Mysore & Bangalore

I had some official business at Bangalore on 26th December, the day after Christmas. I decided to drive down but this time via Styamangalam & Mysore. Accordingly I & Shobha left Cbt on 24th early morning around 5.30 am. It was Tiruvadarai & full moon day. We could spot the early morning moon setting in glorious golden yellow hues. We travelled through Saravanampatti, Annur & Puliampatti before reaching Sathyamangalam. Here we took a 20 Km detour from the Highway & reached Lower Bhavani Dam & reservoir . The land enroute was rich and fertile – verdant with banana, sugar cane, paddy. We drove up to the top of the dam to get a magnificent view of the reservoir & the mountain range in the back drop. We used this as a breakfast halt – and gorged ourselves on yummy cheese sandwiches which melted in our mouths !
Our next destination was the famous town of Bannari – where the legendary Bannari Mariamman temple is located. As the legend goes the idol was discovered by cowherds – one of the cows refused to feed her calf, instead she discharged all her milk on a “puthu” or pit. On digging the villagers found the idol and the goddesses informed them that she had accompanied traders travelling from Mannarkad (in Kerala) providing them divine protection in the forest. She now wished to remain here & wanted the villagers to install her idol and build a temple at the site. The name of the village “Bannari” is derived from “Mannar”-kad. After worshipping there we commenced the steep Dimbam ghat climb – comprising 27 hair pin bends. Ramesh negotiated them with caution but expertly. The scenery at higher altitudes was fascinating & captivating and I could capture some of this on video. This is also the notorious Sathyamanagalam forest range, home & hiding place of Veerappan the once feared forest brigand, kidnapper & ivory smuggler (Veerappan was shot dead by Tamilnadu Police in 2004). We reached Hasanur the border town between Tamilnadu & Karnataka, and continued on our journey till we reached Chamarajanagar town. Enroute there were more banana, sugarcane plantations. Apart from this we saw plenty of papayas,coconut palms, tamarind, banyan & eucalyptus. Some stretches were lined with silver oak trees & honeysuckle bushes. Chamarajanagar is also a district of Karnataka which shares borders with Erode District of Tamil Nadu and Wayanad District of Kerala. The best temple in this area is the Chamrajeswara complex built by Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. This was built in 1828 in memory of his father - Chamaraja Wodeyar. The sanctum sanctorum has a Shiva Linga which was originally at Sringeri. Transferred to this place it was later named as Chamarajeswara. The goddess is Chamundeswari. The architecture is marvelous & distinct. Special pujas were being offered to the Sahasara Lingam installed there & we received special prasadam of puli hora & sakkara pongal (made from sugar). Shobha also received ‘vettala paku’ from a Kannada family.
The Chamrajnagar to Nanjangud road was battered & full of potholes and the drive was not so comfortable. We finally reached Nanjangud later than scheduled. This town is known for two things – Hallu Podi (tooth powder) & the Nanjundeswara temple. This day happened to be a special occasion for devotees – being a Monday & that too full moon day. There were huge milling crowds & long queues waiting for the lords Darshan. We purchased special Darsan tickets – but notwithstanding this it took us nearly 2 hours to reach the sanctum of Nanjundeswara (or Srikantesawara). Due to heat and lack of ventilation several ladies & children got dehydrated & swooned. Finally we reached the sanctum. We first worshipped Nanjundeswara & then at Ammanavarugudi or Parvatambal Sannithi and then at Natarajar sannithi. The style of architecture was clearly Dravidian. At the Ambal sannithi we saw the jade lingam donated by Tippu Sultan. As per legend Tippu’s elephant had recovered its eye sight after Tippu prayed to the deity hence the jade lingam is also known as ‘Hakim’ Nanjundeswara.
Nanjundeshwara means the God who drank poison. Hindu mythology quotes an interesting legend in which the Gods and demons churned the ocean in search of the nectar of immortality. During this churning abundant quantity of poison was produced. To prevent the poison from spreading across the universe and destroying it, Shiva came to the rescue and drank the poison. Nanjangud is also known as 'Dakshina Kashi' or Varanasi of the South - the Kapila, Koundinya & Suvarnavathy rivers meet here.
Twice a year worshippers gather for the Chariot Festival locally known as the Dodda Jathre and the Chikka Jathre. Idols of Srikanteshwara, Parvathi, Ganapathi, Subramanya and Chandikeshwara are kept in five separate chariots and devotees pull the wooden chariots across the streets of the old town.
As we exited from Ambal sannithi we saw several superb sculptures – Sivam Kalyanam, Dakshinamoorthy, Kalasamharamoorthy, Annapoorni amongst others.
Our final destination and halt for the night was Mysore – at Hotel Ramanasree. We reached around 5.30 pm & checked in to our hotel room . After a quick wash we left almost immediately to Chamundi Hills for a Darsan of Goddess Chamundeswari. Alas as soon as we reached the shrine @ 6.15 pm, the temple doors closed to reopen again only at 7.45 pm. We did not wait & returned to the Hotel. On our drive down we could sight the full moon in all its glory – a truly elevating experience. Next morning we were up at Chamundi hills once again – this time we had Darsan of Chamundeswari. We bought special Rs.100 darsan tickets and we could directly reach the sanctum without having to stand in queue. We also worshipped at the adjacent Mahabaleswara (Siva) temple a small but less celebrated temple. There were no crowds here and we spent a lot of time in meditation & took several photographs of the sculptured pillars, beautifully carved doorways, the Vimanam, the brass dwaja sthambam etc. This place had a special vibration about it,which has to be actually experienced to be believed. We departed after taking snaps of the Demon Mahisasura battling a huge snake ( the towering statue is installed outside in the bazaar area), we motored down hill again, made a small deviation to reach the cave temple & the huge Nandi installed there. From Chamundi hills we got a panoramic birds eye view of Mysore – the Lalit Mahal Palace, the Race Course, The Lakshmi Vilas Palace, the Lake & other landmarks.
Then we returned via Cantonment area - the National Administration Institute, Kanteerava Narasimha Raja Sports Institute, Karanji Lake Nature Park & KARP Mounted Police Hqs. The Lakshmi Vilas Palace was located close to our Hotel – it was earlier known as the Amba Vilas Palace. The Lalita Mahal Palace on the foothills of Chamundi (built by Karishna Raja Wodeyar in 1931) is now owned and managed by ITDC operates as a 5 star hotel. Photographs of these magnificent monuments can be seen in the blog.

