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February 27, 2009

Tanjore: Feasting With True Chola Culture

As I headed from Mahabalipuram to Tanjore, I observed the entire city busy in celebrating the birthday of King Raja Cholan. Tanjore or Thanjavur, the erstwhile capital of the Chola dynasty, welcomed me with full warmth. After a long journey of about 300 km in a Deluxe Coach of Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation, I enjoyed my favourite Masala Dosa with a chilled Coke at the restaurant Marutham at Hotel Oriental Towers. A waiter told me that Hotel Oriental Towers also offers high-end luxurious accommodation at a reasonable price. Fortunately, I got a cozy room on the 11th storey of the hotel from where I could have splendid views of the colourful Tanjore city.

I started off with my 'hunt' in the evening. I asked an autowala to take me to the major attractions of the city. He charged me Rs. 300 for 3 hours and in the meanwhile he shared very interesting facts about the city with me. He told me that the city was named after a demon king 'Tanjan' who was assassinated by Sri Anandavalli Amman, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The guy told me that the city is home to over 75 temples. He took me to places like Airavatheeswara Temple and Brihadeswara Temple, which are the most prominent religious sites and are declared as world heritage monuments by the UNESCO. The temples, designed during the Chola kingdom, were amazing architectures.

Anna, the autowala, was a wonderful guide. He insisted me to visit the Tanjore Palace as well. This superb structure was a unique blend of the Chola, Nayakas and the Maratha architectural patterns. Anna told me that the palace houses a library, an art gallery and an interesting museum. I was surprised to see the display of items from the past rulers and the rarest collection of artifacts of the 8th and 9th century, belonging to the Chola dynasty. The library has an amazing collection of manuscripts written on palm leaves and paper. There are over 44,000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts in Indian and European languages inside the Saraswathi Mahal library. After a short but interesting historic journey, Anna dropped me to my hotel. I asked Anna if he could show me the other attractions of the city the next day. He smiled and said that he would charge Rs. 500 for that.

The very next morning, I had my breakfast in my room only. Anna was waiting for me outside the hotel since 8:30 am and I did not want to make him wait for a long time. Therefore I had a quick shower, put some snacks in my bag and got down of the hotel at 9 am. He first took me to Kodaikkarai or Point Calimere. It is a famous bird sanctuary, located about 90 km from Tanjore. We spent about two hours there and spotted several migratory waterfowls such as Flamingoes. While returning from the Point Calimere, Anna offered me glimpses of Swamimalai (abode of Lord Subramanya), Darasuram temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva), Thirubuvnam temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva), Naageswaran temple etc. Being more inclined towards historic monuments, I insisted Anna to take me to some fort or palace. He took me to 'Manora', the largest and tallest of the monuments built by the Tanjore Marathas. This eight-storey hexagonal fortress was constructed by Sarfoji II in 1815 in the honour of Britain's victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo.

We had our lunch at a roadside dhaba. We were offered a variety in rice preparations. Anna tole me that the city is nurtured by the Kaveri (Cauvery) river and there are a number of paddy fields in Tanjore. Being a leading player in rice cultivation, Tanjore is called the 'Rice Bowl of South India'. While returning to the hotel, I asked Anna to drive via market area. As Tanjore is a center for art and culture, its antiques, exquisite handicrafts, handloom silk sarees and the unique Tanjore paintings (known for their elegance, rich colors, and images of Hindu deities) are in great demand all over the world. Tanjore artisans are expert in making plates (inlaid with brass and silver), musical instruments (veena, tambura and mridangam), paper mache dolls, miniatures of temples and bell metal products.

After reaching my hotel, I was invited to see a folk art performance in the main hall. I enjoyed various dance performances on Carnatic music while having dinner. These two days were simply outstanding and eventful.

February 18, 2009

Mahabalipuram: Exhibiting An Open Museum

With a mood of exploring several other prominent destinations in south India, I planned to visit Mahabalipuram. I got into a deluxe coach bus from Chennai (55 km) and reached Mahabalipuram very comfortably in one and a half hour. After a short survey, I booked a room in Golden Sun Hotel & Beach Resort. The three star hotel was built at a prime location offering wonderful views of the Coromandel coastline. This small city in the state of Tamil Nadu, next to the Bay of Bengal, was basically a well established sea port during the 7th and 10th centuries of the Pallava dynasty.

