As they say “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey”, without much ado we began our journey of 1300km from Bangalore. I have made sure, that the car was in good condition. Though the service was due in the month of August for this year, 2024, I have got the service done four months in advance. We thought it is always better to check the condition of the vehicle and get the minor glitches fixed to travel a long journey. We were ready for the long roads, scorching sunny days and bundle of excitement. We did all planning one week prior including journey plan, stay, site seeing and shopping as it was the first journey of such long distance in our own vehicle and we took all due precautions, I suggest you also do the same if planning for a road trip.
Vacation, question, confusion, destination and planning
When a long week end or mini vacation approached us, questions popped up on how to use these four days because summer school vacation also started for my daughter. Then there was a short phase of confusion whether to choose lazy vacation or an exciting trip. The destination Rameshwaram was decided as we already visited Kashi and it is said that, after visiting Kashi one has to bring holy water Ganga from Varanasi and offer the holy water to Shivaling in Rameshwaram. Hence we decided destination Rameshwaram (Pilgrimage), Madurai (Meenakshi Amma Temple), Dhanushkodi or Ramsethu Beach and some site seeing. We decided a road trip by car; it was a new experience of such a long journey. We planned for some site seeing on the way. We made our journey little more interesting by halting, staying in between the journey, relish local food and of course some shopping. It was time for pre-vacation shopping of some light cloths, hats, slippers, sunscreen, etc. Though we get everything everywhere, one can save lot of time and energy in the travel if take care of all these things one or two days prior to journey.
We also had to plan for our cute puppy (Kookie) boarding also. We arranged 4 days boarding for him in a nice and cozy pet care facility in Banashankari, Bengaluru. We spoken to the pet care center, booked slot and given all details of Kookie’s routine and food habits.
Vroom
Vroom Rameshwaram: Day 1
Finally we started our journey early in the morning, dropped Kookie at pet care center. He could sense that we were dropping him, the moment we got ready to move he started yapping at us. With a heavy heart we left him in the pet care center and moved towards Rameshwaram. First thing in my mind was to tank up Gas (petrol), filled the tank and started the journey. We headed towards Hosuru through NICE road passing electronic city, there was no much traffic though. As it was a holiday and a long weekend, traffic was less. The temperature touched around 95°F (35°C) by the time it was 9AM. We stopped at Saravana Bhavana (famous restaurant in Tamil Nadu), fortunately there was a comfortable A/C service room. We had nice breakfast of Tamilnadu authentic delicacy. We stuffed the car with snacks, chilled water bottles and headed towards Salem.
The best thing happened in the recent years in India was the quality and maintenance of roads, amazing and well maintained roads. In many states including Karnataka we see illogical and unscientific laying of humps in the middle of the road. I found hardly few humps in this stretch till Rameshwaram.
The rising temperature was proportionate to the A/C knob turning to lower temperature :D. Outside it was like thousand flood lights are on, scorching heat, windows were up and still the sun rays stinging through the window mesh on the helpless arms that were on the steering. The other side of the journey was to see both the sides of the road soothing greenery and lakes which were intact still in the summer season. Driving experience was amazing as Salem bloomed between four mountain ranges; Jeragamalai, Nagaramalai, Godumalai and Kanjanamalai Hills. I am sure through the drive the travelers witness thrilling experience of lifetime with some of the finest hill ranges and the greenery around.
We stopped for lunch on the highway NH 44 between Salem and Madurai after Namakkal city it was almost 2pm. We had light food because of the afternoon humidity and continuous journey and further headed towards Dindigul. We reached Dindigul, it was a comfortable and cozy stay. In the evening we did some shopping in the city. It was a surprise to see reliance trends, Max showrooms, Ibaco ice cream junction and food junctions. It was a quite busy road, may be the popular street of the city. We ate our dinner in the hotel itself as the dinner and breakfast was included in the booking. We concluded the day after long drive and dinner. Came back to the room and did not realize when I slipped in to deep sleep.
