[ninjatalli]

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.

– Robert Louis Stevenson

Prologue
Ever since I completed the Karnataka and Kerala coastline trips, the clock was ticking on completing the third leg of the southern coastal trail - Tamil Nadu. This had an even more ulterior motive - my roots are from this state and I have traversed very less of this state; with most of my time here spent only in the cities of Chennai and Trichy. But then parenthood happened and the plans had to be put on hold for a while. Work pressure all went up so finally when the opportunity came up with a good number of leave being available that needed to be used up before the year end and favourable weather conditions observed towards the end of the year, the wheels in the head started grinding again.


The so-called plan
It took me two years to be able to revisit this goal but finally a plan was put for December about six months in advance. Office holidays were blocked, required train tickets were booked and a rough timeline was planned. The cycle was lying at my parent’s place in Chennai and not used for a while so it had to be spruced up for the long ride. Also, one endpoint of the trip was to start or end at Nagercoil while I was based out of Bangalore, so that had to be taken care off. Tamil Nadu (TN) also had the ‘problem’ of many temple towns situated in the interiors so a rough itinerary as below is what was put up initially

Day 0: take a train to Chennai and spend the day getting the cycle into shape
Day 1 - 7: Hit the following cities
- Puducherry
- Tharangambadi (/Tranquebar)
- Thanjavur
- Rameshwaram
- Tirunelveli (or Thoothukudi)
Day 8: Tirunelveli to Nagercoil
Day 9: Overnight train reaching Bangalore in the morning

A few days before my planned trip, my wife had asked me for an indicative plan and this is what I had shared with her. The TBCs were still to be planned out; I didn’t have suitable locations identified even then.



This was a very aggressive plan; with no buffer time or rest day. Last time on the Kerala trip, the extra rest day at Kochi was vital for me to do the remaining 300 kms to Kanyakumari. Also, the kms estimated were on the lower side as I found out when I actually did some of those segments (Chennai - Puducherry turned out to be ~150 kms instead of 140). But overall, that quietened the doubters for a while.

However, one factor that I couldn’t plan for - was the weather! Courtesy of the (unofficial) TamilNadu Weatherman, we found out that the coastal sectors of TN are to experience extreme heavy rains over the week I was to do my cycling trip. This put my family into a frenzy with multiple requests being made for me to replan or cancel. After numerous back and forth sessions, I finally changed my itinerary to a more agreeable route; with the focus more on temple towns rather than sticking to the coast.


Source: Tamil Nadu weatherman


Replanning: Final Itinerary
So the replanned itinerary became as below

Day 0: Head to Chennai and get everything ready
Day 1: Chennai to Puducherry
Day 2: Chennai to Chidambaram / Mayiladuthurai
Day 3: Mayiladuthurai to Thanjavur
Day 4: Thanjavur to TBC
Day 5: TBC to Madurai
Day 6: Madurai to TBC 2
Day 7: TBC 2 to Tirunelveli
Day 8: Tirunelveli to Nagercoil
Day 9: Overnight train to Bangalore

The TBCs location were due to limited hotels / lodges availability in the interiors of TN. Also I was on the lookout for places which had some setup of parking area (for the cycle's overnight safety); many places just offered outside / frontside open parking which wouldn’t work for me for an overnight halt. I was more than okay to rough it up with my own lodgings as long as I knew the cycle was not at risk of getting picked up overnight. As it turned out, I eventually decided the final stopover hotels only the night before.


Map-layout of the route

This route still didn’t rule out any future rain based constraints due to the south-west monsoon, but it gave me easier options to check out and call it a day if the need arises. Two locations were Madurai and Tirunelveli, where I could call it a day and head back home on a train if needed. Something which I actually leveraged during the trip; but more on that during the latter posts.


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Trip Summary

So prior to this trip, I hadn’t been cycling a lot. Which was a big red flag. I started going on local cycling trips in and around Bangalore a few weeks in advance; with a few longer rides over the weekends. As it unfolded, the maximum ride I could get to do was a measurely 60kms; well short of the 100+ kms daily rides I was planning for. But I did what I could do and soldered on. The hope was on the factor that TN was relatively flat so that should help. As it turned out, I did decently well and the lack of more prep didn’t create much problems.

Key Stats
Total distance: 500+ kms
Avg (daily) distance: ~100 kms
No. of days on the road: 5
Hours spent on the road: ~35 (generally 5:00am to 12:30pm per day)


Gear / Acessories
I again decided to travel light inspite of the weather (rain) and managed without the need of any panniers. I debated for a while if I should carry raincoat but decided against it. My luggage consisted of:
- 1 x TrekNRide saddle bag (to carry luggage)
- 1 x cycle portable pump
- 1 x extra tube
- 1 x multi-tool kit
- 1 x cycle lock
- 1 x mobile (front) holder bag
- 1 x tire repair kit
- 2 x pairs of riding top + pants
- 2 x pairs of light material homewear + other knick-knacks
- Basic cycling gear (helmet, bottles, glasses, gloves, etc.)


