"Always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive."
In our case, we live to drive, don't we?
The elders were getting bored and wanted to go on a drive. The initial plan was to spend the weekend in Gavi or Thekkady, but Gavi had a full house, and the KTDC properties inside Periyar Tiger Reserve were fully booked too. We had given up the plan for a drive when Koonthankulam popped up in the discussion. A quick look at Google Maps and the plan was finalized as a day drive to Koonthankulam with a visit to Maruthvamalai and Vattakkottai en route.
Our comfortable starting time is 7 a.m. Being a Sunday, traffic was smooth, and we cleared Attingal-Thiruvananthapuram under 45 minutes.
Breakfast was had from Pappanamcode. Masala dosa and strong tea:
Once super congested Karakkamandapam Junction now post widening:
The usual chock-a-block traffic was smooth flowing today up until Kuzhithurai where traffic was diverted due to ongoing road widening and flyover construction in Marthandam. We discovered some new roads in the process.
A lotus pond somewhere while circumventing Marthandam:
We rejoined the highway thanks to Google Maps.
Thiruvananthapuram-Padmanabhapuram was once the true Rajpath of Travancore. Till now it has mostly remained the same even though the traffic has multiplied many times. Hopefully, the ongoing widening will breathe a new vitality into it.
With road widening and diversions at Nagercoil eating up our time as well, we reached the base of Maruthvamalai by 11:45 a.m.
Quote:
The Marunthuvazh Malai (Tamil: மருந்துவாழ் மலை, Malayalam: മരുത്വാ മല ), also known as the Marunthu Vazhum Malai ("the abode of medicinal herbs"), forms the part and the southernmost tip of the Western Ghats of Agasteeswaram taluk of Kanyakumari district.
According to tradition, the Maruthuva Malai is a fragment of the Sanjeevi Mountain, a piece of which fell down here, and it was carried by Hanuman from Mahendragiri to Lanka for healing the fatal wounds of Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, the epic hero. It stretches for more than a km, reaching a height of 800 feet at the highest point. It is about 1 km from pothaiyadi, 2 km from Swamithoppe and 11 km from Nagercoil.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marunthuvazh_Malai
Our destination, in particular, was Maruthuvazhmala Sree Narayana Gurudeva Mandiram (8.130907, 77.505292). Our intention was two fold. One, my mom wanted to try out their preparation of herbal oil for joint pain and another one was to inquire about climbing the hill. Apparently, the climb will take 3 hours and though there are stairs cut into the rock face, it is quite arduous for senior citizen. We said our thanks and drove onto the next stop, Vattakkottai.
The noon heat was taking its toll and much to our chagrin, the a/c began to perform suboptimally. We came across a big lotus pond bisected by the highway with a tree providing ample shade. We stopped for a few minutes to click some pics and to enjoy the breeze.
We were not too keen to visit Kanyakumari and took the left turn from Kottaram towards Vattakkottai.
We reached Vattakkottai by 12:20.
Quote:
Vattakottai Fort (or 'Circular Fort') is a seaside fort near Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu the southern tip of India. It was built in the 18th century as a coastal defence-fortification and barracks in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.
It was constructed under the supervision of Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, an ex-Dutch naval officer of the Dutch East India Company, who became commander of the Travancore Army (the very army that defeated him in the Battle of Colachel) in the 18th century, after he earned the trust of the Travancore King Marthanda Varma.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vattakottai_Fort
The entrance:
A quaint house in front of the fort caught my eye:
I wonder if it is up for sale.
Plaque inside the fort:
The ground inside was being prepared for re-laying the turf:
Comparison picture from my
trip in 2009:
One of the mandapas inside:
Beach view from an embrasure:
The biggest bastion of the fort: