As you all know South India is a vast place with a long travel-bucket list, so I will guide my beloved readers to explore South India in part. In this part I shall mention the Madras Crocodile Bank, Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Auroville, Thanjavur, Kotagiri, Adiyogi statue. And a rough guide of time management how to cover these within 5D4N. This travel itinerary includes zoo, archeological sites, French town, Spiritual town, Sea Beach, Road trip, hill station.
Ideal time to visit South India is winter season as general weather is very hot. One should avoid Pongal time due to high crowd rush.
Food in general is bland. Except Poducherry, one should rely on hotel food rather than local restaurants. One must try Annapurna in Coimbatore.
Drinks are easily available in South India. No special clothes required except hilly area.
Stay - For covering the above mentioned places within 4N, ideal stay will be first 2 nights in Poducherry followed by 2 nights in Kotagiri.
Budget - Rs 45-50k including flight and cab rent. It is advised to execute this trip along a group.
1) The Madras Crocodile Bank -
As you know, from Hindu Mythology to Crocodilopolis in ancient Egypt crocodile plays an important role in different religion and culture. And along with crocodiles, if you want to explore the fantastic world of reptiles then this place is ideal for you. This park remains closed on Monday. Till date, no extra charge will be claimed for cameras. Now, there are 15 different species of crocodiles and 33 other species of reptiles there. A snake venom extraction centre also exists here. Kids or reptile enthusiasts may enjoy the VR show of reptiles. One shouldn’t miss the Comodo Dragon, the healthy Python and the Aldabra Giant Tortoise besides the large number of Gharials and crocodiles. Though the place is green, but one should use a hat for Sun-protection. On the way to Poducherry from here next stop should be Mahabalipuram.
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| The Giant Tortoise |
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| The crocodile nest |
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| The Comodo Dragon |
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| Arun and Shilpa are hungry |
2) Mahabalipuram (aka Mamallapuram) - This town is a satelite town of Chennai, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage sites of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments. Here, history comes alive. This town was one of two major port cities in the Pallava Kingdom. The town was named after Pallava king Narasimhavarman-I, who was also known as "Mamalla". Along with economic prosperity, it became the site of a group of royal monuments, many carved out of the living rock. These are dated to the 7th and 8th centuries: rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), the giant open-air rock relief the Descent of the Ganges, and the Shore Temple dedicated to Shiva. The contemporary town plan was established by the British raj in 1827.
On the way from Chennai to Poducherry, the Shore temple (c. 725 AD) can be reached first. At the time of its creation, the site was a busy port during the reign of Narasimhavarman-II of the Pallava Dynasty. So it is inferred that the temple probably acted as a landmark for seafarers. It is one of the oldest structural (versus rock-cut) stone temples of Southern India. Marco Polo and the European merchants who came to Asia after him called the site Seven Pagodas. One of these is believed to be the Shore Temple.
Legend has it that six other temples once stood with it. Immediately before the 2004 tsunami struck the Bay of Bengal, the ocean water off Mahabalipuram's coast pulled back approximately 500 meters. Tourists and residents who witnessed this event from the beach recalled seeing a long, straight row of large rocks emerge from the water. As the tsunami rushed to shore, these stones were covered again by water. However, centuries' worth of sediment that had covered them was gone. The tsunami also made some immediate, lasting changes to the coastline, which left a few previously covered statues and small structures uncovered on the shore. The main Shore Temple, which faces east so that the sun rays shine on the main deity of Shiva Linga in the shrine.
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| Sea beach of Mahabalipuram |
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| The Shore Temple |
After visiting the Shore temple, you can visit the Pancha-Ratha, the Mahisashurmardini Mandapa, the Mahabalipuram Light House, the Olakkannesvara Temple.
The Pancha Rathas is an example of monolithic Indian rock-out architecture. Historians such as Nagaswamy attributed all of monuments in Mahabalipuram to Narasimhavarman-II (c. 690-725 CE) with the discovery of new inscriptions. This monument complex includes
i) Dharmaraja Ratha, ii) Bhima Ratha, iii) Arjuna Ratha, iv) Nakula-Sahadeva Ratha, v) Draupadi Ratha. The ASI confirmed the unfinished nature of the structures and suggested that they instead be referred to as Vimanas rather than temples.