Dubai Tour - Part II

On day three the Business session continued at the Grand Hyatt while spouses were taken for shopping. Places visited were the Gold Souk & Carrefour a large supermarket chain. Souk is an Arabic term for market. Lunch was arranged at Al Ibrahimi Palace Restaurant near the New Burjuman Centre,Karama. Food served there was Indian & extremely delicious. The ambience was nice & friendly. It is reported to be owned by a Pathan - the door keeper was a tiny Pathan about 3' tall & he is a unique attraction here. Next part of the tour was a visit to the wild wadi water park. As Shobha & I were not keen on water sports we decided to give it the skip and instead decided to explore old Dubai a bit on our own. (Log on to below website if you want to know more about Wild Wadi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Wadi_Water_Park)
We decided to take a walk down down Al Khaleej St. behind the Hyatt then into Al Khor St. We walk past gold shops of Indian origin like Joy Alukkas, Atlas & Chemmanoor and finally turn left into the Dubai Souks.
Dubai Souks are a striking contrast to the modern shopping malls. Shopping in Dubai is not complete without a browse through Dubai's famous souks. Souks swarm with people busy negotiating with the shopkeepers in traditional style of doing business. Dubai souks are located at Deira near the old docks and sell gold jewellery, traditional spices, perfumes and antiques.
We first walk through the Gold Souk which has a large number of shops exhibiting a dazzling array of gold ornaments - earrings, rings, necklaces, chains, bracelets, bangles and pendants. It is reported that any given time over 25 tons of gold jewellery is on display at the souk. It is an awesome display. We were tempted to buy but strongly resisted.
Next we entered the Spice Souk where fresh Arabic spices are on display - cloves, cardamom, frankincese, cinnamon, incense, dried fruit and nuts imported from all over the Middle East. The spices are sold straight out of large open sacks. We bought Irani dates,saffron,dalchini & frankincese(dhoop). We did some aggressive bargaining and could drive down quoted prices by half !
We exited the souk into Baniyas Road and boarded the Dhow (ancient Arabic Boat) at gold souk station and took a ride to Bur Dubai - it was dusk and light was fading. The fare was Dhm.1 per head and we were across in 5 mts. The boatman Husain was a friendly chap from Bangladesh. He advised us not to visit the old palace and museum as " it is just an old building & there is nothing there". We heeded his advice.
We disembarked at Bur Dubai station where the impressive Bank of Baroda skyscraper greeted us. We walked a bit through Mina Bazaar which displayed textiles & visited some electronic shops to check out I-Pods, Handycams & cordless phones. The weather was nice and a cool breeze was blowing. We had good South Indian coffee at Saravana Bhavan & then took another dhow back. By now it was dark and Bur Dubai looked enchanting & attractive in the night lights. We got off again at gold souk station took the pedestrian underpass under Baniyas Rd. and crossed into Old Baladiya St. adjacent to the gold souk.
We then went to Al Soor St where the Perfumes Souk is located - these shops sell only perfumes . You can find scores of shops selling a variety of perfumes with a thousand aromas ranging from traditional Arabic Ittars which are strong & spicy to the latest designer brands with light floral aromas. We did end up buying some perfumes and got some good bargains.
We finally call it a day and trek back to the Hotel.
Back to the room for hot bath and change of clothing we report to the ballroom at the lobby for dinner. It appeared that the groups that went on the Wild Wadi trip had had an exciting experience too and were animatedly sharing the details.

