Day Trip to Gobi

Sunday 6th July'08:
Shobha & I took off to Gobichettipalayam on a day trip for carrying out some verification work related to Kerala Iyers Trust. The route was via Sathy, the road was excellent, the greenery & scenery abundant & lush with sugarcane & paddy fields. As usual we munched delicious cheese sandwiches as we travelled. We covered the distance of 95 Kms in exactly two hours. A nice archway welcomes you into Gobi town.
Gobichettipalayam is located in Erode District. This is a semi rural area. An old man named Gobi Chetti lived in this place and hence the city gots its name "Gobichettipalayam". The people of Gobi mainly engage in Agriculture and Weaving. The economy of Gobichettipalayam centers on sugarcane,banana, rice,tobacco and turmeric. Gobichettipalayam boasts some famous tourist spots like Kodivery dam and Gunderi Pallam Dam. Because of the scenic beauty and cultural richness, outdoor shooting of the film industry thrives in this area.
We decided to finish our temple visits before commencing the verification work & headed towards Kondathu kaliamman temple situated in Pariyur about 4 kms from Gobi. We enter through a tall gopuram. Immediately facing you is the South wall mounted on which are statues depicting a scene of Meenakshi Kalyanam as well as figure of Dakshinamoorthy , muyalakan & disciples. Inside the temple is the sanctum Kondathu Kaliamman surrounded by statues of "Brammahi, Maheshwari, Gowmari, Vaishnavi, Mahendri and Chamundi. In the outer prakaram are sanctums of Kalyana Vinayakar, Saptha kannigai and a huge statue of Muniappa Swamy, the protector and curer of persons possessed with evil spirits. On the North side of the temple, the Lower Bhavani Canal runs which along with the adjoining lush greenery, is cynosure to the devotees's eyes.
We also went to the Siva Temple(Amarapaneeswarar) situated nearby. The origin of this temple dates back to the 14th Century. It is a "Suyambu Lingam". This temple was built by Thangamani Muthuvelappa Gounder, Gobi. During the process of renovation, the beautiful idols of Lord Natraja, Goddess Umayammai, Lord Muruga were found. There idols were made up of "Panchaloka". The temple is exquisitely built with original white marbles and it is well maintained. There is a sub shrine for Sundareswarar & Meenakshi and another shrine for Bhairavar.
Next we drove to the Pavalamalai Muthu Kumaraswamy Temple. This a small but beautiful Muruga temple atop a small hill. You can walk up a flight of steps or drive the car up on a steep narrow winding road. We drove up in the car. The scene from the top is exquisite.
Our next destination was the Pachamalai Balamurugan Temple. The road up was closed for construction so we had to walk up all the way. The hill is at a higher altitude than Pavalamalai. The view of Gobi countryside from the top is even more beautiful. The main features of this temple are the tall ivory colored gopuram with a black vertical Vel in the front & a tall statue of standing Muruga both of which are visible from a distance. The temple interiors are colorful with beautifully carved pillars and long spacious corridors.
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