I asked for a guide from the managing authorities of the hotel to explore this beautiful sea-side town. Rajan, the guide, accompanied me throughout my stay in Mahabalipuram. He told me that the city was named after the rude, cruel and arrogant King Mahabali who was killed by Lord Vishnu. He further told me that various new styles of art and architecture were introduced to Mahabalipuram during the rule of the Pallavas. Therefore you can see rock-cut caves and temples in every nook and corner of the city.

Rajan took me to some of the finest monuments and temples that are predominantly monolithic, apart from the beautiful sandy beaches of the city. Krishna Mandapam (a bas relief dedicated to Lord Krishna, notable for its realistic representation), and Arjuna's Penance (world's largest bas relief, containing figures of gods, demigods, men, beasts, birds and almost all of the entire creation) are considered as the major architectural marvels of Mahabalipuram. Besides, you can also treat your senses to the architectural beauty of the Shore Temple (one of the oldest temples constructed in pure Dravidian style, houses shrines for both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu) and the Five Rathas (the five monolithic temples carved out of a single rock, known as the Pancha Pandava Rathas). Tirukalukundram is another famous site for religious minded people. This tourist spot has a Shiva temple situated on the top of the Vedagiri hill. Due to the architectural and heritage values attached to these structures, UNESCO has crowned this historical city as a 'World Heritage Site'.

We also had a few fast food items from the roadside shops. Although the day was tiring, but I was really overwhelmed by visiting the rich heritage of this scenic destination. Rajan asked me to get ready the next morning by 7 am as we were slated to visit Kanchipuram, the land of silk sarees. Kanchipuram (65 km) is popularly known as the 'Golden City of Thousand Temples'. Rajan told me earlier that it would not be convenient to visit all the temples in one day. So, we decided to have glimpses of a few major temples. He took me to the Ekambaranathar temple, the Kailasanatha temple, Sri Varadaraja temple, Sri Vaikuntaperumal temple and the Kamakshi temple. These all temples reflect the world's best architectural patterns, and the maturity and efflorescence of Pallava, Chola, Vijayanagara and Chalukyan art.

While having lunch in a pure vegetarian restaurant, Rajan told me that the city has a flourishing handloom industry. About 75% of Kanchipuram's population is dependent on the Silk Saree industry. He also told me that Kanchipuram organizes a 'Silk Tourism Festival' in the month of October. I bought a few marvellous silk sarees woven from pure mulberry silk in vibrant colors and decorated with fine gold thread (zari) for my mother and granny. It was already 7 pm and we decided to drive back to out hotel in Mahabalipuram. Visiting these two historic places was a true delight to me.

February 16, 2009

Chennai: Living The True Indian Culture

Valentine celebration was over, and I packed my bag for another leisure holiday. A friend of mine, Avinash, who stays in Chennai, invited me to his place on his birthday. I 'obviously' could not turn down his invite as I am a great fan of IPL (Indian Premier League) Champs- 'Chennai Super Kings'. Fortunately, my visit coincided with the beginning of IPL T20 Cricket Match. Avinash was waiting for me at the Kamaraj Domestic Airport. After a shower and a heavy breakfast at his home, I presented him an Esprit Wrist Watch.

To enjoy the weekend in the best possible way, he first took me to the Kapaleshwar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple, with a peaceful environment, is a perfect place for the religious minded people. While driving amidst the abundant green patches and the high-tech, high-rise buildings, I was actually overwhelmed by the vibrant aspects of the city. Sprawled over an area of 200 square kilometers with the Bay of Bengal on the east, this fourth largest city in India serves as the gateway to the rest of South India. Avinash told me that Chennai has witnessed a number of rulers like the Cholas, Pallavas, Vijayanagar rulers,
Portuguese, Dutch and the British. The city keeps on reinventing itself and that is what I liked the most about Chennai.

Avinash offered me glimpses of the Parthasarthy Temple (dedicated to Lord Krishna), Guindy National Park and Snake Park (dreamlands for animal lovers), and the National Art Gallery (known for the rarest collection of old paintings and sculptures). The city itself was so lively, enthusiastic and vibrant that we were not feeling tired or hungry at all. Chennai is very encouraging in all perspectives of development as well. I observed a balanced pattern in modern technology and the traditional arts and crafts of the city. It was getting dark in the evening and we rushed to a famous restaurant Karaikudi. We ordered some authentic south Indian dishes. The décor was purely dedicated to the traditional ethics of the state. Even the waiters were dressed in Panchakacham (Dhoti, tucked in behind, in five folds).