Dubai Tour

18-21 November'07 :
Mico & Bosch organised their Annual Distributors conference this year at Dubai - the first time this is being held at a foreign locale. Invitations were extended to select Distributors and their spouses. Participants from South & East converged at Chennai & departed by Thai Airways on 18th afternoon at 2.30 pm. Simultaneously other groups flew out from Bangalore & Mumbai. Flying at ground speed of 460 mph and an altitude of 38000 ft we reached Dubai at 6.00 pm local time after a journey spanning 3 hours 30 mts. Enroute we flew over the Deccan plateau, Arabian sea, city of Muscat & Gulf of Oman before taxiing down at Dubai. Pretty and pleasant faced stewardesses dressed in traditional Thai costumes provided excellent service - cold towels & refreshments followed by leisurely Asian Vegetarian lunch accompanied by variety of wines & soft drinks.
Passport control at Dubai was slow and after an exasperatingly long wait, we collected our baggage and wheeled out of Dubai airport to be swiftly whisked away in air conditioned deluxe coaches to the Hyatt Regency Hotel located at Deira. The friendly hotel staff offered us welcome drinks on arrival, collected our passports for safe keeping & handed over the room keys & escorted us to our fabulous rooms. After a quick shower & change of dress we gathered at the poolside at 8.00 pm for cocktails, awards, entertainment, fellowship & dinner. Silver Plaques were presented to distributors who had Business Association of more than 50 years with Mico - Stanes Motor Parts being the oldest Associate I had the singular honour of being the first to go on stage to receive this Award. Post dinner we collected our regulation Bosch shirts,T-shirts & carry bag.
Breakfast on 19th was at the "Foccasia" on the first floor - an attractive spread of corn flakes,milk, honey, toast, marmalades, preserves, a range of omelettes (plain,cheese & masala), fruits, juices, dough nuts, croissants,tarts,cakes,idlis, dosas, chutney & sambhar,coffee & tea. The Foccasia provided a nice view of the Corniche & Dubai creek where a lot of land reclamation is on presently.
The conference was held at the Grand Hyatt Convention Centre about 30 mts drive from Hyatt Regency. While the men (and some women) were deliberating business (more awards, accolades & applause awaited Stanes Motor Parts) the spouses were taken on a tour of Dubai - the Burj Al Arab Hotel, Jumairah Mosque and a presentation on the Jumairah Beach Resort. Burj Al Arab means "Tower of Arabs" & designed to resemble a billowing sail, the finest hotel in the world soars to a height of 321 metres, dominating the Dubai coastline. A 24 meter (79 feet) wide helipad cum tennis court projects from the building 210 meters above the ground.
Post lunch participants & spouses were reunited and together we embarked on a Desert Safari. Forty of the finest Toyota Landcruisers in Dubai (owned by 1001 Events who organised the tour) had been arranged to transport us and at the wheels were expertly trained & specially licensed drivers. 30 minutes into the drive the convoy stopped by the road side and the tyres were deflated to facilitate dune driving. Then we went off road, 4w drives were engaged and the safari went "dune bashing"- riding up and down the treacherous dunes, negotiating steep turns & cruising precariously at sharp,almost impossible angles.
As the sun descended into the horizon, we stopped at a camel watering hole to take sunset photographs, while standing on top of the fading desert dunes. It is already dark when we finally reached the camp site which was illumined by a blazing bonfire and multiple hurricane & wick lamps . Camels awaited us at the entry point and offerred rides in the dark.It was a typical nomadic camp with traditional Bedouin tents with low cushions to squat & relax. A thick rectangular carpet at the centre of the camp was available for those who wanted to sit under the open sky. Ladies got their hands decorated with Henna & men smoked the sheeshas or hubbly bubbly water pipes. Liquor & soft drinks flowed freely and vegetarian falafal rolls & barbequed meat were served endlessly.
The grand finale of the evening were the two enchanting belly dancers who arrived attired in diaphanous silks & riding camels - a ravishing Russian & a buxom Egyptian . They seductively swayed their hips to captivating Arabic music and encouraged spectators to join in. Many hopped on to the floor to fun,frolic & gyrate. Yours truly,tightly encumbered with a lumbar belt, preferred to remain on the side in cushioned comfort to watch & enjoy the proceedings .

