and the central tower were therefore converted into a National Memorial in 1969.

Ross Island - ANI

2009-11-25T21:35:00.000-08:00

On day two Bosch had arranged two major activities - Visit to Ross Island in the forenoon and the Distrbutors meeting in the afternoon session.

Ross Island: After a sumptuous breakfast we left for the Phoenix Bay Jetty to board motorboats that ferried us to Ross Island. Ross Island is about 2 km east of Port Blair and can be reached by a short boat ride.The island is controlled by the Indian navy and presently houses the ruins of old buildings. Till a few decades ago, this island was the seat of "British power." Ross Island was the headquarters of the Indian Penal Settlement for nearly 80 years. It had everything — bazaar, bakery, stores, water treatment plant, church, tennis court, printing press, secretariat, hospital, cemetery and what have you. Today only the ruins of these dilapidated buildings remain. The Japanese too left their imprint on the island - they built bunkers which were used as watch points to safeguard the Island from any foreign invasion. About nine months before the Japanese take-over Ross Island witnessed an earthquake. There were rumors that the island was sinking. Gradually people left and it became a deserted area. What was called "Paris of East" at its peak became a haunted isle with widening cracks and crumbling masonry in the remains of the structures. In April 1979, the island was handed over to the Navy, which set up a small post, INS Jarawa, named after one of the indigenous tribes of the Andaman group of islands. A local tribal woman Anuradha Rao was our guide for the trip. She was extremely passionate and and a hard core fanatic Nationalist. She gave a wonderful tour of the Islands and shared a wealth of information. She had the audience spellbound with her mysterious tales about the happenings on the Island.

Some of the memorable moments included photography sessions, deer feeding, tender coconut water to quench our thirst, delicious kulfis, the lily pond with ducks and the ferry ride. Overall a great experience

A spellbinding view of the sea taken while departing Ross Island. To be continued......................

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

2009-11-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

18-21 November'2009:
The A&N Islands is a Union territory of India, located in the Indian Ocean south of the Bay of Bengal and East of the Andaman sea. The capital is Port Blair and population around 400,000. Bosch India had organised their Annual Distributors meet in Port Blair on the above dates. A large group pf around 350 strong including distributor principals, their families & Bosch personnel descended on Port Blair's Veer Savarkar airport in specially chartered flights - some flew in via Chennai & while others from Kolkata. The airport appeared ancient and archaic. In fact as we drove into Port Blair I got the feeling of being transported back 50 years into the past - the town was so underdeveloped, there were so few people - both locals as well as tourists. But the environment was neat and spotlesslessly clean,there was a freshness in the air.
There are no five star hotels in Port Blair and accomodation had been arranged in seven different hotels. Two luxury buses and around 50 nos Tata Sumos & Toyota Quallis had been engaged and totally at the disposal of the group for the entire 4 days.
We stayed at the Peerless Sarovar Portico - situated right on the shores of an exquisite and secluded beach. We were greeted with a welcome drink - fresh tender coconut water. This was followed by check in, then lunch and a couple of hours of well deserved rest. Bosch had engaged an event management team to manage the stay, logistics and for arranging all the events, meeting, cruises, sight seeing & e
xploration. A grand gala entertainment had been arranged for 18th evening - there were two expert MC's to regale the crowd. Dipak Singh of Jhalak Dhikla Jaa fame & Sunanda had been specially flown from Mumbai in to provide some beautiful well choreographed dances. This was followed by an Andamanese tribal dance. The high point of the evening was a fire dance and acrobatics by an energetic athletic young man, who apart from his fantastic performances also had everyone in splits with his own style of "Kitna asaan hai" brand of wit and humour.
History: Isolation studies point to habitation in the Islands going back 30,000 to 60,000 years, well into the Middle Paleolithic. There were 5-6 distinct indigenous groups numbering around 7000 by 1850 when they first came into contact with outside groups - mostly prisoners, indentured labours and British Troops. Today only around 400-450 of such indigenous people remain. In 1858 the British set up a penal colony in these Islands mainly for dissenters and independence fighters from the Indian sub continent. The British continued their occupancy until the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Andaman Islands during World War II. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose visited the islands during the war and hoisted the Indian Tri Colour.
The islands were reoccupied by British and Indian troops of the 116 Indian Infantry Brigade on 7 October 1945, to whom the Japanese garrison surrendered. ANI became an Indian union territory in 1950.
Geography: There are 572 islands in the territory, of which only 38 are permanently inhabited. Most of the islands (about 550) are in the Andamans group.The smaller Nicobars comprise some 22 main islands. The total area of the Andaman Islands is some 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi); that of the Nicobar Islands approximately 1,841 km2 (711 sq mi) ( To be continued)................................

