[krishsreedharan]

Happened to the indicators to my Z900 as well. But then, it was due to repeated exposure to heat and sunlight over the last 2 years plus. I decided to replace them with LED Indicators from the KTM. Still to resolve the hyper flash issue. That’s something I need to find time over a weekend and try different relays.

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by krishsreedharan

Happened to the indicators to my Z900 as well. But then, it was due to repeated exposure to heat and sunlight over the last 2 years plus. I decided to replace them with LED Indicators from the KTM. Still to resolve the hyper flash issue. That’s something I need to find time over a weekend and try different relays.

Use a Bajaj Pulsar relay. My friend recommended this and he himself uses the same.

[KarthikK]

Ride to Tanjore (also called Thanjavur), Tamilnadu

While my better half and I usually have a preference for trips which connect us to nature or scenic locations in some way or the other, once in a while it is good to try something different for a change. My wife is the one who does all the pre-trip research and picks new places/properties to visit and add to our travel diaries. This time around, instead of a scenic location she proposed a slightly different-from-usual itinerary involving a historical location - Tanjore, the temple town in central TN and the core of the 1000 year old Chola empire history. While neither of us is religious, we thought of visiting these architectural marvels from a touristy historical perspective, plus exploring Tanjore’s famous Art (and later even some street food) scene on foot and shaping the whole combination of these plans into a bike trip.




Tanjore is quite a hot and humid place around this time of the year (summer is still ongoing there). It is usually very warm and sunny through the day, hovering around the lower 40s during the day, and the nights are very sultry and humid. We however travel round the year and extremes of weather are not a deterrent, so we decided to do the trip even though it might not have been the best time of the year to go here. I guess the winter months should be a pleasant time to visit this region.

The distance to Tanjore is around ~370km from Bangalore via the single lane Namakkal - Musiri - Trichy - Tanjore route. There is also a ~410km NH route via Namakkal - Karur - Trichy - Tanjore which is a detour but is in much better shape and the extra 40km distance can be easily made up by the higher average speeds on the expressway route. Bangalore to Namakkal is anyway along the NH44 standard route and that part is common. The route is almost completely flat and does not comprise any ghats barring a short stretch at Thoppur near Salem.

As is the case with most of our other trips, this was also a 2 night, 3 day trip over an extended weekend. Our choice of stay this time was Svatma Relais and Chateaux. The resort was inside main Tanjore town itself.

We departed Bangalore early at around 4.30AM to get a headstart over the summer sun.

Taking a break near Krishnagiri toll while my navigator re-routes via the single lane route



Stopping at our usual breakfast spot in this stretch - the good old trusted Radisson, Salem. One of the things I love about this place is they offer a separate parking space for big bikes in their basement, away from the prying eyes of other guests or visitors.



Enjoying the wide spread of Radisson's buffet breakfast as early as 6.30 AM, lol!



We were the only ones to show up so early there



The LOA Indianoil bunk opposite Radisson now stocks XP95, so I tanked up the Ninja although I still had more than half a tank still left. After this quick refuel stop we departed for the remainder of the 200km journey in the searing TN heat



Stopping for a short tender coconut break somewhere en route Trichy after Namakkal, post breaking away from the NH44 expressway to take the single lane highway via Musiri



Yours truly with spanking new riding gear refresh (more on that in a future post)



We reached the property around 12.30 PM after following the directions on google maps. The property had a direct approach ramp and didn't involve any offroading. The staff were kind enough to offer a safe covered parking for the Ninja, separate from their usual 2 wheeler parking lot.



The property, called Svatma was simply beautiful and the entire ambience everywhere included antique elements from Tamil culture and architecture, from the wood to the decor and everything else. I gather this property used to attract a lot of foreign tourists up until the pandemic struck. Now it is mostly desi visitors for the foreseeable future

The open air entrance lobby



Common area swimming pool



Even their elevators had these antique paintings / murals





Open air restaurant / cafe





There was another rooftop cafe but it was way too hot there in the daytime. We enjoyed it in the evening instead



Our room had a nice antique touch to it too



The antique wood theme continued even in the bathroom





The courtyard had some nice seating areas such as these, set amidst the garden



Random retro elements thrown in the courtyard for the sake of it



After a leisurely lunch at the restaurant, we proceeded to the old town area to explore the Maratha palace (a famous tourist spot here) on foot, and after that we ventured into a section of artisan colonies, mostly specialized in making traditional Paper mache Tanjore dolls.