In the past of the Olakkanesvara Temple (aka old light house) bonfires were lit on rocks even at that time to aid the mariners. The British first used the temple atop the Mahishasuramardini cave as a light. The new lighthouse and the old lighthouse are adjacent to each other. A granite roof was constructed atop the temple to keep the light from 1887 to 1900. The Mahishasuramardini Mandapa (aka Yampuri) an example of Indian rock-out architecture. This Cave Temple has many interesting architectural features of which three exquisitely carved reliefs on the cave walls of three sanctums are prominent. One is of Vishnu reclining on the seven hooded serpent (Seshnaga) , another of Durga, the main deity of the cave temple Durga slaying the buffalo headed demon Mahishashura, and the third sanctum has a sculpture of Shiva.
Besides these you can visit the Descent of the Ganges or Arjuna's Penance (a giant open-air rock relief carved on two monolithic rock boulders) , the Ganesha Ratha, the Varaha cave temple, the Krishna Mandapam ( notable carvings inside are sculpted panels that bring out the story of Krishna lifting the Govardhana Hill to protect the cowherds and 'gopi's from heavy rains and floods), the Krishna's Butterball ( the gigantic balancing rock, granite-boulder resting on a short incline of naturally eroded hill - it is said to have been at the same place for 1,200 years).
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| The Olakkanesvara Temple during Pongal |
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| The Panch Ratha ( Dharmaraja, Bhima, Arjuna in this picture) |
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| The Panch Rathas together |
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The Panch Ratha (Bhima and Arjuna)
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3) Puducherry - Pondicherry, now known as Puducherry is rich in diverse culture. The history of Puducherry can broadly be classified into two periods: pre-colonial and colonial.
The pre-colonial period started with the reign of the Pallavas, who ruled the empire from 325 to 900, after which came the Chola, from 900 to 1279, and the Pandya Dynasty, from 1279 to 1370. During the 14th century, the city was under the rule of Naikship of Gingee of the Vijaynagara empire, from 1370 to 1614, when it was conquered by the Sultan of Bijapur, who ruled it from 1614 to 1638. It was during this period that Portuguese and Danish merchants used it as a trading center.
The colonial period began with the Portuguese, the first Europeans to conduct trade in textiles, in 1521, and subsequently, the Dutch and the Danes in the 17th century.
The prospering trade of Puducherry attracted the French, and the predominant feature of the town was laid by the French pioneer Francois Martin in the form of a French settlement, in 1674. In 1693, Puducherry was captured by the Dutch and subsequently restored in 1699, with the Treaty of Rayswick.
The French acquired Mahe in 1720, Yanam in 1731, and Karaikal in 1738. The British captured the city from the French but returned it following the Treaty of Paris, in 1763. This Anglo-French war continued until 1814, where France found itself in control of the settlements of Puducherry, Mahé, Yanam, Karaikal, and Chandernagor, even during the British period, until 1954. It was a reign of 138 years under the French, who on 31 October 1954 left Indian shores following a de facto transfer of power.
The city has many colonial buildings, churches, temples, and statues which, combined with the town planning and French-style avenues in the old districts, still preserve much of the colonial ambiance.
This town is for free souls who want to roam around the lit up decorated streets from the evening beside a well maintained clean road with a refreshing sea-breeze and want to jog, meditate or sea trek in the spiritual sunrise. In my opinion, White town is the ideal place to stay. And in this 5D4N trip it is recommended to spend 2N in White Town. In the first night one can rest after finishing above two in whole day and explore the white town restaurants, sea beach. For smokers, it is advised to buy cigarettes on the way to Pudducherry as Cigarette shops are very rare. One may try heritage Pub cum restaurants here like 1 Rue Suffren. Tea from is must in my opinion. Sea food lovers will enjoy this town. After spending the first night, on the second day one should enjoy the Sunrise from Promenade sea beach (aka The Rock beach) here, then explore the Auroville, the Paradise sea beach and the Serenity Sea beach. One may enjoy sea-bath, jet ski ride, water park, speed boat, spa, net cricket, volley-ball and several other activities here in Paradise sea beach.