So how did it turn out?
- TN turned out to be very different from KA and KL. Almost like they are different countries. Not only from terrain, but also with regards to culture and people. (maybe this was obvious to you, but it surprised me).
- The rains didn’t affect me at all (thankfully). The closest I got was a few drizzles during one of the day which lasted for less than an hour. The trip was mostly a mix of cloudy and humid/warm days; with morning sessions being Bangalore-ish kind of weather and afternoons becoming like Chennai.
- For reasons still unclear to me, local folks assumed I wasn’t a local/Tamilian at all; speaking to me in broken Hindi or English. Only after I spoke back to them in Tamil; did they acknowledge that I was “one of them”.
- December is a great time to be in Tamil Nadu for bird watchers. The delta regions which is filled with flat plains that get filled with rain water see so many beautiful bird species. I saw so many colors - it was a pity I didn’t have a proper camera to capture them.
- With a Hampi trip that was done in November, and the plethora of temples I got to see on this trip, I think I have seen more temples in the last 6 weeks than I have done in my entire life combined. Quoting my wife - I’m definitely having temple-fatigue (/phew).
- Having said that, TN temple towns definitely need visiting. They are drop dead gorgeous and some of them don’t get the necessary importance that other national level sites get (e.g. Hampi). Practically every village/town/city has a glorious temple to boast about and many of them are centuries old, rich with history. On that, it felt to me there is no comparison across the country (disclaimer: limited know-how). I can only hope this wonderful history gets maintained and not lost over time.

[ninjatalli]

Day 1: Chennai to Puducherry (via Mahabalipuram)


summary for the day

I wanted to start early and kept alarm for 4 am; and was pretty much out of my house by 4:30 am. Surprisingly Chennai city was still sleeping; I guess 5 am is the wake up point for the masses. I quickly got on to the ECR with limited traffic; mostly trucks than cars. And the occasional speeding car or bike.

By the time the sun came up, I was well outside the city; and then started the train of road bikes (cyclists) with men and women in lycra speeding by me in cohorts. Weirdly most of them felt comfortable blocking a full lane for themselves; rather than going in single file. A very dangerous move; considering that the ECR was hogged by racing cars and bikes in the mornings; and it would be only a slight oversight for a speeding vehicle to veer into their lane. Thankfully none of that happened; and I continued on my (relatively) slower pace on the shoulder lane, chugging along kms.

I passed Mahabalipuram around 6 30 am; and with that left behind the lycra train who were taking their water/tea/groupie-pic breaks, before heading back to the city. I had been to the temple so many times; there was nothing for me to visit; so I continued ahead.


Mahabalipuram temple - source: google maps

But then started a new train - a train of leather and polyester; as a steady stream of motor-bikers with their big exhausts and noisy machines roared by. It seemed the only goal to be achieved for their morning rides was to who’s bike can make the maximum noise. There was direct correlation between the estimated value of the bike and the noise it makes. The poor Royal Enfield-ers (pun intended) were the quietest of the bunch. This train went on for a much longer time and was seen taking breaks for those group bike selfies at several scenic locations.

By 11, the heat picked up and my pace had reduced significantly; with breaks taken now every half an hour. I even had a second late breakfast at 11 30 am; just for the sake of sitting in an restaurant with fans! I finally crossed the Puducherry border around 12 30 pm and stopped to search and book a hotel. I could identify one with proper parking right next to the French quarter/colony and that became my base for the night. With nearly 150 kms under the saddle, I had limited energy so I quickly went out for lunch nearby and satisfied my hunger with some crepe(s) and juices to keep myself refreshed.


The outer layer looked and tasted like a dosa but the fillings were really yummy!

By the time I returned back to the room, my body was ready to call it a day and I slept off for a few hours; only waking up for an early dinner. Like Mahabalipuram, Puducherry was a place I had been multiple times so I had no intention of doing sight seeing; especially given it was the weekend with heavy crowds. Attaching a few pics of a similar trip when I was able to walk around the French quarter without the crowds around.


early mornings at the Promenade beach...


...with the only people around being locals on their morning walks

I find Puducherry starting to resemble Goan cities in so many ways - for starters, there is the similarity of a good mix of different culture(s) and cuisine(s). Bikes and cycles for rentals are available at every corner at affordable rates; and there seemed to be no checks for helmets. The booze shops are well spread across the streets but aren’t seen negatively; and blend well with other shops. Tourists (Indian and foreigners) are more visible than the locals. Atleast the French quarter felt like that; the rest of the city still retains the usual setup. I for all matter, didn’t feel like experimenting; and found a quaint bhojanalay setup in one corner right next to premium restaurants. Had a simple thali that felt just perfect for the night. Quite an odd choices of food options for the first day, but it felt good enough.


A north-indian thali for the sweet deal of 150 bucks in the center of French quarter - who knew!

Called it early and slept off; as I had planned to start early again the next day. I guess I was one of the rare tourist in the French quarter going to sleep at 9 on a weekend night.

[ninjatalli]

Day 2: Pondicherry to Mayiladuthurai (via Chidambaram)


summary of the day

Now we were getting into the exciting part of the trip with the road passing into temple towns / territories; however that wasn’t to start till we reached Chidambaram; which was still a good 50 kms away. Also given there was no trace of any rain yesterday or today morning; re-planning doubts started popping into my mind - if I should go back to my original plan of sticking to the coastal route. I decided to take that decision after breakfast but that turned out to be a problem as no restaurant was open / ready with breakfast for the next 40 kms. Passed through Cuddalore around 6ish and nothing was open; and I finally found the first restaurant providing breakfast close to 2.5 hours after I started cycling; somewhere on the highway.


nothing like steaming idlis to drive away weariness

After the stomach was taken care of, I went about checking weather forecasts. And decided to stick to the current plan; but also decided I would not stop at Chidambaram but rather keep going as much as I can. While there was no rain while I cycled, the impact of rains over the last week was very much visible with fields on both sides of the highway filled up with water; it felt as if the highway was right in the middle of a flooded river with just the elevated height of the national highway allowing it to be not submerged.


that was not a river...

I reached Chidambaram in less than an hour and took the opportunity to gulp down a nicely done dosa at one of the popular joints around the temple


round 2 of breakfast - this was becoming a habit, one I enjoyed!

The restaurant folks allowed me to keep my cycle in their parking area while I went ahead to tour the temple. Given that I was in biking shorts, I wasn’t sure if I would be allowed into the temple premises but the restaurant staff assured that there are no checks done. So I entered the temple; but before that a bit of wiki-info

Thillai Nataraja Temple, also referred as the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Nataraja, the form of Shiva as the lord of dance. The present temple was built in the 10th century when Chidambaram was the capital of the Chola dynasty. After its 10th-century consecration by the Cholas, the temple has been damaged, repaired, renovated and expanded through the 2nd millennium. Most of the temple's surviving plan, architecture and structure is from the late 12th and early 13th centuries, with later additions in similar style.

The beautiful west-gate gopuram providing entrance to the temple

This was a massive temple premise - one of the largest that I saw over this trip. And very well maintained as you can see in the pictures.


the south entrance also had the Nandi statue in front


the rear side view of the gopuram

The inner sanctum area had warning boards of no pictures/videos allowed so I didn’t take any; but it was a fantastic structure for sure. Google it up and you’ll see enough pictures/video tours of the same. Around here a security guard walked up to me and very nicely told me that shorts weren’t allowed and I had to go out; and so I did.

I walked out to the rear (/north) side of the temple and came upon the pretty shivaganga tank within the temple premise; which was extremely well-kept. I didn't know at that time, but this was the best maintained tank of all the temples I visited. Spent a few minutes over there before I decided to move on and headed back to the restaurant.



I headed out of Chidambaram and got back to the highway. For a while, I stuck to the national highway but for my next destination I had to get off the highway and into the rural scene; which was a pleasant shift into roads like these.



My next destination was the tiny town of Vaitheeswaran koil, a small setup with a temple that held importance to my family; so a stop made sense. And I’m glad I did that; as the temple was definitely worth the halt. Spent a few minutes going around the premises; thankfully there was no one to impose any dress based restrictions on me thankfully.


Another set of pretty gopuram(s) - it was interesting to see every gopuram had different set of characters


the intricate carvings of the pillars

This temple too had a wide tank at the back but the water condition wasn’t as clean as the one in Chidambaram. I guess it doesn’t get the patronage and funding as much as the other one does.


Interestingly this temple was known for it's ability to cure diseases. I wonder if that warranted a dip in this tank

There were a few hotel / lodge options in this small town but nothing really fit the ask so I decided to continue ahead till the next town, Mayiladuthurai; which also was the district head quarters, so definitely I would have a more bigger choice list of places to halt over there.

And so I did with a nice homestay kind of setup that offered compact AC rooms for a tidy sum. I quickly freshened up and head to a restaurant nearby that was recommended by the owner and I certainly wasn’t disappointed- the ‘sappad’ meals I had was simple but excellent.


Basic meal but every item on the leaf was good

I had a few office calls that I could not skip so the afternoon went by pretty fast; followed by some rest. In the evening, I walked around to the local temple - every village / town / city seemed to boast of their own temple and this district headquarters too had one that was just behind my homestay setup.



Given that by now, I was spoilt for temple choices, I didn’t spend a lot of time and went around looking for dinner options. Found a mess that offered snacks instead of meals and decided that would do for me. And called it a day early again; but I was looking forward to the next day’s escapades as now I was in prime temple town territory.

[ninjatalli]

Day 3: Mayiladuthurai to Thanjavur (via Kumbakonam)


summary of the day

Today’s plan was a leisurely ride as the route I had was dotted with temples. I was to pass through Kumbakonam and that town itself had 3 temples I had planned to visit; plus there were several more enroute; before I reach my destination of the day, the city of Thanjavur. My route was to continue on the internal rural road that was right adjacent to the Kaveri.


The state of the mighty Kaveri river - proof that KA needs to release more Kaveri water to TN

Also, we were prime center in the delta region of the Kaveri and other rivers and no wonder the fertile land is more known as the rice belt of TN. It had rained overnight; and I did experience a few minor drizzles on and off; the situation made for a delightful ride in this amazing weather. The green pastures all around reminded me of Kerala - a rare occurrence on this trip otherwise.


an apt representation of the rice belt of TN

My first halt of the day was the Kampahareswarar Temple at Thirubuvanam, a small town just outside Kumbakonam. A bit of Wiki-info

The Kampaheswarar Temple or kampa-hara-ishvarar ( kampa-hareswarar ) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva. It was built by Kulothunga Chola III and is considered the last of the four masterpieces built during the Medieval Chola era (late 12th century). The temple's architecture is similar to that of the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, Airavatesvara Temple at Kumbakonam and other key temples of the Chola empire.

If I thought the crowd at Chidambaram was less, there was a significant decrease today; with hardly any souls around. The temple was an important one; and one that is usually on the list of holy places for devotees. Maybe it was because it was still early hours on a Monday morning. I wasn’t complaining; and I didn’t realize the benefit of this till I reached Thanjavur and Madurai over the coming days. But more on that in subsequent posts.



of all the temples I visited, this one had the most colorful gopurams...