Entering one of the many shops near Maratha Palace street



This type of doll is native to Tanjore. They usually comprise of individual paper mache parts for the head, the bust, bottom, and the base, all suspended on each other on metal strings to be able to freely bob about if swayed



It was great fun and a learning experience to sit with these artisans and hear from them how they learnt this art from their previous generations and are still trying hard to preserve this legacy. They were kind enough to even let us have a go at shaping these paper mache dolls for fun. Here below is another famous type of Tanjore doll - a pair of king and queen on bobbing horses



There were tons more varieties of these in different colors and sizes



Since we were on a bike with no additional luggage space for something so fragile, we bought a few memorabilia to take back home but requested them to ship it to our house instead of us carrying it.

With this informative evening coming to an end, we strolled around the old town area, scouting for interesting food joints to try and savour the local flavours.

We found one place making an interesting Masala Garlic Mini Idli Fry, he convinced us it was his best item, and it surely had an interesting fiery ring to it



As we strolled around, we came across a famous spot called Anbu Milk Bar advertising Bombay Lassi and Masala Badam Milk. The shop guy had an interesting technique (to watch) of pouring the milk from a height and collecting it in the glass



That's Masala Badam Milk for you, tip him 10 bucks extra and you get that 1 inch layer of extra Malai on top



We called it a day after that, and walked back to our hotel. Couldn't resist these snaps of the hotel and the pool at night time.





That brought an end to Day 1

[KarthikK]

Ride to Tanjore, Tamilnadu (continued...)

On Day 2, we wanted to get an early start to go and visit the famous Brihadeeswara temple, one of the famous 1000 year old architectural marvels that this region is famous for. There are another two temples from this Chola era but they are located ~70km further North-East from Tanjore towards Kumbakonam, so we decided to skip those for this trip.

This temple being an archeological site and tourist spot, it gets very crowded during regular hours of operation, and not to forget the daytime summer heat was incredibly hot for us (spoilt) Bangaloreans to bear

We reached the temple premises by an early 6 AM



Some random snaps in and around the famous Tanjore temple from the Chola empire era













Inscriptions engraved all over the walls intricately, visible clearly even to this day!



We reached the hotel around 9 AM for a leisurely breakfast buffet spread



Continental food in the heart of Tanjore!





No, I did try the traditional styled stuff too! Here is some Kumbakonam style filter coffee, served in brass cups with some jaggery powder (in lieu of sugar)



Doing timepass around the heritage wing of the Hotel, exploring their display of antique collectibles and interesting trivia from Tanjore's rich history









Tons of these bronze flower and water filled pots adorned the common areas



The property had tons of murals like these even in the restaurant



The main restaurant was called Aahaaram, and had a lovely retro themed ambience again, in sync with the rest of the hotel





We decided to try Svatma's Thanjavur styled Thali for lunch, they had an interesting array of dishes to try and savour



Tanjore style Thali, anyone?



And some jugalbandi of south Indian dessert with some homemade Lychee and banana ice cream to wash it all down



Tri-color mini idli was a fun addition to the table



Post this heavy lunch and a short rest break, we decided to hit another section of the old town areas to discover another famous art form of Tanjore - Tanjore paintings (look it up on google if you want to know more about them). These are extremely well crafted paintings, usually of hindu deities, decorated with lots of real 24 carat gold sheets and semi precious stones and framed in antique wood to be displayed proudly in the houses of the buyers.

It was an enriching experience to interact with these painters and artisans who work day and night on these paintings, carefully ensuring the paintings are flawless in every way. When we entered the bylanes of these old town areas, we could actually interact with these artisans directly and hear some of their own lives, their legacy, their experiences over the years on how the art form has carried significance through this modern era and how they plan to popularize their art in future.

