South India Trip - Dec 24, 2022 to Jan 01, 2023

I have received multiple requests to share specific details of the recent road trip we undertook. So, here is a write-up. I chose to put it up in the blog, as it ended up being lengthy for a FB post. That also gave me the flexibility to add relevant pictures (there are loads of them!).

This trip was originally planned as a self-drive but eventually we decided to hire a vehicle. So we made some changes on the go, as well. There were no night drives, considering the days were quite packed and we had a toddler in toe. Despite that, on most days we started the day at 5 AM and on a couple of days at 4 AM as well. 

Also, we had to work around on the timings and places in a few cases, as some of the major destinations were overcrowded due to the congregation of pilgrims heading to/from Sabarimala, Melmaruvathur & Tiruchendur, in addition to bus loads of pilgrims from Northern parts of the country and tourists on year end vacation. 

With that premise, here you go! 

Day 1 - Dec 24. 2022, Saturday 

Bangalore to Madurai by Drop Taxi (Swift Dzire Sedan) - It took us almost 12 hours (with 2 stops for breakfast and lunch), as till Salem the traffic was pretty heavy for obvious reasons.

We took the Hosur-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dharmapuri-Karur-Dindigul route which is about 450 kms.

Mr.Muthu Valavan (from Tirunelveli, Innova) was to be our driver for the following week till we come back to Madurai. He reached in the afternoon and picked up my aunt (Sudha) 

and cousin (Karthik) who joined us on this trip. In the evening, post check-in, we stopped by 'Gopu Iyengar Coffee-Tiffin Center' (https://goo.gl/maps/64gen4ZXQjFud3dn6) which is very close to the west entrance of the Meenakshi Amman temple. Their Vellai Appam (ask for the chilli chutney if you like spicy stuff) and bun halwas are famous. We tried the former and Jeera Poli.  

One point to note here is, no vehicles are allowed on the streets around the 4 gates of the temple (some are too narrow for vehicles to pass through). I wasn't aware of this. Our accommodation was right opposite the west entrance, so it was a little bit of a hassle to offload and carry the luggage, as the vehicle wouldn't go anywhere near the temple. So choose your place of stay accordingly.  

We went to Thiruparankundram, one of the 6 abodes of Subramanya (1st of the Arupadai Veedu) (approx 10 Kms - https://goo.gl/maps/SvQFPe6WucpJV5s16) and had dinner at 'The Modern Restaurant' (https://goo.gl/maps/osbVfnbNKB7c6W4w7) on the way back. The food was good but the service was a little rigid. We made a quick pit stop at the 'Vilakuthoon Hanifa Jigarthanda' shop near the Meenakshi temple (they are everywhere) before retiring to the room. I ventured out again briefly to grab a quick bite of wheat halwa (it is served on lotus leaves with a small portion of mixture- the mixture was excellent as well) at the 'Aathi Kaalathu Nei Mittai Kadai' near the Nandhi statue, on East AvaNi Moola Street. (https://goo.gl/maps/pEeyJe7fEQiyMKhj7). I also picked up a few pieces of their famous 'Nei Mittai'.

Day 2 - Dec 25, 2022, Sunday   

We started at around 5.30 AM and reached Megamalai around 8.30 PM. The checkpost opens at 6 AM and an entry has to be made in the register both during entry and exit. There are a few hairpin bends and the nice thing is that each one is named after a flower, in Tamil (Iruvaatchi, Konrai and so on). The food options are limited but you will find some basic stuff. Similarly, stay options are also very limited. We were told that there is one resort/guest house, Cloud mountains, and is generally not available. The first spot you will reach is Highwavys dam. A little ahead is the Highwavys Panchayat office. This is the only place you will find rest rooms. There are no other rest rooms available, unless you have an accommodation. 

Private vehicles aren't allowed beyond the Highwavys Panchayat office. So one has to hire a local jeep to go to Maharaja Mettu, the stunning view point. They charge about INR 1500 for 6 to 8 people. All through the drive up to Maharaja Mettu, the views are just gorgeous. There is a half km trek to get to the top. Not difficult. They charge INR 30 per head for entry to the viewpoint and INR 50 for the digital camera. Once you reach the top the views only get better. There is also a little shrine for Kannagi. It is believed that she came and sat here after burning down Madurai. 

