[kvsneela]

Tale of two cities: Rameswaram and Kanyakumari

Prologue:

After planning for our North India Trip in March ’25 (Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya), wife planned for her next target i.e. Rameswaram. She has an ambition of covering all 12 Jyothi lingams in which we had already covered like Srisailam, 3 in Maharashtra namely Bhimsankar, Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar. Trip Links are given below:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...travelled.html (Drive from Pondicherry to Kalahasthi, Tirupati and Srisailam via the roads less travelled)
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...harashtra.html (An inexpensive pilgrimage in Maharashtra)

She wanted to be in Rameswaram on Pradosham day and in Kanyakumari on Full moon day. So, she selected 10th April for Rameswaram and 12th April for Kanyakumari. Unlike the North India Trip which was done by Flight and Train due to the distance, this trip would be in my territory which could be completed by car itself. So only accommodation and temple bookings were required.

Since wife is a Central Govt Employee, she could book in Holiday Homes using “esampada” website in which Working Central Govt Employees can book from 60days just like IRCTC. State Govt, PUC and Retired employees have less time (30 or 15). So, we booked at Rameswaram for 9th and 10th April nights and at Kanyakumari for 11th and 12th night as wife wanted to be at home on 14th April which wasTamil New year. (booking was not smooth sailing as I had to use iPhone and Android phone both since PC booking did not go through properly)

Our North visit was successfully completed on 14th March (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...mbha-mela.html (A Tale of 3 Cities, post Kumbha Mela)), we started finalizing this trip. Unlike North Trip, Brother in Law ( CoBrother in Indian English)refused to come to this trip (thank God) and Sister in Law( Wife’s sister) planned her trip so that she would travel alone from Bangalore and meet us directly at Rameswaram.

The Plan:

Original Plan was Rameswaram and KanyaKumari only but as the days progressed more and more places (what else temples) were added which I somewhat managed to finalize with some difficulty. Having own car helped here. SIL wanted one Murugan Temple and herself selected Kurukkuthurai temple (as her family deity is Lord Murugan). I told them that I could manage maximum possible (as I was the sole driver) and left out Sankaran Koil and Srivilliputhur which wife wanted (she half-heartedly accepted). Only requirement was we had to start early every day for four days (9th to 12th) to cover maximum locations and 13th totally reserved for return journey as we had to cover nearly 600 kms.

Before starting the journey, I rotated the 5 tires and did some simple maintenance in the car. (Cleaning the filters, checking the oils, tire pressure etc.,). While doing this, I found out my foot pump meter went bad for a long time now. So, I had to buy separate pressure meter since the pump itself was working well. Then the pump nozzle became loose and had to buy some new rubber inserts to make it tight.

The journey:

09.04.2025 ( Wednesday) Pondy to Rameswaram ( nearly 400 Kms):

We started the journey at around 6 AM. There are 2/3 routes at least for Rameswaram and the fastest (and Costliest) would be through Trichy. But Since I had to return through the same route, I wanted to use other routes. initially selected Kumbakonam/Mannargudi route as We had taken food at a good restaurant at Mannargudi before and wanted to use the same for breakfast. On the other hand, I wanted see the newly laid Villupuram/Nagapattinam Highway which bypasses Cuddalore. So, after Ariyankuppam, I turned right and joined this road but to go via Kumbakonam I had to join with Vadalur road for which there was no directly ramp (needed to go to next flyover and take U turn) which I missed. So continued same road which bypassed Chidambaram / Seerkazhi and finally ended up in Thiruvarur for breakfast (which was ok) at Ganesh Bhavan near the temple. Wife had her photos with the temple chariots (which is the biggest in Asia). From Thiruvarur took Thiruthurapoondi road Via ECR to Rameswaram. The road here is mostly ok, drivable easily at 80 km except some bad patches near T. Poondi. Traffic was very very less but unlike ECR of Chennai to Pondy sea is not visible in this road. Govt Holiday Homes usually have canteens but food should be preordered. Since we crossed that time, took lunch at Hotel Vasantham on Ramanathapuram bypass which was good. Meanwhile SIL had reached Madurai and visited Meenakshi Amman Temple and on the way to Rameswaram by bus. We checked in at the guesthouse at around 2 PM. And after Half an hour went to bus stand and picked SIL also. Had some rest. Started for RamanathaSamy temple at around 4.30 PM as I had already told the ladies that I won’t visit the temple on next day which was Pradosham day which draws heavy crowd.