Hi ! I am back

2009-11-25T07:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks for your kind comments, enquiries and patience. I had taken a long break to set up a business venture. The project has now been launched and operational. Some of you were anxious about my health. I am in the pink of health. Thanks for your concern.
Now I am resuming my favourite passion - Blogging. My next post will follow shortly.

Ram

On urgent project

2009-08-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hi

I have been on an urgent project for the past two weeks. I will continue to be away for another 6-8 weeks. Please bear with me as I may not be in a position to add fresh posts. Meanwhile many thanks for the kind, gracious & appreciative comments on my last post: Historical Landmarks of Chennai".

All the best & do forgive me !

Ram

Historical Landmarks of Chennai

2009-08-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Chennai houses great many architectural, historical and religious attractions. Chennai (old name Madras), is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fourth largest city. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.60 million (2006), the 369-year-old city is the 36th largest metropolitan area in the world. Chennai is a city which has grown over the centuries by merging numerous villages which are really ancient. The temples of Thiruvanmiyur, Thiruvotriyur, Thirvallikeni (Triplicane), Thirumyilai (Mylapore) have existed for more than 1000 years.Modern Chennai had its origins as a colonial city and its initial growth was closely tied to its importance as an artificial harbour and trading centre. The Portuguese arrived in 1522, It passed to the Dutch in1612. Next it was briefly under the Mughal Rulers before the British East India Company were granted trading rights. Chennai steadily progressed during the period of the East India Company. In 1746 Fort St.George and Chennai were captured by the French but quickly regained by British Forces in 1749. The East India Company administered Chennai for over 200 years before the British Crown, under Queen Victoria, directly took over rule in the mid 19th century. They ruled for a 100 years before India attained freedom in 1947. Picture above is that of the Chennai mounted police on an early morning march.
The Government Museum inaugurated on December 5, 1896, was named after the former Governor, Lord Connemara. Madras museum theatre (pictured above) is housed within the museum complex together with other distinguished structures like Old Public Library and the famous National Art Gallery. Constructed by the British in Indo-Saracenic style. It is surrounded by the cannons captured or used by the British during the wars.

The Chennai Egmore station is known in Tamil as "Ezhumbur". This station has a platform which allows vehicles to be driven up almost to the side of the train--to allow for easy loading/unloading of baggage and passengers.

The elegant building is built in the Gothic style of architecture with imposing domes and corridors.

St. Andrew's Church - a monument which represents the best Georgian architecture in South India and perhaps in Asia. Saint Andrew's Church is sometimes called as 'The Queen of Scottish Churches in the East'.

The church was consecrated in the year 1821. It was built for the Scottish Community that had settled in the Chennai city. The church interiors are covered with rich mahogany wood work. The floor is provided with an elegant check pattern marble.

There are 16 Corinthian circular pillars that support the dome. The circular dome, 52 feet in diameter, is painted with the blue shaded lapis lazuli.

Ripon Building is the seat of the Chennai Corporation, a fine example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, a combination of three types of architectural styles - Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian. Commissioned in 1913, Ripon building was named after Lord Ripon, Governor-General of British India.

One of the main attractions of the building is the Westminster Quarter chiming clock. This was installed by Oakes and Co. in 1913. The clock has a mechanical key system, which is wound every day. There are a total of 4 bells, which were cast by Gillet and Johnston in 1913.

A well maintained canon in the sprawling green lawns of the Ripon building campus

Pictured above: Statue of George Frederick Samvel, Marqvess of Ripon (1827-1909)

Built in the Gothic Revival style Chennai Central originally consisted of just four platforms. It was later modified with the addition of the central clock tower. The redesign was eventually completed in 1900.

Chennai Central, formerly known as Madras Central is the main railway terminus in Chennai. It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. Chennai Central has been greatly instrumental in earning Chennai the famous sobriquet "Gateway of the South." The Madras High Court, one of the landmarks of the metropolis of Chennai. It is believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world. Madras High Court was established on June 26, 1862 as one of the three High Courts of India (others at Bombay and Calcutta) established at Presidency Towns by Letters Patent granted by Queen Victoria. The building of the High Court, an exquisite example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, was built in 1892, under the guidance of the famed architect Henry Irwin.

In front of the High court building has been installed the statue of the legendary “Manu Needhi Chozhan”(ancient Hindu Ruler) shown dispensing justice to a cow whose calf had been killed under the wheels of a chariot.

The minarets or domes are atop the building represent architectural excellence and are exquistely beautiful........To be continued next week !