The hill is predominantly tea estates owned by one person (Mr.Sridhar, Coimbatore) and not even a tea shop can open without his/their permission, we were told. Only folks employed in the estates were allowed to live there. The lake (Manalar Reservoir) that stretches over 8km is a sight to behold. Truly a feast to the eyes, if you are a nature lover! Glad we chose to go to Megamalai.💖

I recommend reaching the place as early as possible, say 6AM. I am sure the early morning views will be even more beautiful. There are a couple of dams (Manalar & Iravangallar) but entry was restricted. Theni and Chinnamanur are the 2 nearest towns for most other requirements including eateries that will serve basic stuff. Keep your expectations low on the food/eateries.   

We had originally planned to stay in Theni. But our driver suggested that we head towards Tirunelveli, which was our next scheduled stop, to be able to accommodate a few more temples. It sounded like a plan as there was nothing much to do in and around Theni for the rest of the evening (PaNNaipuram did cross my mind, though). So we chucked the hotel booking in Theni (it was too late to cancel) and drove to Srivilliputhur. 

We reached Srivilliputhur around 5.30 PM. After a quick coffee in front of the temple, we proceeded for darshan of AandaL & Rangamannaar. Coincidentally, it was also day 10 of the Margazhi month. Post darshan, Priya and I made a quick trip to the 'Puliyamarathadi Bagyalakshmi Lala Sweets' Paalgova shop (https://goo.gl/maps/EbjMKC6nigReqQB37), near the bus stand to eat and pick up some Paal Gova and Paal Halwa. Superb! It is a 5 minute drive from the temple. The Venkateswara Vilas Lala shop in the temple premises didn't have stock of Paal Gova. These are 2 most famous shops. There are hundreds of shops selling Paal Gova here. Beware of shops with similar names. 

Enroute Tirunelveli, we also stopped by Sankaran Koil (Sankaranarayana Swamy - One half of the idol is Shiva and another is Vishnu and the alankaaram/shringaar was beautiful). This shrine also features shiva in the form of an anthill (Vaanmeeka Nathar - Vaanmeekam is anthill, remember Vaalmiki's story?) and the sand from the anthill is distributed as prasad. Gomathi Amman is the consort. Aadi Thapasu is the most important festival in this temple. We reached Tirunelveli at around 10.30 PM. 

Day 3 - Dec 26, 2022, Monday 

We started our day around 8.30AM after breakfast. Our 1st stop was the Veerapandiya Kattabomman Manimandapam (memorial) at Kayathar, the place where he was executed by the British in Oct 1799. It was heartwarming to know that Shri.Sivaji Ganesan, who immortalized Kattabomman on screen, funded the memorial pillar erected at the spot, where the actual tamarind tree that he was hung in, stood. It should take about 15 to 20 minutes to cover this place. It is located right on the highway (https://goo.gl/maps/AVrQhjkEx1eg43Q46). 

Our next stop was Vettuvaan Koil, Kazhugu Malai, an ASI protected site (https://goo.gl/maps/QUpVZce7tpq1g5BW6). This is a rock cut cave complex built in the 8th century, also referred to as the 'Ellora of the south'. It is believed to have been carved from top to bottom. The 'Vettuvaan Koil' is an unfinished but breathtaking monolithic structure and also features some Jain inscriptions and carvings. The monolithic temple structure is hardly visible from outside and is enclosed inside a fence and has to be opened by the ASI appointed official. If you are going here, please plan earlier in the mornings as being a rocky surface it can become very hot in the afternoons, especially on sunny days. Fortunately for us, the sun god gave us some respite and chose to hide for the most part. It is also a pretty decent climb.

At the base of the hillock is the Kazhugachala Moorthy temple, the presiding deity being Subramanya. This place is also believed to be the mukthi sthal of Sampaadhi (Sampati), Jatayu's elder brother, from Ramayana. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampati). Both the temple and the hillock had some references to the Thiruvanaikoil temple (Akhilandeshwari-Jambukeshwarar), that was interesting. 