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| The sea food Platter in Puducherry |
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| Lit up streets of Puducherrry at midnight |
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| The sunrise at the Rock beach |
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| The Rock beach |
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| The rock beach |
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| The rock beach |
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| The Sunrise at the Rock beach (May I live inside the soul of this ravishing universe, may you be entangled with this tranquil serenity of crashing sea waves with reflection of the spiritual sunrise) |
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| The Serenity Beach |
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| The Serenity Beach |
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| The Paradise beach |
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| 1 Rue Suffren |
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| 1 Rue Suffren |
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| Markets of Puducherry |
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| The Old light House at Puducherry |
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| Like a signature in the sky at the Sunrise in Puducherry - Ek jhak icchedana |
4) Auroville - Book online for meditation inside Matrimandir some days before your arrival. But in this trip plan due to lack of time one may avail the free car ride inside Auroville to see the dome of higher evolution. Next step of human evolution is to realise the consciousness of all as one. This is the goal of this experimental township. For more information, please visit https://auroville.org/
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| The Matrimandir ( all the above are inside the Auroville) |
5) Thanjavur - (aka Thanjai or Thanjore)
Thanjavur is an important pilgrim centre and a major tourist destination of Tamil Nadu. The most visited monument in Thanjavur is the Brihadisvara Temple, whose construction, the historian Percy Brown described as "a landmark in the evolution of building art in South India."
Check Opening time before reaching there. Try to reach here within 12.30 AM from Puducherry.
Built by Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola Temple". The main temple along with its gopurams is from the early 11th century. The temple also saw additions, renovations, and repairs over the next 1,000 years. The raids and wars, particularly between Muslim Sultans who controlled Madurai and Hindu kings who controlled Thanjavur caused damage. These were repaired by Hindu dynasties that regained control. In some cases, the rulers attempted to renovate the temple with faded paintings, by ordering new murals on top of the older ones. In other cases, they sponsored the addition of shrines. The significant shrines of Kartikeya (Murugan), Parvati (Amman) and Nandi are from the 16th and 17th-century Nayaka era. Similarly the Dakshinamurti shrine was built later. It was well maintained by Marathas of Tanjore.
If you have minimum love for history and architecture you shouldn’t miss this. Inside the Temple complex you can clearly see in your imagination the wheel of time and history rotating the timeline of the structure of the temple complex. This can rather be used as fortress. You should also add the Thanjavur doll in your collection as this is the speciality of Thanjavur.
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| The Amman Shrine |
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| View of the vimana of the BT |
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| The Ganesha Shrine |
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| View of the vimana from right sided gate |
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| The Subramanya Shrine |
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| View of the gates from the vimana |
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| The Nandi Mandapa |
6) Kotagiri - This is a beautiful hill station situated in the Nilgiri, Western Ghat. The Nilgiri hills has been the traditional home of the "kota" tribes. Kotagiri is quietly tucked away in the Nilgiris and used to be one of the summer resort of Madras Presidency. The town was discovered in the year 1819 by John Sullivan.
You will reach Kotagiri by 9 pm by cab if you can finish Thanjavur by 2 pm. In this plan of 5D4N next 2N to be spent in Kotagiri. And after resting the third night of the trip on the very next day (4th day) you should explore the Ooty lake, the Kodanand View Point, the Catherine waterfall etc. And then return to Kotagiri hotel by 8 pm.
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| The Ooty Lake |
7) Adiyogi - After resting the 4th night on the last day you take a cab and visit the main attraction of Coimbatore viz. Adiyogi of ISHA foundation and then go to the Coimbatore airport and plan to return to your Home. Adiyogi is steel bust of Shiva with Thirunamam at Coimbatore. It is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "Largest Bust Sculpture” in the world. It is Designed by Sadhguru himself. Sadhguru said on the purpose of the statue, "This face is not a deity or temple, this is an iconic inspiration. In pursuit of the divine, you don't have to look up because it is not somewhere else. Each of the 112 possibilities is a method to experience the divine within you. You just have to pick one. [...] The idea is not to build one more monument but to use it as a galvanizing force towards self-transformation."
Its height, 112 ft, symbolizes the 112 possibilities to attain to moksha (liberation) that are mentioned in yogic culture, and also the 112 chakras in the human system. A linga named Yogeshwar Linga was consecrated and placed in front of the statue.
Best wishes. Enjoy and explore the Incredible India.
N.B.
Please write me a mail to sapronwhitecoat@gmail.com if you think i need to add or delete or modify something. All constructive criticism are welcome. Main source is Wikipedia and several google article which i mainly read during this long car trip. One must read Ponniyin Selvan.
Copyright claim - Suprabhat Das ( Owner of this Blog)