At Avinash's home, I booked online tickets for the IPL Cricket Match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi DareDavils, which was scheduled the very next day at 06:30 pm at the M A
Chidambaram Stadium. The weather was quite pleasant next day. The maid who works at Avinash's place, was on leave, so we decided to get some sort of fast food and burgers packed from Mc Donald. We first went to the Anna Zoological Park (the biggest in south east Asia), situated at Vandalur, in the outskirts of Chennai. The zoological park, with more than 170 species of mammals, aviaries and reptiles, serves as a great place for fun as well as learning. I was also very curious to see the Fort St. George. However it was quite far, Avinash took me to that historical monument. It was the first British fortress in India (constructed between 1640 and 1653 and subsequently reconstructed in 1783). The fort boasts of being a home to many historical personalities like Thomas Pitt, Elihu Yale, Robert Clive and Lord Cornwallis. We saw a a number of artifacts belonging to the British colonial period and a few French antiques inside the Fort St. George.

On our way to the stadium, we had our lunch at Sarvana Bhavan and bought a few traditional and trendy merchandise such as Pattamara mats, the leaf and palmyra-fiber handicrafts, metal works, leather bags, shoes, etc. Chennai is world renowned for other materials like bronze and brass castings, traditional jewellery, stone carvings, and silk sarees. The match, too, was fantastic. Dhoni hit the maximum sixes and grabbed the match like an ideal skipper. My trip was simply outstanding. Plan a trip to Chennai and you will come to know that this wonderland is not all about Dhoti and Kurta only.

Kerala- The Extraordinary Painting Of Nature On The World Canvas

I wanted to experience heaven on earth, the treasure of nature's pristine beauty and the holidays, which are indescribably relaxing, pleasurable and memorable. And more importantly, I wanted a 'much needed break' from the monotony of the urban life. Fortunately, God sneaked me a wonderful opportunity to visit the rightly called 'God's own country', Kerala. One of my friends was going to Kerala for vacations and she asked me if I would like to join in. Thanks to my boss who spared me for a few days. Being a travel aficionado, I packed my bags and embarked on the journey with a big smile on my face. I did my some home work by browsing through some websites on Kerala, in order to make sure that we don't miss out any of its great attractions. The state offers a plethora of choices to please its tourists to the hilt. Kerala is what the National Geographic Magazine rated to be one of the 50 must-see destinations of the world.
Our first halt in Kerala wasKerala Cochin Cochin(also called Kochi), popularly known as the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea'. Cochin is also one of the best natural harbors in the world. Cochin greeted us with salubrious climate, gorgeous green environment, the mesmerizing views of the palm-fringed islands, the giggling of the sea waves, the picture-perfect sights of the houseboats and a feeling of being transported straight into the lap of Mother nature. What else can you ask for!
The exciting ferry ride took us to the houseboat where we were already booked. The houseboats on the Cochin backwaters are one of the most striking attractions . After a refreshing break during which we also feasted on the traditional cuisine of Kerala, we set out on our journey and visited the most exotic destinations of Cochin. The views of the Cochin backwaters offered us an experience cocooned in natural beauty. The description of Cochin is incomplete without the mention of the famous and beautiful Chinese Fishing Nets, whichChinese Fishing Nets are very efficient means of backwater fishing.
Cherishing the natural beauty of Cochin in our hearts we made our way to the Dutch Palace, which reflects the great Indian mythological themes through beautiful murals. From floors to ceilings, everything was done to perfection. The notable feature of the floor is that despite of being made from the mixture of burned coconut shells, lime, charcoal, plant juices and egg white,it gives the impression of a marble floor.
Our next halt was the Jewish Synagogue whose history dates back to the 16th century. It is known for its architectural beauty, especially for its tile work. It is festooned with hand painted tiles which were imported from China. Also notable are the wood crafts, arresting artifacts and gold and silver crowns.
Post lunch, we went to St. Francis Church, which was constructed in an impressive European style. Its lush green gardens are also refreshing. The church also boasts of brilliant paintings.
Last but not the least, and in fact one of the most important attractions in Cochin is 'shopping'. Pressed for time, we decided to dedicate some quality time to go on a shopping spree, before its too late, as we had to leave for Alleppy the next day. We bought a wide variety of appealing handicrafts, which included coconut shell items, bamboo canes, jewelery and some metal wares.
After shopping we went back to our houseboat and spent a great time there. After a wonderful dining experience we retired to bed, eagerly waiting to explore more treasures of Kerala.