Kazhugachala Moorthy Temple

We wanted to visit Sepparai Natarajar Temple, but it closes at 10.30/11 AM and we had to skip. We didn't expect Kazhugu Malai to take close to 2 hours. We went to Seevalapperi (on my aunt's request - their family's village deity) to visit the Sudalai Maadan temple, there. We drove back to Tirunelveli to be able to check-in and head to the Nellaiyappar temple, where we were to meet our guide Shri.Gomathi Shankar. We reached around 5.30 PM and picked up some Iruttu Kadai Halwa and a pair of 'Yaanai Vilakku' (Elephant stand lamp) that Tirunelveli is known for.

I had been to Nellaiyappar temple in 2010 and was fortunate to have one of my dad's friends, a localite, guide me around the temple and I remember being blown by the intricacy and detail of the sprawling 14 acre complex. The moment we decided that Nellaiyappar temple was part of our itinerary, I got in touch with Shri.Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan, who very kindly obliged and put us through to Shri.Gomathi Shankar, a school teacher who has lived all his life in the vicinity of the temple and knew every little detail. 

We were fortunate to have him guide us through the temple. It was also fascinating for Shaswat to see the depiction of many of the stories he has read in books, etched beautifully in stone. Suffice to say, we had a great time! It took us over 3 hours inside the temple till the darshan closed after the Ardha Jaama pooja, and we had possibly covered a little over 50% of what the temple offers.

  

This was the 1st of the Pancha Sabhai's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancha_Sabhai) that we visited during the trip, where Shiva is believed to have performed the cosmic dance/Taandav - The Thaamira Sabhai (Copper). Nellaiyappar also called Venu Vana Naathar (The lord of the bamboo forest) along with Kanthimathi Amman are the presiding deities here. The temple features some stunning sculptures/idols and musical pillars that are intricately designed. 

Day 4 - Dec 27, 2022, Tuesday 

We checked out by 6.30 AM and drove to Tenkasi. It was a cloudy morning with intermittent drizzles. We had breakfast at New Anandha Bhavan (very close to the main entrance of the temple) and it was very good. The presiding deity of this temple is Kasi Viswanatha with his consort Ulagamman. The majestic Raja gopuram is an imposing structure. (https://goo.gl/maps/fzzCj3g2uuZZTdS86) 

The gloomy weather was a perfect setting for our next stop, Thirumalai near PaNbozhi. This Kumaraswamy temple (https://goo.gl/maps/1KSLg2i1nAdSK3y98) on a hillock is a 30 minute drive from Tenkasi and offers some spectacular views. Vehicles can drive to the top. By the time we finished darshan, there was a steady drizzle and fog had engulfed the hillock. It was just so beautiful. This is also a very popular film shooting spot and most recently featured in the Telugu blockbuster Pushpa, in the backdrop. Just look up on YouTube and you will see that right from the 90's, this temple has featured in many a film. We planned to go to Ilanji Kumarar Koil, but the roads were blocked due to ongoing roadwork. 

Courtallam/Kutraalam was our next stop and the bathing area was cordoned off due to the heavy flow of water from the downpour. After a few customary photos, we proceeded to have darshan of Thiru Kutraalanathar and KuzhalvaaiMozhi Amman along with Kurum Pala Eesar.  

Most tourists coming here miss out visiting the Chithira Sabhai, which is a 10 minute walk from the main falls. The other way to approach this is by driving to the 'Ther Mutti' on the five falls main road. It is just a few meter walk from near the spot where the chariots are parked. Of the Pancha Sabhai's, this one represents 'Art' (Chithiram) and consists of some stunning murals made of natural dyes. A must visit spot if in Courtallam! 

We also enjoyed some freshly cut mangoes, pineapples, rose apples (a red pear like fruit, they call it ice apple locally) and Thavun (dried palm fruit/Nungu). We also bought some banana chips here and it was fresh and yum. Hard to get that statement out of a Coimbatorean. :)

Thenkasi Thooralum, Kutraala Saaralum - ✅😊

Despite doubts of Agasthyar falls being open, we decided to take a chance and thankfully it was open. A small trek leads to the falls where there are separate bathing .areas for men & women. Beware of monkeys in the parking area.  