...and so did the temple too

What was striking is the riot of colors on the gopurams. The same in a city like Bangalore or Chennai is hardly fit for comparison (or for that matter even Madurai); as for those you see the colors faded or dusty. But here they stood out bright (unfortunately these photos don’t do justice).


I found these elephant trunks quite interesting

The next stop was very important - it was time for some breakfast!


Hot and steamy pongal - this time at a roadside setup close to the temple!

Within a short duration I entered Kumbakonam city and found myself at the main temple in the center of the city, Sri Sarangapani Swami Temple. Contrary to the previous temples I went to; this wasn’t maintained that well. The temple pond was filled with extremely dirty water; and the surrounding areas around the temple weren’t that clean. The inside premises were thankfully maintained well but I didn’t spend too much time as I wanted to focus more on the next temple; one that became extremely popular due to the recent Mani Ratnam movies.





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I then moved on towards my next destination - the Airavatesvara Temple. There was a significant difference in how this temple is maintained; this one being a UNESCO site. Some wiki-info to add context

Airavatesvara Temple is a Hindu temple of Chola architecture located in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur District in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This temple, built by Chola emperor Rajaraja II in the 12th century CE is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram that are referred to as the Great Living Chola Temples.

Architecture, sculptures, paintings, bronze casting – the temple reflects the rich cultural heritage of the Chola dynasty. The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is named after ‘Airavat’, the majestic white elephant of Lord Indra. The entire temple complex is filled with rich carvings and inscriptions that narrate stories from ancient Indian Puranas. Another mind-blowing part of the temple are the musical steps. These 7 singing steps that lead to the altar are intricately carved and represent seven musical notes.

The temple gained a wide recognition (not that it needed one) after it was displayed in the 2022 Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan by Mani Ratnam. Again, probably because it was still early hours (8ish) on a Monday morning; I saw extremely limited crowds at this historic site; something that my mother also quipped how lucky I was. Apparently that was a rare occurrence.


the well maintained lawns surrounding the temple with a proper parking section marked out

The temple had a huge boundary with well maintained lawns in all directions and a proper car parking and maintained toilets. The parking attendants had a mix of amusement and confusion on their face as they wondered how to deal with my cycle with regards to parking charges (they left me alone thankfully).


symmetry at the entrance!

After having done a recent Hampi trip just less than a month ago, I was having feelings of Deja vu; but loved the absence of crowds and silence at this place.


extremely intricate carvings and sculptures all over the complex

There were a few families with an official guide explaining the history and context/significance of the beautiful sculptures; I decided to just loiter around and take pictures where I felt the need to.


The thought occurred that I should have joined the group with the guide just to learn the historical context and details but pity...



I was sorry to leave that site - if I had known that that was the last time I’d find an historic temple with minimal crowds; I would have spent atleast an hour more. Alas, but I moved on as I still had to do a considerable amount of distance to Thanjavur.


Back on the highway with green fields and good weather accompanying me

Thankfully the weather continued to be fantastic with a cloudy scene and cool-ish winds blowing; and green pastures all around me. The last leg of the route was back via the national highway.


Here there were lesser occurrences of rain-water logged fields but rather fields soaked for crops

I reached Thanjavur just before noon; and as I crashed into my room I realised I should have given Kumbakonam a full day itself as there were a lot more historic sites around that city. I’m not a religious individual by any levels, but the history in that city is worth a day atleast; and with a proper guide, it would have been more than worth it. Wikipedia tells me I only did 3 out of 18 key temples in the Kumbakonam region. Anyone heading to this town - my recommendation would be to give sufficient time to that city.

[ninjatalli]

Bonus Section: Thanjavur city

Before we expand to day four, let me pen down my travails in the city of Thanjavur. The city was a quaint one that gave off strong vibes of Trichy. I probably enjoyed the most in Thanjavur of all cities on this trip; the roads were wide enough and traffic wasn't that much. The city market area was bustling enough to be interesting but not that much that you avoid that area entirely. With my day 3 being a much shorter ride; I used the cycle to go around the city and my first destination was the amazing restaurant - Sri Ariya Bhavan near the main railway station. Opted to go for the 'special' thali and I certainly wasn't disappointed. This probably was the best meal of my trip.


A meal fit for a king!

My next stop was the main temple but I realized the premises are closed for afternoon and only open up at 4 pm so I headed back to the hotel. Took a short nap and landed back at the temple premises by 4 30 pm. The crowd at this temple was a lot but the premise was big enough to cater to it. Being a UNESCO site, it was maintained quite well with a shoe/chappal stand to deposit your footwear before one can proceed to the temple.

The Brihadeeswara Temple, also known as the Big Temple, was built in the 11th century by the Chola king Rajaraja Chola I. Considered as one of the three ‘Great Living Chola Temples’ along with the Gangaikondacholeeswaram Temple and Airavastesvara Temple, the complex is also listed as a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The temple stands as a fitting example of the might and power of the Chola dynasty that once ruled over the region.

It was here I started noticing the large groups of Ayyappan devotees that were omnipresent going forward

Right at the entrance are two huge boards (in English, Tamil & Hindi) explaining the history of the temple and another showcasing a layout of the temple premises. The detailed description at the entrance is definitely worth reading as it acts as a pseudo-guide to understand the temple map/layout.


the full text replicated below

The Cholas, the mightiest rulers of South India, at one point of time held sway over major parts of South India and Sri Lanka. They also made their presence felt over North India and even South East Asia. The glory of the medieval Cholas was established by the early Chola rulers who ruled from the Uraiyur region in the beginning of the common era. The rise of Vijayalaya (850-871 CE) by defeating the Pallavas, Pandas and Muttaraiyars paved the way for the establishment of the Cholas of the Imperial line.