Moving
to Madurai: Mata Meenakshi Amma Temple- Day 2
After the Day 1 journey, cozy and
comfortable stay in Dindugul we headed to Madurai to explore one more
destination. It was an hour journey to Madurai, we went ahead on NH 44. It was
a nice drive to Madurai, inside the city it was quite congested to drive to the
temple area. We reached temple, very small lanes to drive. One good thing is,
there is an exclusive valet parking place near the temple vicinity, we parked
our vehicle, proceeded to visit temple.
There was lot of police deployment and security arrangements because of
politicians’ visit. The main attraction
of Temple were grand Gopurams (Tower), some of them were under renovation when
we visited. Some difficulty for non-Tamilians face is language, all direction
boards in Tamil, very few speak little English and Hind is rare. Moreover
while moving around money making guys inside the temple misguide the route if
one doesn’t opt for their service. However, there are different kinds of
tickets for Quick Darshan. Rs.200 quick darshan ticket is convenient if one
doesn't have much time and can’t tolerate the weather condition in summer. Deposit your footwear, camera, phones and smart watches at dedicated counters outside before entering the temple.
First queuing for Meenakshi mata darshan, once mata darshan is completed, moved to Sudareshwara(Lord Shiva) temple for darshan. One can offer bangles, sari, vermilion, coconut for mata and coconut and bilva patra to lord Sundareshwara, once you enter the temple one can move freely and witness the grand architecture and beauty of the temple. While coming back from the main temple one laddu will be given for the visitors as prasadam.
Madurai Meenakshi mata temple has 14 beautiful grand gopurams around the temple are the proof of splendid beauty, architecture and awe-inspiring monument built by the Pandya king, Kulasekara Pandya, in the 6th century CE. The legend says that the king was childless, who prayed to Lord Shiva for a child. He was blessed with a daughter who was later named as Meenakshi. The legend says that, Lord Shiva came to Madurai in the form of Sundareswarar to marry Meenakshi, the daughter of the Pandya ruler; Meenakshi was a manifestation of the goddess Parvati. The Meenakshi Amman Temple is dedicated to their union. Meenakshi Amma temple, its present form built in the 16th–17th centuries. The tallest of the 14 gopurams, the south gopuram, rises to more than 170 feet.
Temple: The temple is gigantic with 3000 sculptures across the temple. The temple premises having market, museum, towers and what not inside. The temple is one of the famous Dravidian style temples in south India. The tallest South entrance of the temple is 52 meters height having detail carvings of thousands of god, goddesses, animals, demons and stories from ancient Hindu scriptures.
Golden Lotus Pool: One can witness beautiful golden lotus court yard at the center of the enormous temple.
Sundareshwara (Lord Shiva) Temple: Inside the temple Sundareshwara (Lord Shiva) Temple darshan one should not miss along with several god and goddesses temples. The entire temple is full of colors, sculptures and beautiful architecture is feast of the eyes and soothing to our heart and soul. Inside the shrine one can never get tired of the timeless beauty of the shrine. There was a big Ganesh temple near the Sundareshan temple inside the shrine.
The Thousand pillar hall: One of the highlights of the Meenakshi mata temple is Hall of thousand pillars, 985 numbers of pillars to be precise. The pillars are carved with mythological animals, gods, goddesses, Hindu deities, etc. It’s grand, beautiful and enormous in size.
Must do in Meenakshi temple:
Tour of Temple architecture: The temple boasts a stunning Dravidian architectural style. Explore the temple’s 14 gopurams (towers) adorned with thousands of colorful sculptures and stories from Hindu mythology.
Golden lotus pond: Here the ritual was in the ancient tank devotees cleanse themselves before entering the sanctum. Legend says that the tank was filled with golden lotus flowers that were offered by the god Indra.
Visit temple art museum: temple art museum showcases the history of the temple, its renovation efforts, and various artifacts and sculptures.
Night ceremony of Sundareshwara Image: In the evening, the ritual of image of Lord Shiva is carried in a procession from his shrine to his consort Meenakshi to symbolize their nightly union. It’s a tradition and ritual worth experiencing.
Nearby Falls at Kutladampatti: Magnificent Kutladampatti Falls, located at a distance of 30km. It is better if the trip has one day time . September and is the greatest time to visit, is when they are most magnificent.