After the refreshing bath, we proceeded to Papanasam. To our luck there was this old man selling hot Sukku coffee (Dry ginger beverage with other herbs added) which helped ease up the sinuses a little after the bath in the falls. Papanasa Nathar along with his consort Loka Nayaki are the presiding deities of this temple situated on the banks of River Taamirabarani. With some lovely twilight views we drove towards Kanyakumari. If you are looking for pure vegetarian food/hotels, the highway towards Kanyakumari doesn't offer much. The options available are mostly veg/non-veg.  

Our driver Mr.Muthu Valavan had to take leave for personal reasons and he arranged for another driver Mr.Maari, who would stay with us for the rest of our trip. 

Day 5 - Dec 28, 2022, Wednesday  

At Kanyakumari, in the anticipation of a scenic sunrise, we woke up to a heavy downpour and cloudy skies. Thankfully, by the time we reached 'Vaavathurai' the rains subsided and there was already a significant crowd. We were surprised to see folks standing in queue as early as 6 AM (for the counters that open at 8 AM)  to buy tickets for the ferry to Vivekananda Rock. We walked down the crowded pier and clicked a few pictures. A word of caution here. You will find a lot of photographers asking for a family portrait on the pier, with a promise to deliver the output in 15 minutes (some offer polaroid outputs as well), which has to be collected from their shop elsewhere, in the vicinity. We did take a couple of pictures, but when we got the photos we realised the backdrops were photoshopped. They were also struggling to deliver the photos on time owing to the huge crowds. I went to collect the pictures after almost 1 & 1/2 hours and still ended up waiting for almost 20 odd minutes.  

By 8 AM the crowds really swelled both at the ticket counter (for the Vivekananda Rock Ferry) and the temple (actually everywhere!). So we chose to skip both these spots as it looked like we would end up in these queues for the next few hours. We had breakfast, checked out and drove off to Suchindram. It is a 13 km drive to the (S)Thaanumaalaya Swamy temple, where the Trimurti's (Sthaanu - Shiva, Maal - Vishnu, Ayan - Brahma) are worshipped as one murti (in linga form) and is also famous for its 22 feet Hanuman idol, its architecture and the musical pillars. 'Aram Valartha Naayagi'.(beautiful name, right!) is the consort.

We also indulged in some 'Thaen Kuzhal', a sweet 'jalebi' like snack that is also served hot, but is bigger in size, and picked up some palm jaggery and 'Sillu Karuppatti' outside the temple. 

Our next destination was Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thuckalay. But contrary to the information available on google, entry to the palace closes at 12.30 PM and reopens at 2 PM. We finished lunch and got back to the palace by 2 PM. There is a small entry fee and if you are carrying a DSLR you will be needed to pay an additional Rs.60. This place involves a lot of walking, climbing etc., so please plan if you have kids or older folks in your group.  

The palace belongs to the Travancore era and is the tour inside is pretty well organized with staff employed to guide and explain the details of each part of the palace. The flip side is if you get in you can only follow the designated path to get out. Some interesting things in the palace are a cot made of wood from 60 + ayurvedic trees, a cot made of stone, the swimming pool, the make up room and a out house for the foreign dignitaries. 

At the end of it, with all the walking and the humidity was a little exhausting, and we had to resort to some snacks and refreshments once we walked out. They serve a 'Nungu Sharbat' (Palmyra fruit/ice apple with Nannari/Sarasaparilla Syrup) in the shops outside and it was good. Our next planned night halt was in Tiruchendur and we decided to visit Kulasekarapattinam before retiring for the night. We had planned a very early start the next morning due to the crowds.The drive towards Tiruchendur offered some lovely views during twilight, with hundreds of windmills in the background. Near Saathankulam bus stand we stopped by at Jumbo bakery which is well known for its Muscoth Halwa. 

