Having read, heard and seen some temples in Tamil Nadu, it was my long pending desire to visit the temples in Tanjore, Kumbakonam and Chidambaram. When there is a long weekend available, usually a trip to a hill station or beach will be planned. But the heavy rains this season made hill stations and beaches unviable and this was the right time to undertake the trip to Tamil Nadu temples.
Many thanks to the inputs provided by ravib, ampere and J. Ravi in planning and executing this trip perfectly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ravib Day1 plan is fine. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by J.Ravi otel Rayas, Kumbakonam . |
Quote:
Originally Posted by ampere Perfectly feasible. |
In fact, I religiously followed the itinerary suggested by ravib and must say it was a perfect plan. Here is the link to the relevant thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3185923 Quick Facts 1. When - August 15th - August 18th 2013
2. Who - Myself, wife and daughter ( 3 years 7 months)
3. The Car - My 2010 September Ford Fiesta with 32 K on the odo
4. Total Distance Covered - 1175 KM
5. Hotels - Link to the Hotel websites and Tripadvisor reviews. My reviews are also available
a. August 15th - Hotel Mayas, Trichy
http://www.hotelmayas.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Revi...amil_Nadu.html
b. August 16th - Hotel Rayas, Kumbakonam
http://www.hotelrayas.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Revi...amil_Nadu.html
c. August 17th - Hotel Akshaya, Chidambaram
http://www.hotel-akshaya.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Revi...amil_Nadu.html
6. Places Visited Planning
Planning for the trip started almost a month back. As usual searched TeamBHP forums and finalized the itinerary based on inputs given by ravib, ampere and J.Ravi. Filled petrol in the car the previous day and we were all set.
Day 1 - August 15th 2013
Started at the planned start time of 5:15 AM. Took the Varthur route where a Silver coloured XUV 500 with Team BHP stickers bearing registration number KA51D 2**5 overtook me. I drove behind him till Sarajapur Police station where he turned towards Attibele and we continued towards Sarjapur town. Crossed the Sarajapur town and soon we entered Tamil Nadu. We were amused by the fact that we entered Tamil Nadu after 23 KMs and 30 mins. Reached Hosur at 5:00 AM covering 41 KMS in 45 minutes. This was the fastest drive to Hosur in recent times. The drive from Sarjapur to Hosur was very nice. I could do 100 -120 KM/H. Also, the Attibele toll booth, construction work at Hosur and the check post could be avoided. Encountered a small traffic jam immediately after Krishnagiri toll booth as an SRS bus had fallen off the road near the flyover construction. Reached Salem at 8:00 AM and Namakkal at 8:35 AM. Stopped for breakfast at Namakkal and continued to Trichy via Thuraiyur. Around 5 KMS before Thuraiyur, found a sign board in Tamil to Trichy. The fact that I can read little bit of Tamil helped here but the road wide enough for one vehicle to pass and one side was dug up for widening. I asked for directions and was directed to the same road. Entered the main road 5 KMs after Thuraiyur. This bypass was almost 3 - 4 KMS long and was being widened. Luckily no vehicles came in opposite direction. Reached Trichy at 10:45 AM and checked into Hotel Mayas at 11:00 AM. Hotel Mayas has ample car parking space and is easy to locate. Saw directions to Srirangam and Thiruvanaikoil on the way to Trichy.
Parking Area in Hotel Mayas
Decided to freshen up, have lunch and proceed to Srirangam. Reached Srirangam temple at around 2:00 PM and cam out by 4:30 PM. Had to pay Rs 50 per head for special Darshan as the free queue was long.
Proceeded to Thiruvanaikoil from Srirangam and spent around 45 minutes there. Decided to proceed to Rock Fort by car although the plan was to take an auto. Luckily got space to park the car at Rock Fort. Climbed the steps and reached the top.. Here is a picture of the view from top.
Lost way on the way back to Hotel and hence got to see little bit of Trichy. Roads were all good and we could reach the hotel soon after getting directions from locals. Had dinner at Mayas and day 1 ended.
Day 2 - August 16th 2013
The plan was to start at 7:00 AM and proceed to Thanjavur but received a complimentary buffet breakfast coupon along with the newspaper. Hence decided to leave after breakfast. It was 8:30 AM by the time we left. The initial part of the 4 lane to Thanjavur till the toll gate was congested but things were completely different after the toll gate. Empty road ensured that we rapidly covered kilo metres and entered the
Brihadeeshwara temple at 9:30 AM. The temple is part a UNESCO word heritage site and maintained well. The Gopuram of the temple could be seen from a distance. We spent more than 2 hours in the temple. Some pictures.
We left the
Brihadeeshwara temple at 11:45 AM and proceeded towards Kumbakonam. The road was little bumpy. Stopped for a tender coconut on the way as we were very tired and thirsty.
The plan was to visit Airawatheeshwaram temple at Darasuram and proceed to Kumbakonam. it was 1:45 PM when we reached the temple and was informed that the main shrine will is closed and will be opened at 4:00 PM. Hence decided to check in to Rayas hotel Kumbaknonam and come back at 4:00 PM. Checked in at 2:00 PM and proceeded to the restaurant at Rayas. The restaurant ambience was not good for a family lunch but there was no option nearby. Food wasn't good either. Proceeded to Darasuram at 3:45 PM after some rest.
Airawatheeshwaram temple is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
Visited
Kumbeshwarar Temple on the way back to Hotel. It was very crowded and hence could not go inside. It was also drizzling. Went back to the hotel and parked the car in there. Proceeded to
Mahamaham tank by walk. From there hired an auto for Rs 40 and proceeded to
Sarangapani Temple.
From
Sarangapani temple, we walked to
Ramaswamy temple by walk. Had coffee on the way. After we finished Ramaswamy temple, it started raining heavily and hence took an auto to the hotel. Called it a day after dinner.
Day 3 - August 17th 2013
The plan for the day was to visit
Thiruvarur Temple, Velankanni, Sirkazhi and check in to Hotel Ashaya, Chidambaram. Started at 7:45 from Hotel Rayas and had break fast near Thiruvarur bus stand. Visited the temple and proceeded to
Velankanni.
Visited the church and proceeded to the beach where my daughter played for 45 minutes. Had lunch at Velankanni and proceeded to Sirkazhi.
Fish ready to be fried at a restaurant on the Velankanni beach.
Filled petrol after Nagapattinam and it was cheaper by Rs 5/- ( 69.75). I remembered the twist suggested by ampere and decided to have a look at the bungalow on the beach.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ampere |
It was full on account of the long weekend.
The next stop was Sirkazhi temple. It was 6:00 PM by the time we reached Akshaya Hotel, Chidambaram. The drive on the ECR was stressful due to high traffic and narrow roads. Decided to visit the temple next day.
Day 4 - August 18th 2013
Visited the Nataraja temple at 7:30 AM. Came back to the hotel at 9:00 AM, had the complimentary buffet break fast and started the journey back at 9:55 AM via Virudhachalam, Attur, Salem. Reached Salem at 12:45 PM. Stopped for lunch at A2B Thoppur at 1:35 PM. It was very crowded and could start only at 2:15 PM. Took the Hosur - Bagalur - Chikka Tirupathi route. The route though longer by 15 KMs compared to the attibele route was a soothing drive. reached home after 5:00 PM.
Had a hectic but nice trip covering 1075 KMs in 4 days. Now looking forward to the next one
. Most likely it will be Goa in September.