Shopping at Madurai: Puthu Mandapam, 17th-century pillared entrance hall near Temple. The place offering fabric, scarves, jewellery, fashion items, handicrafts, and paintings. There are various varieties of garments available, including realistic copies of temple dresses.
Journey
towards Rameshwaram: Day 2
We came out of the temple at 11:00am, with all prasad and shopping bags, rushed towards parking place. The parking fee was reasonable, Rs.45. We took our car out, began our journey towards Rameshwaram. It was brunch time for us, as we have had no food until darshan. We stopped in between and had brunch, proceeded to Rameshwaram. The temperature outside the car was continuously soaring, temperature was ok in some parts because of drizzling here and there through the journey.
Pamban Bridge:
We approached the great Pamban bridge which we heard from our childhood days. One can briefly halt on the bridge, can stop the vehicle and witness the marvel. We got down, the bridge was truly a magnificent structure and the surrounding view was out of the world.
Pamban Bridge is a marvelous engineering feat of the 20th century built on Bay of Bengal. Approximately 2.2 km. length bridge connecting Rameswaram Island and the mainland is the longest bridge in India constructed. It was amazing to feel the gusts of wind on the bridge, magnificent blue horizon both sides of the bridge, the complementing blue sky and the beautiful flora spread on Pamban Island was icing on the cake. All these at one place was a delight to the eyes which have seen only the concrete world and tar roads. Pamban Bridge official name is the Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge. The Pamban Bridge Rameswaram is a cantilever bridge on the Palk Strait.
It was an amazing and memorable experience on Pamban bridge, we moved towards Rameshwaram, temple city. The divinity and the ancient foot prints were visible while entering the city. One of the “Char Dham” was in our wish list from a long time, we were very happy to enter Ramanatha sannidhi. We reached Rameshwaram at 3pm, checked-in to the hotel, got freshen up and got ready to visit Dhanushkodi beach and Ramsethu.
Dhanushkodi Beach(Ramsethu), Arichal Munai Beach : Day 2
We were very excited to visit Dhanushkodi which is the South-eastern tip of Pamban Island Tamil Nadu, India. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and remains uninhabited in the aftermath. It is about 30 minutes drive from Rameshwaram. To reach Dhanushkodi, public
transportation is available, local autos are also available to visit the place. It would be easier if travel by own vehicle, sufficient parking space is available. The drive will be a memorable one as the road to Dhanushkodi cuts through the Bay of Bengal one side and the other side Indian Ocean. It is south-east of Pamban and is about 24 kilometers west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka.The view is magnificent and mesmerizing. There is also a light house of 12 floors, through the lift one can visit top floor with a fee of 20/- each. The view on the top floor is magnificent.
Arichal Munai Beach: On the Pamban Island, Dhanushkod, the beach was awesome, clean and less crowded. Surrounded by the ruins of the ghost town, white sand ,blue water and what not. Serene beach looked to us like the golden rays of the sunset were dazzling on the sea water as if the sea was colored in gold paint. We captured beautiful moments in camera and mobile phones. The evening breeze on the beach, sunset and the dance of see waves with the white air bubbles riding on the waves and disappear on the shore leaving sand on our feet, looks so beautiful and so nostalgic. It was already 6:00pm, with heavy heart we came out of the beach. We drove back to Hotel in Rameshwaram, got freshen up and went out for shopping on the streets of Ramanatha temple in Remeshwaram. We did shopping of Conchs, some articles made of shells, Prasadam, etc. We had dinner in the same area, came back to hotel and slept of as it was tiring day for all of us, especially for me as I was on the driver seat.
Shopping: Many believe that the finest and auspicious Conchs are only found in Rameshwaram which are eligible for Pooja, blowing, placing in pooja room and for donation. One particular white conch is considered auspicious which are available only in Rameshwaram. Otherwise to blow in pooja various kinds of conchs are available on the streets of the temple. It is considered to be good to donate conch to friends and Vishnu Bhagavan temple to get good omen. We did shopping, bought Prasadam, gifts for friends, had a nice food on the temple street and retired for the day with good sleep.