Kulasekarapattinam or Kulasai is famous for its Mutharamman temple (with her consort Gnanamoorthy) and I was oblivious to it (https://goo.gl/maps/37yNfgKUFPyw7XbA7). During Dussehra every year, a few lakhs of devotees converge here to offer prayers, after observing a 41 day fast (adorning the 'maala') akin to going to Sabarimala, many dressed up as different characters (Kaali, Kanni, Shiva and so on depending upon their prayers) and is apparently the 2nd largest Dussehra celebration in the country after Mysore. The 10th day of Dussehra is celebrated as 'Soorasamhaaram' here.  

It is a small temple, but like a Sabarimala or Melmaruvathur, is an industry of its own with music albums eulogizing Mutharamman and a very staunch following. I mean this in a good way and i thoroughly enjoyed looking up the details after we returned. Coincidentally, our driver Maari is a big follower of this temple and kept feeding us some tidbits through our journey to the temple. Very interesting destination! 

Here we also tried the 'karuppatti' version of the Then Kuzhal and to me it tasted better than the sugar based one.

Day 6 - Dec 29, 2022, Thursday 

We reached the Tiruchendur temple as early as 4.30 AM and it was already buzzing. Devotees braving the early morning chillness were sleeping on the pavements and mantaps or doing 'Anga Pradakshinam'. The general darshan queue had already built up. We opted for the special darshan and got in by 5.30 AM and managed to finish darshan around 7 PM. A visit to 'VaLLi Gugai' (Valli's cave), a short waddle in the beach and some photographs later, we checked out and headed out to what was to be an interesting day. 

Our next stop was Tuticorin. We didn't go into the town (Ganesh Bakery Macroon was on my mind!) but stopped by a salt manufacturing facility on the highway to show Shaswat the different processes involved in salt manufacturing from ground (borewell) water. We spend about 30 minutes there observing the different activities and packing. We also got a few packets of salt as gift. 

About 30 kms from Thoothukudi is Panchalankurichi, synonymous with Veerapaandiya Kattabomman and remains of his fort maintained by ASI (https://goo.gl/maps/2wtJNz7eKapAYDM5A). The setting inside the fort like structure built is very similar to what we saw in Kayathar. There is a small temple for Veera Sakka devi, Kattabomman's family deity and some excavated portions of the fort built by him and his brother Oomaithurai. The entry fee to the place is only Rs.2. I wish they charged a little bit more and use the same to maintain the excavated portions in a better way. Some parts were drowned in bushes. They have also preserved 8KG canon ball that was used to destroy the fort (You can see Shaswat carrying it in the enclosed pictures).

    

Ettaiyapuram, the birth place of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiar has 2 separate spots in his memory, the house that he was born in (https://goo.gl/maps/YckZVATwkCBQcuUQ9) maintained as a museum and a memorial (mani mandapam - https://goo.gl/maps/Dud2i23X3FXFJ4z49) opposite the bus stand named after him. Something about Bharathi and his works almost always makes me emotional and the visit to his house (again) was no different.  

Right next to the bus stand in Ettaiyapuram, is a quaint little building that houses the Adhishtanam (resting place) of the composer par excellence Muthuswami Dikshitar (https://goo.gl/maps/nupa1DzkrDvMYQZX8). When we landed there, it was locked and thankfully the auto drivers from the nearby auto stand helped obtain the keys to the place. After spending a few minutes and offering our respects (Shaswat sang 'Vande Meenakshi' and Tej his own gibberish composition :D) we continued our drive towards Rameshwaram. 

Enroute Rameshwaram, after a brief halt at a sunflower garden, we went to Vaalinokkam (https://goo.gl/maps/B493CUjt2ebi5Y9M8) a beautiful beach. One can see Aervadi munai from here. A little hamlet of fishermen families live here and there except from some spectacular views there is nothing else here. We learnt that there is also a southern side (Then Kadal) to this beach. We rushed to that spot right in time to catch the sunset. This beach was a lot more rocky and the sand coarse compared to the vada kadal that had soft sand. The sunset and the rough sea on the south side offered some gorgeous views. 

A word of caution here. Please do not drive into the sands here, unless your vehicle is a off-roader. Our Innova's rear wheels got stuck in the sand and we lost about 20 minutes and with generous help from some locals managed to haul it up. This delay coupled with a 15 minute detour in the wrong direction meant we reached Uthirakosamangai fearing it may have closed for darshan. 