Thanjavur, the rice bowl of Tamilnadu located on the southern bank of Vadavaru, was a strategic and geographic center in the south western corner of the Cauvery delta. It is know as Tanjai in the inscriptions of the Cholas of the 10th and early 11th centuries. It was a center of a collection of villages controlled by the Muttaraiyars and eventually by the Cholas in the middle of the 9th century CE. It was showered with importance by Chola Rajaraja I (985-1014 CE) with the construction of his monumental Bridhadisvara temple. The distinct character of this temple city was that it was deliberately created as a ceremonial and sacred bhakti center. With the temple at its centre, the city was designed with an ullalai (inner quadrangle around the temple) and a perambadi (outer circuit) for the preistly/administrative class and for the other professional groups, respectively.

Thanjavur lost its importance subsequent to the death of Rajaraja I when the capital was shifted to Gangaikondacholapuram. It blossomed forth to its former glory under the Nayaka and Maratha rulers. The Brihadisvara tempe was fortified and the Subramanya shrine as also the colossal Nandi within the complex were added by the Nayakas. Several tanks were repaired and wastelands were reclaimed for agriculture. Raghunatha Nayaka constructed a theatre in his royal palace to state theatricals.

In 1675 AD, Thanjavur was passed into the hands of the Marathas. Shahji, the Maratha ruler improved the balance and constructed a beautiful throne room in it. Manuscripts were collected and housed in the Sarawathi Majal Library. Ragagopalaswami temple added lustre to the city. A number of choultries and charms were constructed for the poor.
​
Thanjavur was annexed by the British in 1855 AD when the last Maratha king Sivaji had no male heir to succeed him. The stronger and growing British power converted the small princely state of Thanjavur into a viable economic unit.”

The evening hours are probably the best time of the day to visit the temple as the sun sets. Even though the crowds were a lot, it didn't seem that 'busy' and one could spend quite a while without being affected by the large numbers; something I noticed with several folks just loitering around.



The intricate carvings and sculptures were worth to spend time and with a guide. I kept wondering if I would visit again to do justice to this temple.






It was here I realized the difference of the elephant trunks as border for the steps (compared to what I saw in one of the earlier temples)

I probably spent an hour at the premises and then decided to make a move. Cycled around the city market areas for a while before heading back to the hotel before calling it a day. It was also here I realized I had missed an important site - the Gangaikondacholeeswaram Temple (location); which if I had planned in advance; I could have covered between Chidambaram and Kumbakonam on day 2. Anyway, bygones be bygones; I still had a long ride to plan ahead for.


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Day 4: Thanjavur to Tirupattur


Summary for the day

Day 4 had an interesting problem to be solved. I didn't have a proper destination in mind between Thanjavur and Madurai; one that I still couldn't figure out the night prior to at Thanjavur. The distance to Madurai was about 165 kms; something even if I slogged over and did; I would land up in Madurai dead tired and probably sleep it off the entire next day. So I had to figure out a location that was somewhere mid-way (about ~85 kms). Unfortunately, the only towns with lodges/hotels available were either too early on (~60 kms) or too far away (>100 kms) so I had to look at alternative routes rather than the direct highway connecting both cities. And so I found a parallel route that was slightly longer but offered me a decent hotel that was close to the midway point. Weirdly they weren't showing availability later that night so I decided to call them up in the morning.

I left Thanjavur early morning and only stopped for a cuppa before I left the city limits. My breakfast point was to be the city of Pudukottai which was about ~60 kms from Thanjavur. However I did stop at a small restaurant some ~20 kms prior to the city which turned out to be the most (and only) interesting incident for that day. The place boasted filter coffee (not seen anywhere since I left Thanjavur) and breakfast; but the breakfast turned out to be pakodas and samosas. Because the shop was run by a bunch of Nepali(s) who incidentally didn't speak any Tamil. So they were happy to get a customer who spoke to them in Hindi and the next 15 mins was spent conversing how they landed up in the middle of nowhere but yet were confident enough to set base here over the last 6 months. The locals used the services of the shop with a mix of hand/sign language and a splatter of Hindi and Tamil words being understood by either side; but an old grandma grumbled to me in Tamil saying these 'useless' fellows didn't even know how to make a good tea/coffee but were running a full shop.


screen-grab from GMaps of the restaurant

Thankfully, atleast one of them knew how to make a good cup of coffee and the pakodas were quite good (or maybe it was my hunger of not having any food for the last ~2 hours); but I broke my fast there and had a nice chatty conversation with those fellows. Apparently the shop was owned by some local businessman and there were further expansion plans to setup a biryani place; which is where their expertise lay (not tea/coffee and south Indian breakfast items). They waved me off and I cycled on till the city of Pudukottai (which I reached around 9.30 am) where I stopped for a proper round of breakfast. I called up the hotel to see if they had any availability. If in case they didn't, the town of Pudukottai would have to be my halt, with Madurai still another 100 kms away to be done tomorrow. Thankfully, they did have rooms (in fact I later found out the hotel hardly had any customers - which made sense given it was the middle of the week) so I plodded on.

Pudukottai (city) was the district headquarters of the Pudukottai district but it still was a small town. However while I was having my breakfast, I saw a shiny AC school bus picking up students; which made me wonder how education is still a big expense for parents in any city/town. I soon passed the school campus that bus belonged to - made me wonder what the fees must be for that place.