Ramanathaswamy
(Lord Shiva) Darshan in Temple: Day 3
History of Rameshwaram temple:
This is the place where Lord Shiva worshiped by Lord Rama because he felt sorry for killing Ravana, a Brahmin and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. When he felt that the island lacked temples, he sent Lord Hanuman to bring the Shivlinga from Mount Kailash. Due to the delay in Hanuman’s return, Sita built Lord Shiva’s shrine from the coastal sand. Later, when Hanuman returned from the Himalayas with Shiva Lingam, it was also erected beside the temple. As a result, there are two Shiva Lingas in the hallowed temple: one made by Sita and known as the Ramalingam, and another carried from the Great Kailash by Lord Hanuman and known as the Vishwalingam.
In15th century, King Udaiyan Sethupati and Nagoor Vaishyas built the temple. The current form of Rameshwaram Temple design is believed to have been built in the 17th century. According to scholars, King Kizhavan Sethupathi directed the construction of the temple. Jaffna Raja of the Sethupathi Kingdom also made significant donations to the temple’s construction.
Best time to visit: Due to the weather conditions many have suggested different seasons to visit, however temple is open throughout the year. We visited in the month of April and we found it moderate, weather was little humid as it was already summer, we did not feel uncomfortable. The crowd was also not much, found moderate crowd. People suggested July and August is the best time to visit, even in February on the occasion of Mahashivaratri.
Dress Code: No much restriction or guidelines, shorts are not allowed. It’s better if you are in traditional attire.
The rituals to be followed in the temple:
Phones, slippers are not allowed. Entry fee 50/- 100/- and VIP Darshan at 200/-.
Beware of the people who mislead if don’t agree to go with their private service; irony is they use same temple’s resources, but money go in to their pocket. This was saddest part to see traveling thousands of kilometers to see this kind of activities within the temple. These people don’t guide you, they will make it inevitable for you to go with their unofficial service. They have set their own rate cards separately. Normal Theertha snan of 22 wells is Rs.20 each, but they charge you 250 each. If you don’t take their service and choose to go in line, they just sprinkle some drops of water on your head, if you take their service they will pour one full jug of water on your head. I felt it is exploiting peoples’ faith and devotion. Because of language problem people face difficulties.
First: The first ritual is to take a dip in the sea at the East gate of the temple is called “Agni Teertham” or just sprinkle water on head and body if you don’t wish to take dip in sea. The first purification process of soul and body.
Second: Second ritual is the 22 well teertha snana (bath) to purify soul and body.
Third: Third ritual head to main temple darshan. After the 22 teertha snana, get the dress changed in the nearby area, where for ladies some bare minimum arrangements are done to change dress. Gents have to change in the open area. Here also some unofficial people offer direct darshan and abhishekam for 3000/- and 4000/- don’t fall prey for them. If you are lost or clue less, please ask the policemen standing for security, they will guide you.
After the temple visit and Darshan, it was time to have breakfast. There are several hotels in the vicinity of the temple. We had breakfast, came back to room and checked out from the hotel.
Back to Salem: Day 3
After divine darshan and breakfast, we headed back towards Bangalore. We planned to stay in Salem as the journey to Bangalore is approximately 600km, we were not keen on driving in the night time. So we drove to Salem, in between we had lunch in a hotel near Namakkal. We took some breaks in between for tea and cool drink, it is a must for car engine, tires and overall car health too as the temperature outside the car was unbearable. We reached Salem at 7pm, had dinner and slept off.
Back to Bangalore: Day 4
Woke-up early in the morning, got freshen up , checked out from hotel and headed back to Bangalore. It was early in the morning drive was pretty relaxing, no much traffic and awesome road. We had an awesome breakfast in A2B on the Salem – Bangalore Highway NH44. We entered Bangalore at 11am via Electronic City, Nice road. We straight away visited Venu’s Pet care and picked our little Kookie (Pappy), it was almost four days we had not seen him. He was in pretty good condition, calm and healthy. He was very happy to come back home. Finally we reached home by 12pm. We just wanted to take some rest and get ready for our routine Monday morning.
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VISMAHI
Vijay Gaddigimath
v.jaybengaluru@gmail.com