Uthirakosamangai (https://goo.gl/maps/LhdoYMCir5hFNRZQA) is an ancient Shiva temple (believed to be atleast 3000+ years old and the first Shiva temple in the country) and houses a Nataraja idol made out of emerald (Maragatha Natarajar). The idol is covered in sandalwood paste all through the year and unveiled in its emerald form, only once, on Thiruvaadhirai day (Arudra Dharisanam) every year. Mangalanatha Swamy is the presiding deity. We reached the temple at 8 PM and the artha jaama pooja was on. But unfortunately, the rest of the temple was closed and we missed seeing the Maragatha Natarajar. We drove off to Rameswaram and retired for the day. 

Day 7 - Dec 30, 2022, Friday 

Our day in Rameswaram started at 7.30 AM and we had a list of places we wanted to cover. We were advised to go the main temple in the evening due to the crowds. So we decided to cover everything else. Most of the other places of interest like the Ram Kund (aka Rama Theertham etc.,), Sita Kund, Lakshman Kund are very close to each other and at walking distance on or around Thangachi Madam road, the NH. There is a Panchamukhi Hanuman temple (Thulasi Baba Mutt) which also houses the famous floating stones (https://goo.gl/maps/AMFw4VvE5LdMSopT8). Ask anyone around and they will point you to the correct location. It is definitely better than relying on google maps. Opposite Ram Kund is a small Rama temple where Rama and Sita apparently landed from Lanka before proceeding to worship the Shiva in Rameswaram. 

Ramar Paadham (Gandha Madana Parvatham) being the highest point in the island gives a nice birds eye view of the surroundings. You can also get binoculars on hire to look around.  

The resting place of the beloved former President Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam has been converted into a lovely memorial (https://goo.gl/maps/FAf1cSToZRkaQRc37) and is one of the most popular destinations in Rameswaram today. It is very neatly maintained and has lot of photographs and anecdotal references from his life and journey. But most of the
photographs are not labeled. Labeling them should add a lot more value in knowing who's who. Mobile phones and cameras are not allowed inside and are very strict about it. This is also a stroller/wheelchair friendly place. 

Villundi Theertham is an interesting place and it is believed that Rama dipped his arrow in sea water and created it to quench the thirst of Sita. This place used to be in shambles when I visited in 2010. But it is neatly done up now. The water from the well here is supposed to be less salty/consumable compared to the sea water it is surrounded/fed by. We spent a few minutes on the Pamban bridge munching freshly sliced pineapples and taking pictures. A new railway track is in the works as well.  

Post lunch at Daiwik hotels (they have a decent buffet), we headed to Dhanushkodi. Back in 2010, this was the best part of my visit to Rameswaram and I vividly remember the eerie vibe the place had. Private vehicles weren't allowed beyond a point (Mukuntharayar chathiram) then and one had to hire 4x4 jeeps that at certain points drove through water to take us to the ghost town.What we saw this time was in stark contrast. Shops have mushroomed EVERYWHERE, thanks to the neatly laid roads all the way till Arichal Munai, the last point. There were hundreds of shops selling trinkets and food and refreshments and the breathtaking views were all gone. There was litter of all kinds everywhere! I was left a little disappointed having seen this place in all its glory. Hope someone takes an initiative to put some restrictions in place, else this gorgeous place will be lost forever. Arichal munai was just too crowded given the season. My original plan was to drive all the way to Dhanushkodi (I was living in Utopia). In hindsight, I am thankful I didn't, at least for now. 

We drove back and took a quick dip in the Agni Theertham (Bay of Bengal) and proceeded for darshan at the Ramanathaswamy (& Parvathavardhini) Temple, which is also one of the 12 Jyotirlings. The 22 wells were closed in the evening and hence we went straight to darshan. We followed the general queue and despite the thronging crowds, we had a fabulous darshan. The way the ramps are setup is very effective in getting a good darshan.