Fancy CBSE affiliated school campus

I soon passed out of the city limits; and while over the last few days the weather had been great, today it was hot and humid even though it was still under 10 am. I passed through numerous water bodies and wet lands that were littered with birds...


wetlands as far as I could see…

...and the occasional human who decided the heat was good enough to warrant a jump into one of these water bodies.


Not visible in the pic - the half naked men bathing in the pond

The next 30 odd kms were on interior roads that passed through dry-ish landscapes with hardly any fellow travelers; most of the time the road remained empty with the odd vehicle passing by me. I clearly had left behind the irrigated delta belt of TN. Even the lone river that I crossed over hardly had any water.


Dry weather - typical TN weather that I was used to

I reached my destination hotel in a non-descript town called Ponnamaravathi. Surprisingly the hotel was in top shape with very good accommodations and an Anjappar Chettinad restaurant and a bar on the ground floor. I had a very lazy pitstop with absolutely nothing to do in that town; but I focused on getting to Madurai early the next day and spend time over there.

[ninjatalli]

Day 5: Ponnamaravathi (/Tirupattur) to Madurai


Summary for the day

The previous day as I ruminated over the seemingly wasted day in a small town with nothing to do, I revisited my rest of the plan and called up a friend who is based out of Tirunelveli. Asked him what's there to see between Madurai and Nagercoil and if there's anything to consider as halt locations and/or places to visit on this route. He informed me the only feasible option was Tirunelveli and given the temples I had already visited so far (+ Madurai in tow), the temple of that city wasn't that great an option on the table.

He suggested options like heading to Kuttralam (/Courtallam) or Thoothukudi as detours but these options would have easily added an additional 100 kms of riding; something I neither had the energy not the time to do so. Another option was to head to Rameshwaram and then come back to Madurai to catch a train back to Bangalore; but that would have meant touching the touristy & temple town of Rameshwaram over a weekend (= HUGE crowds).

I decided to end the trip at Madurai and book a tatkal ticket back to Bangalore the next day (Day 5). Which gave me almost a full day at Madurai - which seemed sufficient. And so I did starting off early from my hotel well before sunrise.


a misty morning after many days…

Contrary to the hot weather yesterday, today was distinctly cool and pleasant. Once the sun came up, I noticed there was a misty / foggy sight all around and the streets were wet/drying off. Clearly it had rained in these parts in the night; I thanked my stars that it wasn't raining right then.


…with rain soaked roads

As the morning progressed, the temps went up slightly but the wind was still cool; and at times you could feel a slight drizzle at times. The roads were still a single lane with hardly any vehicles around.



I soon rejoined the national highway just before I reached the town of Melur where I had my breakfast and there I noticed again a bus full of Ayyappa devotees and I knew I'm going to see a lot of them in Madurai. It was odd being stared at by a bunch of half-naked men; all wondering at the middle-aged guy in lycra in the middle of nowhere. Moving on, from there on it was a straightforward ride to Madurai city without any more deviations or halts. I reached my hotel which was right close to the temple complex. Hotel would be a wrong classification - most of the setups over there were lodges that boasted of AC rooms as deluxe options. I wasn't complaining as all I wanted was a room with clean sheets and running hot water. Given the cycle was to be packed on to the parcel / luggage section of the railways in a few hours, the fact that there was only street parking didn't cause a concern.

Similar to the previous temples, the Meenakshi Amman temple at Madurai also closed doors in the afternoon so I decided to roam around the city for lunch options. I had bookmarked a popular brahmin mess outside the temple complex but they offered lunch only after 2 (to probably align with the off-hours for the temple); so I was back to looking for alternatives. I was aware that Madurai is equally famous for its non-veg cuisine as it is for the temple; a fact that was made very clear with big boards for non-veg canteens right outside the temple premises.



I googled around on reddit and other options to look for good places and finalized a setup that was close by. The meal was a bit too spicy for me so I wasn't able to do justice to the food; and later on I found out, neither was my stomach up to the Madurai 'local cuisine'.


Muta-kotha paratha with local chicken gravy

I had time to spare and a city to view but Madurai city was as messy as Chennai or Bangalore; so it didn't make any sense to roam around the city on my cycle like I did in Thanjavur. Plus the heat was back; contrary to the nice weather in the morning.

So I headed next to the parcel office of the Madurai railway station and booked my cycle as luggage to be carried along with me on my overnight train to Bangalore in the luggage compartment. The process was a seamless affair with me taking additional services of a local guy to 'pack' up the cycle.

Net costs incurred
1. Official luggage fee for the train : 32 Rs
2. Un-official packing charges : 100 Rs

Having used the railways luggage service numerous times for my cycle(s), I was well aware the only purpose of "packaging" for a cycle is to allow them/us to put our contact number on the vehicle (image below). One could very well do that at home and avoid the 'packaging' charges. However, in my past experience, I have found the guys doing the packaging are generally the guys who load the vehicles on to the train and a bit of money makes sure they pay more attention to your vehicle (for avoiding any damage).


All packed and ready to go…

The guy assured me he'll be the one to load the cycle later in the night and asked me not to worry at all. In the end it turned out someone else did the loading part and he was no-where to be seen; but thankfully those guys did the job well.

I headed back to my room and lazed around till 4pm when I got out and moved to the temple premises. I had picked up a veshti (/dhoti) as by now I was well aware there would be restrictions at the temple premises. As I neared the entrance, I snapped up this image of the west-side facing gate/gopuram.