A group of artisans working on Tanjore paintings



One of the shops we visited was called Chola Impressions, and they were kind enough to let us learn so much more than what regular customers would be allowed to.

One of the display areas of Tanjore paintings to choose from



Another less-talked about art form in Tanjore - brass idols, carvings and decorative articles



We ended up buying a few attractive paintings and collectibles for our showcase back home, and requested the shop to courier it to us, much to his amusement after hearing we had travelled all the way there on a bike.

[KarthikK]

Ride to Tanjore, Tamilnadu (continued...)

After the visit to the artisan areas and finishing the shopping for Tanjore paintings, we strolled around the town once again with no specific intention than to pass time.

We found this bizarre dish called Ghee Podi Idli Lollipops with Chutney dip




The star of the bizarre (yet yummy) food was still yet to come - we chanced upon this place called Ariya Bhavan opposite the old bus stop. They had something called Dum Mushroom and Paneer Parotta. Upon quizzing the waiter, he revealed it consists of multiple layers of Parota (Malabar style, quite common in TN too), soaked in a rich gravy of Paneer and Mushroom, drizzled with cheese all over. The whole concoction is brought to the table in an earthen pot and unwrapped from a banana leaf





One can actually call it south Indian Lasagne made of Paneer and Mushroom gravy



It is actually quite spicy so is served with Raita



Believe me, I have never had something so bizarre yet so delicious as this south Indian spicy Lasagna, lol!



We retired to the hotel room that night and crashed early because we had to depart the next day, to return home.

Random snaps from strolling around Tanjore's old town area



The following morning we walked to the famous temple area once again and shot some random snaps there.





















We departed after a sumptuous breakfast and some lovely memories from this trip. Not without a picture while departing, of course!



It was an extremely hot day, and I wasn't particularly happy with the condition of the road during the onward journey via Musiri. It had too many intersections and passed through all narrow village roads, with tons of speed breakers and potholes breaking the average speed to my dislike. We opted to take the longer (by 40 km) NH route along Tanjore - Trichy - Karur - Velur - Namakkal.

The tarmac was radiating so much heat during the peak afternoon hours that we stopped at a small juice shack and had to actually request the shack owner to park in the shade to keep the seats cool, lol!



Look at the outside temperature in the afternoon, bottom right corner of the console!



After a few rehydration breaks we were soon past the 'hot zone' and back on the Salem - Bangalore stretch which is now like second home due to the familiarity over so many frequent rides passing through there. We eventually reached home by 5 PM. The expressway detour route actually saved 30 minutes of time over the single lane route despite being 40 km more.



This ride clocked another ~800 km to round up June's quota of overnight trips on the Ninja



Until the next ride, ciao! Thanks for reading!

[aneesh2M]

That’s a lovely bike. Have you got it detailed recently? Looking like it just came out of the showroom.

[tchsvy]

Came for the pics, read the whole travelogue, thoroughly enjoyed doing so!

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Yours truly with spanking new riding gear refresh (more on that in a future post)
Attachment 2330520

That's one stealth Ninja! (I will see myself out)

[Atom]

Amazing travelogue @KarthikK. The Ninja looks exceptional. Got a cultural immersion masterclass by the various aspects of Tanjore you detailed. Thank you!!

[Axe77]

Great to read yet another lovely trip by you on the N1000 and the ongoing updates on the bike too. This is truly one of those eternally classic models and its nice to see it being truly put to its intended purpose of touring.

I had very very seriously considered plonking on a N 1000 late last year and was looking out for good recent examples. Your ownership thread was really helpful at the time. Ultimately things went in a very different direction of course (red instead of green) but no regrets there too.

[RidingHood]

That's a beautiful travelogue you have penned down, Karthik.

I heard that the inscriptions on the temple walls are the names of the artisans who worked on the temple. The biggest font was used for the old lady who gave buttermilk to the workers there for free. I have heard so much about the king Rajaraja Cholan and the temple. Will visit it one day.

Thanks for the virtual trip!

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by aneesh2M

That’s a lovely bike. Have you got it detailed recently? Looking like it just came out of the showroom.