Vadapalani Temple

Vadapalani Temple :
From Padi after worshipping at Thiruvallidhayam, we drove throughTirumangalam, Mogappair, Koyambedu,SAAF village into Vadapalani. Before going to the temple we stopped over at the nearby Saravana Bhavan drive in restaurant for a wholesome South Indian breakfast. Vadapalani is one of the most frequently visited temples in the Chennai city. It is located near Andavar Koil Street. Vadapalani temple used to be a small thatched shed some 125 years ago. The temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga. Annaswami Tambiran, a great devotee of Lord Muruga who built the hut and put an image of Lord Muruga in it. While worshipping Muruga, Annaswami in his state of trance started uttering words that became popular as Arulvak. After his demise other devotees carried on the mission. The place became popular and offerings in great amount were secured by the head maintaining the temple. One great names among the contributors responsible for constructing the temple is of Kripananda Variyar.
The temple at Vadapalani is primarily dedicated to Lord Muruga. His sanctum is surrounded by Vinayakar, Dakshinamurthy, Skanda Vishnu, Chandikeswarar, Brahma & Durgai. Some other deities, besides Lord Muruga, that are worshipped here include Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvathi, Lord Ganesh and Lord Anjaneya. The temple is provided with a number of courtyards featuring many sannidhis - varasiddi vinayakar, chokkanathar, Parvati, Kali, Bhairavar, Shunmugha with Valli & Devayani etc.
The temple entrance is covered with a rajagopuram which is adorned with images depicting the legends of Skanda Puranam. The temple tank is large with lotuses floating in the clean & pure water. The tank is enclosed by a protective wall and has steps to facilitate those who want to bathe. On the eastern wall of the temple structure are bharata natyam gestures. The temple is provided with a large hall were marriage ceremonies are performed - one of the premier places for performing marriage and about 7000 marriages are performed here annualy. The festival ceremonies held in the complex include that of Skanda Sashti and Panguni Uttiram.
After major renovation work, a Kumbashikam was held here last month. The cleanliness & newness is apparent.The gopurams looked very colourful and fresh after the recent repainting.The rich polished granite floor gave the temple an ostentatious look. The archakars kept chasing you for archanais which were carried done quickly & mechanically.