Once I came close to the gate, a bystander pointed me towards the chappal stand and there I saw how lucky I had been over the entire trip with regards to the (absence of) insane crowds of devotees. And there started my final temple visit - the one visit that made sure my appetite for any future temple visits are done and dusted. The only way I could explain my experience is to showcase it from problems that one needed to solve/pass before one can get darshan.

Problem #1: So every gate had a chappal and mobile storage stand; basically you are not allowed to carry either into the temple premises. Ideally this should be a simple process; handover the footwear and mobile(s); pay the very basic charge; collect your coupon and move ahead. There's one line to deposit your stuff and one parallel line to collect your stuff. Simple, no?



What you see in the above picture is a mess that was there when I was dropping off my stuff at ~4 30 pm and was still there when I came back to pick my stuff back a few hours later. People were simply not ready to follow the basic rules; arguing with each other who was/wasn't in line; ladies arguing/demanding why there wasn't a separate line for ladies, asking for change, etc. I wonder what image we showcase to the foreign tourists who come to see such temples.



Problem #2: Now once you have got through problem 1, next is the entry to the inner premises for darshan. There are two options - a 'free' darshan option that snaked around the temple boundary as far as my eyes could see. There were water fillers at every 100 feet so it was clear this was expected to be a long wait.


representative image from Google images to showcase the crazy lines

But there was also a 'premium' paid option for darshan. So I opted for that; and was directed towards the south end entrance to the inner sanctum where a security guy checked my ticket and asked me to enter. On entering I found this lead me to another long line inside the inner premises of the temple, that snaked back and forth, with atleast 150-200 people before me in line for darshan. I stood in this line for about 15 mins with me moving ahead 1/4th of the line; when I decided to chuck it and came out back to the south-side entrance.

I then noticed that the people who had finished the darshan were passing by us; and they seemed to be coming out of the eastern side; so I started walking in that direction. Turns out the east-side door to the inner sanctum was the exit gate and no one was gate-keeping that. I entered the premises via that; got my 'darshan' within the next 5 mins and was out in less than 10 mins

I came back to the chappal stand at the west-side gate and saw the crazy crowd had got even more worse. The poor ladies managing the stand had given up literally shouting back at the devotees. Thankfully, one of them handed back my stuff and I was a free bird.

I'm not sure if that day (it was 19th Dec / Thursday) was a special day seeing crazy crowds or if that was status-quo every day for the Meenakshi temple, but I certainly would not recommend anyone to visit that temple. Maybe it is better in the morning hours; but I'm not sure.

I roamed around the market area figuring out the original Jigarthanda outlet which was about a km away from the temple; and decided to have street food as my dinner (didn't learn from my lunch experience, did I?). My go-to option were these stalls that offered a salad-kind of chat option that was light on the stomach and yet filling enough.


A crunchy snack for the princely sum of 30Rs

I headed back to my room and decided to chill out the rest of the evening and night waiting for my late-night train to Bangalore. When I reached the station, I saw that my cycle was already ready, along with a few other goods that were to be shipped to Salem/Dindigul/Bangalore. When the train arrived, I waited till my cycle was loaded properly and then quickly ran to my compartment and boarded the train, heading back home to Bangalore.

[ninjatalli]

The events of the last day at Madurai had overpowered the thoughts that my week+ trip had come to an end early by 3 days; yet my body took another 36 hours to recover completely; before I could even attempt to start penning this travelogue.


So here's a few parting thoughts

1. My elixir for this trip - Coconuts!


image source: google

If lime soda was omni-present across KL, it was the humble coconut that came to my rescue across TN. Thankfully given the better weather, I didn't have to depend too much on this resource


2. The star of the show - breakfast!


image source: google

If there's one thing I absolutely loved on this trip, it was the breakfast options. At no point was I ever disappointed; even at roadside hole-in-the-wall outlets. So much that every day I started having breakfast twice; just because I could. At one of my halts, I even had the snacks as dinner. Having done this trip, I have realized Bangalore 'thindi' comes no-where close in comparison (yes, even those ghee-yucky-laden Rameshwaram items ).


3. The eventual comparison


image source: google

Come to think about it, the KA and KL trips were very similar; probably because both were on the western coasts and shared a lot of common traits (beach layouts, weather, etc.). TN turned out to be a very different experience; and I'm unable to put to words why and what are the reasons. Maybe sometime in the future I'll be able to do that, but not now.


4. What next?

Not sure. Before this trip was done, I had Maharashtra coastline on the to-do list. But I'm now wondering - why limit it to only India? Unfortunately, I won't have the ever-dependable Indian railways to fall-back on; but that's a problem to solve for later. Thanks for reading if you have stuck on till here!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[RiderZone]

Fantastic writeup, makes me want to head out somewhere too. I have always been too scared of riding a bicycle long distances in India. Is the south better than the absolutely crazy death trap the north is? In Punjab for example if the dogs and the cows would somehow leave me alone, I would certainly be mowed down by something else instead.

[Vinod_nair]

What an amazing travelogue, on a bicycle on indian roads, extremely courageous.

The timings you maintain are really good.

A nerd question, where do you park your cycle on the train? In the north the doodhwala tie their cycle on the window grill

[Secretariat]

Lovely trip and an equally nice travelogue (what else can we expect from this Distinguished BHPian whose posts are always a good read).