Thank you for the kind words aneesh2M!
I haven't done any detailing as such since 2018 actually . Just a thorough wash after every dirty ride, and religious use of the bike cover when not in use during the weekdays.

Originally Posted by tchsvy

Came for the pics, read the whole travelogue, thoroughly enjoyed doing so!

That's one stealth Ninja! (I will see myself out)

Haha, thanks for the kind words tchsvy

Originally Posted by Atom

Amazing travelogue @KarthikK. The Ninja looks exceptional. Got a cultural immersion masterclass by the various aspects of Tanjore you detailed. Thank you!!

Originally Posted by Axe77

Great to read yet another lovely trip by you on the N1000 and the ongoing updates on the bike too. This is truly one of those eternally classic models and its nice to see it being truly put to its intended purpose of touring.

Thanks a lot Axe77, it is indeed a pleasure to enjoy the bike while touring.

I had very very seriously considered plonking on a N 1000 late last year and was looking out for good recent examples. Your ownership thread was really helpful at the time. Ultimately things went in a very different directions of course (red instead of green) but no regrets there too.

I remember your queries from last year. But all in all, wonderful garage you have there now with two mighty adventure tourers to satisfy all your weekend cravings for fun.

Originally Posted by RidingHood

That's a beautiful travelogue you have penned down, Karthik.

I heard that the inscriptions on the temple walls are the names of the artisans who worked on the temple. The biggest font was used for the old lady who gave buttermilk to the workers there for free. I have heard so much about the king Rajaraja Cholan and the temple. Will visit it one day.

Thanks for the virtual trip!

Thanks for interesting trivia RidingHood, I was not aware of this part of the story. We so wanted to cover the other two monuments but they are almost 70-80 km away from this place, so we would have had to don the riding gear and spare a day just to go there and cover it and come back. Maybe another time when we have another spare day, I am sure it will be worthwhile to complete the entire circuit.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Until the next ride, ciao! Thanks for reading!

You know am not a biking guy! But this log pulled me in! The hotel is a great find!

Also if you need to explore even more niche locations, you should place yourself in Kumbakonam. There are some equally amazing properties around the town and some amazing temples (less visited ones).

And of course the bike would love the serpentine roads (and so would the biker!)

[neil.jericho]

Before I post these pictures from the Mangalore ride, I must apologize to KarthikK for disrupting the timelines on this thread. KarthikK has already captured everything about the Mangalore ride, so well in his posts. Im not left with much to add except
- if you are a sea food lover, avoid the Machali restaurant in Mangalore. All 3 sea food dishes that we ordered were dripping in oil and lacked any meaningful taste. All talk, no walk. We were disappointed beyond measure.
- if you like ice creams, do not skip a visit to Pabbas. 16 years ago, when I first went to Pabbas, it was a single store that served the most delicious ice cream sundaes that I had ever tasted. Now, they have expanded their branches and offerings, while retaining so many of my old favourites. No trip to Mangalore is complete without a visit to Pabbas.

Waiting for the others


A stranger asking himself who buys a Kawasaki in any colour other than green ....


All the bikes (and riders!) are finally united at the Anagha Grand restaurant


Quite a filling breakfast


The Ibbani Cafe


RBP and KarthikK outside the Ibbani Cafe


The gentleman who is now the proud owner of Dr Crazy_Drivers Versys 650


Ebmrajesh with his Ninja 1000


shaikhmimran with his elegant CBR650F


At the Charmadi ghats


This was right outside our beach house


What a lovely sunset!


The ice cream thali


Pabbas doesnt disappoint


Never has


Never will


A new offering from Pabbas


Our Sunday morning breakfast of Mangalore buns


Nice and sunny!


Our unassuming lunch stop


A closeup of the signboard


The interiors


The excellent food


Rain clouds at Hassan


Heavy rains on the way back to Bangalore

[wolfy]

Lovely trip pics and stories!

Next time in Mangalore, try Giri Manja's for sea food. Finger lickin' good!

[Nilesh5417]

You make me want to go to Mangalore just to go to Pabbas! I have never ever seen an icecream thali - this is crazy! Like good kind of crazy.
And that pizza slice icecream.