  

We wanted to buy kodi theertham (https://www.rameswaramonline.in/city-guide/theerthams-in-rameswaram) to take back, but the temple stalls had shut down. As I was enquiring about it outside the temple, I bumped into a pious gentleman and asked him where I could get it. He mentioned that what we get outside may not be genuine and that I could come the next morning to buy. I told him that we plan to check out early, the next morning and that is not an option. He very kindly offered to bring 'kodi theertham' that he had collected the previous day and kept at home and asked me to wait. I was expecting a small bottle. A few minutes later his son came by and handed over a large can of theertham and also refused to take any money for it. Plain luck/blessing! We had dinner at Vasanta Bhavan on Sannadhi Street, and it was bad. We retired to leave for Madurai early the next morning. 

Day 8 - Dec 31, 2022, Saturday 

We had signed up with 'Madurai Inhabitants', a group of tour guides, to help us locally in Madurai. Mr.Dhanapal was our guide and as per his instruction post breakfast we reached Azhagar Koil at 10 AM. He promptly received us and suggested that we visit Pazhamuthir Cholai (last in the list of Arupadai Veedu), on the Solai Malai hill. This is the place where Lord Subramanya is believed to have played with Avvaiyaar, the legendary poet (Sutta Pazham/Sudaadha Pazham).It is a small drive and the temple itself is not very big. We opted for the paid darshan and could get up close to the sanctum sanctorum for a lovely darshan and were also bestowed with 'parivattam'.

A little ahead of the Pazhamudhir Cholai temple is a perennial spring called 'Noopura Gangai', which also houses the Rakkayi Amman temple. Legend has it that when Vishnu's feet reached Brahmaloka, in his Vaamana Avatar (where he measures the land and sky with one feet each), Brahma washed his foot with water from the Ganges, which fell to the earth after touching Vishnu's anklet (Noopuram in sanskrit) and became Noopura Gangai. The water from this stream is used in Azhagar Koil to perform Abhishekam to the lord and also for the prasadam, which gives them a unique taste. 

Many devotees coming here take bath in the spring water and it was pretty crowded. We spent about 30 minutes in the queue. We didn't take bath, but collected the water in a bottle. The water was pretty tasty though. The queue by default leads you to the temple of Raakkayi amman, from underneath whose feet the spring is believed to be originating. Getting to the spring and the Rakkaayi amman temple involve a little bit of a climb.The tiled hall that leads to the temple from the bathing area, is perennially wet with water dripping from the devotees dresses and can be a little slippery. 

We drove down to the base of the hill and in time to get darshan of Sundara Raja Perumal at the Kallazhagar Temple.Thanks to Mr.Dhanapal, we also managed to get our hands on the famous 'Azhagar Koil Dosai', the prasadam offered in this temple, before the temple stall shut down. After digging into the yummy 'dosai' deep fried in ghee we headed out for lunch. As expected most hotels were brimming with people. The Thirumalai Nayakar Mandapam under the aegis of ASI was closed for the public and didn't really seem maintained.

Our guide had suggested that we reach the west entrance of the Meenakshi temple at 2.15 PM to be able to beat the crowd that will come in later. The gates to the temple open only at 3.30 PM and the darshan opens at 4 PM. Please be aware that devotees are not allowed to carry mobiles or large bags inside the temple. There cloak rooms near the entrances that also open at the same time as the entrance gates (we left the phones in the car). Small handbags and water bottles are allowed. We had carried some diapers etc for the toddler and they didn't object. 

Once the gates opened at 3.30 PM we quickly went and settled down at the special entrance near the 'Pottraamarai Kulam' (Golden Lotus Pond), post which it was a smooth passage to darshan of the gorgeous Meenakshi and Sundareshwarar. Like in Tirupathi, once you come out after darshan, you promptly get 2 laddoos as prasadam. We spent about 30 minutes exploring the beautiful sculptures around the temple with Mr.Dhanapal with an excited Shaswat rattling out stories he has read. 

Surprisingly, not even half of the devotees visiting madam Meenakshi visit her hubby. The % dwindles further when it comes to the other main attraction of the temple, the 1000 pillared hall (Aayiram Kaal Mandapam), that houses some exquisite sculptures both in stone and metal, apart from musical pillars and some beautiful paintings. There were hardly 50 people in the 30 minutes we spent inside the hall. 