I did a similar trip five years back, albeit a lot more slowly. I carried on till Kanyakumari however. Almost exactly the same experiences - great breakfasts, lovely temples, and being spoken to in Hindi ! Tamil Nadu is easy cycling country because roads are flat and once we get off the main highways, there isn't much traffic. I remember the section from Tranquebar to Kumbakonam on deserted rural roads where I rode carefree, singing old Tamil film songs horribly and lustily, and which if anybody had heard I would surely have been murdered

Ah the joys of solo cycling tours.

I am petitioning ninjatalli's company to double his leave entitlement so that more such travelogues can be savoured !

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Bonus Section: Thanjavur city

Before we expand to day four, let me pen down my travails in the city of Thanjavur. The city was a quaint one that gave off strong vibes of Trichy. I probably enjoyed the most in Thanjavur of all cities on this trip; the roads were wide enough and traffic wasn't that much. The city market area was bustling enough to be interesting but not that much that you avoid that area entirely.

What a fantastic effort! Must have been a ride that oozed freedom all the way.

• Could you please list the places where you had meals? Whatever you remember. Especially, the one at Pondicherry and what that dish that looked like a crispy Dosa was
• Can you show us the backup/what was it's weight/did you wear it over your shoulders like a backpack?
• If you were indeed hit with cyclonic rain, it wouldn't have really mattered if you were at the coast or a little inside : the intensity would only have been slightly different
• Finally, were you unaware of the Veeranam Lake Periphery road ? It would have been one hell of an experience riding next to it. Not far from Chidambaram.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

Fantastic writeup, makes me want to head out somewhere too. I have always been too scared of riding a bicycle long distances in India. Is the south better than the absolutely crazy death trap the north is? In Punjab for example if the dogs and the cows would somehow leave me alone, I would certainly be mowed down by something else instead.

Thanks. I believe all Indian states are good (some more than others) for cycling as long as one plans accordingly as per the conditions applicable in those respective state(s). I’m more comfortable with the west and south and hence the focus so far over here. Dogs, cows and idiots in vehicles are everywhere; but issues get magnified more than they actually are (eg dangerous’ buses in KL. Punjab - I would do a food trail based ride plan; hitting all the famous dhabas.

Start small - say a trip to a neighbouring town / city over 1-2 days of riding.

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

A nerd question, where do you park your cycle on the train? In the north the doodhwala tie their cycle on the window grill

On the top of the train coaches; like they do in overnight / long distance buses

Jokes apart, the cycle is carried in the luggage vans; every train has two of them. Just need to book the cycle as additional luggage at the parcel office in advance.

Originally Posted by Secretariat

Lovely trip and an equally nice travelogue (what else can we expect from this Distinguished BHPian whose posts are always a good read).

I did a similar trip five years back, albeit a lot more slowly. I carried on till Kanyakumari however. Almost exactly the same experiences - great breakfasts, lovely temples, and being spoken to in Hindi ! Tamil Nadu is easy cycling country because roads are flat and once we get off the main highways, there isn't much traffic. I remember the section from Tranquebar to Kumbakonam on deserted rural roads where I rode carefree, singing old Tamil film songs horribly and lustily, and which if anybody had heard I would surely have been murdered

Thanks for the kind words. I loved that thread of yours. The key difference between your and my trip is you went the heritage route (for accommodation); I enjoy crashing at the humble lodges and homestays; and hotels if those aren’t available (but that just tomato vs tomaato).

But very stupid of me that I forgot to reference your thread before I did my route planning. For example, Chettinad was a location I was evaluating at Thanjavur but didn’t push ahead with it; eventually I took a parallel route just a few kms away from that town.

I am petitioning ninjatalli's company to double his leave entitlement so that more such travelogues can be savoured !

The office won’t have any issues; but I might get booted out of my home

Originally Posted by airguitar

What a fantastic effort! Must have been a ride that oozed freedom all the way.

• Could you please list the places where you had meals? Whatever you remember. Especially, the one at Pondicherry and what that dish that looked like a crispy Dosa was
• Can you show us the backup/what was it's weight/did you wear it over your shoulders like a backpack?
• If you were indeed hit with cyclonic rain, it wouldn't have really mattered if you were at the coast or a little inside : the intensity would only have been slightly different
• Finally, were you unaware of the Veeranam Lake Periphery road ? It would have been one hell of an experience riding next to it. Not far from Chidambaram.

Thanks. My responses below -
1. List of food places - I’ll share later; need to reference back to my google maps history
2. It’s a saddle bag, not a backpack. I tie it under the seat; check out the the pic of my cycle with the saddle bag on Day 3 (in front of the Kaveri). This is the product link. Also I travel very light so that works for me.
3. True, but the intensity of the rain was different at different locations; as also observed by the post-rain impact on the surrounding fields. Anyway - all’s well that ends well, I guess
4. As I mentioned in one of the posts, I completely missed out Gangaikonda - that would have got me to go via the lake route from Chidambaram. It was an option I had in mind post Chidambaram but got lost eventually. The problem of plenty; I guess.

[T.50s]

I kept on thinking and trying to convince myself that yeah this seems doable with some training but nah it's absolutely impossible for me to even attempt something like this so mad ups to you for undertaking such a journey that too in India, where the roads are sometimes more unpredictable than the people on it .

[ndnesh]

What a brilliant, imaginative, soul stirring travelogue. I want to get up off my lazy bum and go somewhere right now. Destination ? matters not. Road? matters not. Direction? Matters not. Go!

Way to pen things down Niranjan! Hats off.