Thiruvallidhayam

This is a Shiva Stalam in Padi, on the suburban rail route between Chennai and Arakkonam (Ambattur). Major deity: Thiruvalleeshwarar (Lord Sivan), Goddess : ThiruvalliThayammai - Jagadhambhikai. Special : Lord DakshnaMurthi (GuruSthalam) . One of the 275 padal petra stalams of lord Shiva . In ancient days Thiru gnana sambandar visited this temple & praised lord Siva through his songs.This is the 21st of the 32 Tevara Stalams in the Tondai region of South India.
Legends hold that Bharadwaja Muni (Valiyaan) and Hanuman, Lava Kusha & Sugreeva worshipped Shiva here, and hence the name Valithaayam. There is a statue of Anjananeys worshipping Shiva. Vinayakar married Brahma's daughters Kamalai & Valli
The Temple: A three tiered Rajagopuram and a Gajaprishta vimanam adorn this temple which spans an area of over an acre.There are several inscriptions in this temple. The annual Bhrammotsavam festival is celebrated in the month of Chittirai . Sthala Vriksham is the Pathiri Tree. There is also a go shalai.

Thiagarajar Temple,Tiruvottiyur

2 Sept'07 :
Tiruvottiyur Thiagarajar Temple :
We left woodlands at 6.00 am and drove via Marina Beach,Fort St.George,Burmah Bazaar, Port Trust into Royapuram and reached the Tiruvottiyur a drive of around 45 minutes.Tiruvottiyur was widely inhabited even before Chennai was formed. Tiruvottiyur is home to the ancient Thyagaraja Swamy Udanurai Vadivudaiamman Temple and location of the samadhi of saint Pattinathar. This temple was visited by many saints and poets like Appar, Sundarar, Gnana Sambandhar, Thyagayyar, Vallalar, Valmiki, Kambar, Adisankarar etc. Adisankarar is the person who stopped the Bali pooja's conducted here at vattaparaiamman sanathi. The temple is also famous for its Suyambhu sivalingam, God siva blesses people in the form of suyambhu and it is the moolavar of the temple.
The temple has large prakaram covered with sand containing several sannithis and a go shala with several cows & calves. Tamil Nadu has innumerable temples which have an ancient history and a rich cultural heritage. 275 Saivite temples or punyastalas have been selected as Paadal Petra Stalams on the basis of their antiquity, the richness of their cultural ethos, and the quantum of eulogy dedicated to the temple. In the same manner, 108 Vaishnavite temples have been selected as Divyadesams.
Of the 275 Paadal Petra Stalams, 32 lie in the Tondi Nadu, among which the Thiagarajaswamy temple at Tiruvotriyur is unique. This temple at Tiruvotriyur, several centuries old, eulogized by poets, scholars and devotees alike, affirms the splendor of India’s religious tradition and spiritual ethos.Main deity is Siva - there are Sannithis for Adipureeswarar the main deity, Thiagarajar (with Tripurasundari) & Jagannathar ( with Jagadambikai), Goureeswarar & Otreeswarar(with parvathavarthini). The Thiagarajar/Tripurasundari idol is said to have been found from the Ocean by fishermen. Adipureeswarar lingam is surrounded by a snake mound (puthu) hence it is covered by a gold kavacham (covering). Therefore daily abhishekam is done only to the avudiyar(base). The Kavacham is removed only on 3 days a year starting on Kartikai Pournami. A mixture of Punugu(musk), chavvathu & sambrani is applied to the lingam on these 3 days but no abhishekam. Around the sanctum you find on the walls idols of Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu ( traditionally you find Lingodhbhavar), Brahma, Chandikeswarar & Durgai. Behind the lingam there are smaller sannithis of kalianayanar,vinayakar, nagar, adi sankara,muruga.There is also a sannithi of vattaparaiamman. Right above the sanctum is the Gajabrishta Vimanam which is one of the special features of this temple. In the outer prakaram there is a multipillared mandapam with Natarajar Sannithi on one side & a vinayakar idol carved on the wall facing the lingam. Devotees sit and pray or medidate here. The pillars are intricately carved. Above the Vinayakar there is a stone lattice from where you can view the main flag staffs. There are in fact two flagstaffs(Dwaja Sthambams) as you first enter the temple through the main Gopuram, located a little to the left. One is facing Adipureeswarar and the other facing Vadi Udai Amman his consort. There is a separate Prakaram for this Ambal on the right side.
As you walk around the temple clockwise you find to your left sanctums of suryan,appar,manikyavasakar,sammandar,sundarar & sankili thayar,sahasaralingam, ekambarar.To the left of Thiagarajar mandapam you can see the garden with 27 nakshatra lingams - as per legend the 27 stars have visited & worhipped at this temple. Then the goshalai & Goureswarar, sthala vriksham. You next reach Ottreswarar sannithi & his consort Parvathavartini. The mandapam at the entrance contains exquisitely carved pillars on either side. All 63 nayanmars can be seen sculpted on the stone pillars besides various different gods & goddesses & rishis . As you come out & continue you see the flagstaff for Vattaparaiamman. Next you reach the legendary makizha maram(tree) & vasantha mandapam & sundaramoorthy mandapam & a kolam.
Photographs (From Top downwards zig-zag) 1. Main Gopuram from outside, 2. Main gopuram & flagstaffs from inside, 3.Vinayakar Sannithi,stone lattice,Murugan Sannithi & Kuzhanthai Iswarar visible straight in front as you enter, 4.Gajabrashta Vimanam, 5.Thiagaraja Sannithi, 6.Makizham Tree & Vasantha Mandapam, 7. Sannithi of Vadai Udai Amman

