[Rajeevraj]

What a beautiful and unique travelogue. Thank you for sharing and bringing out this gem to all of us who would have never heard of this or got a chance to experience it, if not for this write up. Great pictures too.

[anand253]

Thank you sharing - outstanding writeup that takes you back in time. The trivia peppered around itself makes for very interesting reading. This circuit definitely goes into my bucket list

[dhanushmenon]

Wow. A travelogue with a unique identity to it. And wonderful snaps to top it up. Some snaps are really scary; and many tells a story in itself. Thanks for bringing this vibrancy to us. Was a great read indeed.

[fiestarry]

Wonderful travelogue indeed and the pictures are excellent. The documented history of TN is a fairly long one. Except for a period of three centuries between 350 and 650 CE, Tamil literature and poetry cover over three millennia.
Back to the travelogue contents, it is sad that Tamil freedom fighters never got the national recognition that some others did; funnily enough, the Dravidian TN govts too have ignored their contribution. Kattabomman, Bharatiya and VOC are only mentioned in passing.
Mikka Nanri to airguitar for this unexpected treat. Thanks again.

[naveenroy]

Thanks for the very nice pictures and the trouble you took to know about some of the freedom fighters from this region! I've always looked at the Kattabomman memorial and thought about the fort he would have managed to build in such a barren land. But it should have been so different then. I did take some pictures on a ride home sometime - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post1362908 (Ride from Bangalore to Nagercoil - better late than never)

Also, so glad that you bought Tuticorin macroons, Sattur Karasev, Kovilpatti Kadalamittai, Iruttukadai Halwa, Srivilliputtur palkova, Panneer soda and Bovonto

I love Bovonto!

[k149in]

Brilliant, just brilliant travelogue. You have inspired me to visit these historic and very important places. Thanks for bringing out this unique thread.

[Alfa Romeo]

classic! well penned and also exceptional pictures. hats off to the amount of research done, travel and finally writing in detail. as for so many hidden treasures in india, i came to know about one today. thanks for sharing! kudos hungry after reading the details of snacks and bovonto!

[ashphil]

What a beautiful travelogue! I hail from Tuticorin though its been a long time since I visited this area. Memories come flooding back on going through your travelogue . Thanks to you, I've made up my mind to drive there again. Thank you!

[mohansrides]

Wonderful Wonderful travelogue. So immersive and quirky. I grew up in TN, and yet have not been fortunate to live there or to experience it's history and grandeur. Your spirited essay reminds me as to why I love south India so much.

Thank you for taking the time to document in great detail. Lovely pictures too.

[gadadhar]

A very unique travelogue and the snaps are talking more than the words. Many thanks for unlocking some unknown areas and stories.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by gigatech2006

Also, a rare travelogue where we didn't get to see the pics of your mode of transport

Sir it was a Fabia. Didn't have the software to edit stuff ( e.g. regn number of car ). All photos are straight off the cam.

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Also, so glad that you bought Tuticorin macroons, Sattur Karasev, Kovilpatti Kadalamittai, Iruttukadai Halwa, Srivilliputtur palkova, Panneer soda and Bovonto
I love Bovonto!

We could do a food circuit tour of TN
Kanchipuram - Kanchipuram Idlis ( google )
Salem - Thattu Vadai
Dindigul/Ambur - Biriyani
Madurai - Jigarthanda
Sattur - Karasev
Srivilliputhur - Palkova
Kovilpatti - Kadalamittai
Karaikudi - Chicken
Kumbakonam - Coffee
Tirunelveli - Halwa
Manappara - Murukku
Nagercoil - Fish curry
Tuticorin - Macroon
Did I miss anything ?

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Wonderful Wonderful travelogue. So immersive and quirky.

Why quirky sir ?

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by airguitar

Why quirky sir ?

Sorry I meant to reply earlier. But got busy.

Well, quirky because of your choice of destinations and also because of your writing style, which is very freewheeling and stream-of-consciousness like in the way it unpacks things for the reader.

I certainly didn’t mean “quirky” in a negative sense. My apologies if you got that idea. Quirky is good in my book. Even great maybe. Quirky is what makes life interesting.

P.S.

Tried to PM you. But, got a message that your inbox is full and that you can’t be reached.

Cheers

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Sorry I meant to reply earlier. But got busy.

Well, quirky because of your choice of destinations and also because of your writing style, which is very freewheeling and stream-of-consciousness like in the way it unpacks things for the reader.

I certainly didn’t mean “quirky” in a negative sense. My apologies if you got that idea. Quirky is good in my book. Even great maybe. Quirky is what makes life interesting.

P.S.

Tried to PM you. But, got a message that your inbox is full and that you can’t be reached.

Cheers

Thank you no offense taken at anything just wanted to know what you meant by 'quirky' on this context. Thank you. Inbox cleared too

[ARAY]

Woow this is such a different yet awesome experience .
This side of our country celebrates things just like the rest of it. Luckily i am based out of Hyderabad and these places are not far off l, moreover I am starting to like the destinations you choose and your narration style. It gives a fresh perspective to the places travelled.
Keep travelling and sharing such wonderful experiences.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by airguitar

The one other thing to not miss in the temple is the "Mani mandapam", a little bellhouse with a huge bell just adjoining the temple. During the time of Kattabomman, there were many such bellhouses from Tiruchendur to Panchalankurichi. They served the purpose of being a rest house and a signal point ( bell rings ). Most of them have been lost due to road widening ( talk about us Indians and our respect towards our own heritage ). The only other bellhouse (other than the one at the temple ) is somewhere in Vadakku Authoor ( between Tuticorin and Tiruchendur ). I spent some fruitless minutes trying to locate it/speaking to elders of the village - but no sign of it. Pls someone let me know if you know about it.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Tiruchendur again and I spent hours figuring the bell houses again. I heard different versions again as below:

1. There is one still behind the Mani Iyer hotel at Vadakku Authoor.
2. Another one at Kamarajar Park at Arumuganeri.
3. Another one at Veerapandiyapuram.

All this turned out to be inaccurate ( maybe they existed there years ago, but nothing exists there now, atleast the locals do not know anything about it ). I spent hours walking/searching for any evidences of these, but the responses I received bordered on ridicule. One of them said 'Inga Paaruya, Maniya thedi Bengaluru lerndu vandurukkan' ( Look at him, he's come this far from Bengaluru in search of a bell ). I left in the evening disappointed at how no present knowledge of such important things exist in the public domain.

For a country with one of the richest pasts, full of wisdom, knowledge, skills, heritage and tradition, we have only retained and practice a miniscule portion of it in the present days. What a shame!