I was especially fascinated by the large 'Meenakshi Kalyanam' painting in tanjore style, the portrait of Meenakshi and the intricately detailed model of the temple made of pith. The details of the gopurams, the walls and even a chariot procession inside the temple with the amman sitting in the chariot are all so exquisitely captured in this miniature model.  

We headed out and after a quick snack at A2B, my aunt and cousin took leave for Trichy. We went to Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal for the sound and light show. There is one in English at 6.45 PM and another in Tamil at 8 PM. We opted for the one in English. But to our disappointment, the acoustics were ordinary. The speakers are placed in such a way that if you are sitting in front (we were in the 2nd row) some stuff played in the rear speakers are not audible. To add to it, most of the audience were chatting away to glory and walking around taking selfies and proved to be a major distraction. Not to mention the mosquito menace. Maybe it would have been better to go check out the palace during the day. Poor experience! 

To uplift our moods from the rather disappointing sound and light show, we requested Mr.Dhanapal to take us for some 'pet pooja'. I had a list of local delicacies that I wanted to try.  

We started with Paruthipaal (Cotton seed milk) from the famous 90 + year old 'Thirumalai Madai Karuppasamy Paruthipaal kadai', in its 3rd generation, run by Mr.Santhanam and his son (https://goo.gl/maps/H6LqAjhLdG5hXoBr6). I loved the gooey concoction with the flavors of spices and herbs with the sweetness of palm jaggery, all for Rs.20. There was a steady flow of customers in the 10-15 minutes we spent near the stall.

 

We stopped by to do some sungudi saree shopping for Priya and my cousin at Rani Sarees, again suggested by our guide. We went to Raja Barley to pick us some of their famous 'Nei Mittaai' but it was sold out. Same with the other popular snack, the 'Mullu Murungai Keera Vadai'. I guess I will have to go one more time only for the food trail. Before saying goodbye to Mr.Dhanapal for the day, we made one last stop at the 'Aadhi Kaalathu Original Nei Mittai Kadai', ate some of their delicious Cashew Halwa (in pic) and packed some 'Nei Mittai'. It is only thanks to him that we managed so much in less than 12 hours in the hustle and bustle of Madurai with the many traffic restrictions and the crowds. 

Mr.Dhanapal

A quick dinner at Sree Sabarees and we were done for the day, marking the close of a very very memorable trip. We also bid farewell to Mr.Maari, our driver, who ensured we had a pleasant tour.

Mr.Maari

Day 9 - Jan 01, 2023, Sunday - Back to the pavilion 

Tired legs and sleep deprived bodies fuelled by myriad memories from the previous 8 days and the New Year cheer resulted in a few pictures in the lounge of the hotel before we embarked on our journey back to Bangalore. We took a drop taxi (Etios Sedan) and expected some heavy traffic on the way back, but it wasn't all that bad and by 5 PM we were home. 

Details of KMs travelled by day for reference

(excluding 915 kms for Bangalore to Madurai and back is 2037 kms)  

Accommodation:

Day 1 - Madurai - Gopuram Residency - Rooms were nice, Right opposite the west gopuram of the Meenakshi Temple, Vehicle not allowed near hotel, otherwise nice location - 4/5

Day 2 - Tirunelveli - Sree Annamalaiyar Park - Excellent Rooms, Breakfast was bad! 3/5

Day 3 - Tirunelveli - Sri Bharani Hotels - Great location for those traveling by bus/train, Parking was limited, Old property so rooms were average, Service at the restaurant was poor - 2.5/5

Day 4 - Tiruchendur - Hotel SR - Great location, nice property and rooms, Hotel Saravana Bhavan in the 1st floor - 4.5/5

Day 5 - Kanyakumari - Chithra Hotel - Average property - Decent location, Limited Parking space - 3/5

Day 6 & 7 - Rameswaram - Hotel KNP Nest - Decent Room, Nice property & helpful staff, Limited facilities for the driver and it cost us almost 45 minutes on the day we checked out

Day 8 - Madurai - RamRathna Residency - Proximity to Maattuthaavani bus stand, good property and rooms, map leading to this place is a little off - 4.5/5

 --Cheers!