Singara Chennai - 2

Day 2 - 22 Sept'07 :
Theosophical Society,Besantnagar : Founded on the Banks of the Adyar river in 1875 by Col.H.S.Olcott and Madame H.P.Blavatsky the primary objective being Universal Brotherhood. Later Annie Besant succeeded Col.Olcott after his death.
A walk through the campus takes you into another world altogether. Its amazing that I had not never stepped into this extraordinary place before. Situated on around 3 acres of wooded land with many exotic varieties of plants & trees, the air is fresh, scented,serene & sublime. A unique feature is the large Banyan tree situated over 40,000 sq.ft the second largest Banyan cluster in the country. The mother tree has rotted away some years ago but the the roots continue to grow & spread. It is said that this 200 hundred year old tree was grown from an off shoot from the original banyan tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. As you take a walk through the place you come across a temple (The Temple of Light consecrated by J.Krishnamurthi in 1925), a church, a Buddhist shrine & a Parsi Temple of Fire. You feel refreshed & renergised as you come out again.
From Besant Nagar we cross the Adyar Bridge, go past the Ambedkar Memorial & Ayyappa Temple & Chettinad School, cross the Quibble Island Cemetry & reach Santhome where one of India's oldest churches is located. San Thome Basilica is a Roman Catholic cathedral built in the 16th century by Portugese explorers, and rebuilt again with the status of a cathedral by the British in 1893. It is supposedly built atop the tomb of one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus, St. Thomas. The apostle is believed to have preached in Chennai between 52 A.D. and 72 A.D., when he is said to have been killed on St. Thomas Mount. after taking some nice shots we proceeded via Marina Beach to Madras University campus to buy some books on Tamil History. The Marina Beach is a beach situated along a 12 km shoreline along the Bay of Bengal extending from Besantnagar to Fort St.George. Olive Ridley Turtles nest along the Neelankarai section of the beach towards Mahabalipuram.Watching the sun set and rise from the beach is a fascinating experience. Brisk early morning walkers & joggers enjoying the refreshing & invigorating air is a common sight. Though bathing and swimming can be dangerous, as the undercurrent is very strong, many people venture out to swim. In the evenings, the beach is virtually a fair ground with various kinds of entertainment and food stalls lining the beach.

The original lighthouse was located at Fort St.George near the Chennai Port. This was later decomissioned after the present one was constructed at the south end of the Marina beach near Santhome. The structure also houses the meteorological department and is restricted to visitors.

We ended the tour with a visit to Luz Church tucked away in a tiny corner of Mylapore.The church has lent its name to the area around it and to the road leading up to it as the Luz Church Road.The church was built by Franciscan missionaries from Portugal in honour of Mother Mary in 1516. Our final stop was the Nilgiri's Supermarket to buy some pastries & here was this guy selling fresh malligai flowers & I just couldn't resist taking a shot. Malligai Poo is a favourite with Chennaite ladies and the aroma is simply seductive. The unit of measurtement is one mozham ie. the length of your fore arm