ECR to Rameswaram

Thiruvarur Chariot ( Ther)

Hotel Vasantham

Holiday Home for Central Govt. Employees

Ramanatha Samy Temple: 5 to 1:00 pm and 3 to 9:00 pm

The Legend:

Many people (mostly from North India) have a misunderstanding the main deity of this temple is Lord Rama and start chanting his praises. Actually, it is Lord Siva temple. As per legend by killing Ravana in Lanka War, Lord Rama accumulated 3 sins as Ravana was Brahmin, Warrior and Devotee. So, Rama came to Rameswaram on the way to Ayodhya to pray to Lord Siva to dissolve these sins. But as per Valmiki Ramayana (which is the authentic Ramayana called as Aadhi Kaavyam), no such incident mentioned. Rama, Seetha, Lakshmana and gang took direct flight from Colombo to Ayodhya without any layover. From the flight Rama showed Seetha (as she did not witness any incidents happened during the war) the places of importance in the path. There he showed an island but did not come down to do any prayer or so. (Even the island fortress which Ravana ruled is considered as Sri Lanka only on assumption as Valmiki clearly mentioned this island was on west side of the ocean and about 100 Yojanas which turns out to thousands of Kms whereas Sri Lanka is about few kms from the Indian Main land.). This temple legend might have been developed due to the conflicts between the Saivite and Vaishnavite sects those days and each group created many legends to show their deity was supreme compared to the other’s. Rameswaram is one of the four Dhams (along with Badrinath, Dwaraka and Puri) on the four corners of the country. Also one of the 12 Jyothi lingams. Usually, people do rituals for ancestors here before doing it in Varanasi and Gaya. But we did not do the rituals either here or in Varanasi.

I was planning to take the car to the temple but got an auto (50\- per head) by which reached the temple ( auto was more convenient as parking would be a problem near the temple). Had a walk towards the east side to the sea beach for Agni Theertham and took a dip but did not change the dress. . There were 22 wells with holy water (theerthams) inside the temple for which online booking is available (25\- per person) which I had already booked. There was a group of guides who approach the devotees for well bathing process by charging Rs 200\- per head. If we go by the ticket, they would only sprinkle the water. If we go with the guide, we would be blessed with a bucket full of water. Our guide took us inside where the tickets were scanned (we had forgotten to bring the printout but soft copy was enough which saved 75\-). Surprised to see the crowd was very much minimum and mostly from North only. After the holy water bath, changed the clothes which we had already carried with us (there was separate changing facility near South Gopuram). Then visited the main sanctum and the visit was over withing 30 minutes as crowd was very less. Returned by Auto to the guest house and had dinner in the canteen there. Had a good sleep.



Agni Theertham





Rameswaram Temple inside

10.04.2025 Thursday:

Navagraha Temple , Devi Pattinam : 4.30 AM to 6.30 PM

Next day We started early towards Navagraha Temple as the temple would get immersed in sea water during day time. Reached the temple at around 6.30 AM. I did not take the dip, SIL only sprinkled the sea water on her head but wife got herself a full bath but without bringing any dress to change. So, she had to stand sometime under sunlight to get her cress dried since I did not allow her to get into the car with wet cloths. The legend was the Lord Rama did pray to 9 Planetary deities before building bridge to Sri Lanka at Dhanushkodi. There was an entrance arch on the shores and a pathway 90 meters long leads to the sanctum. There was a pathway and four stepways leading to the waters in the four cardinal directions. There were nine stones planted in square plan in cardinal directions with the stone at the center indicating the Sun surrounded by eight other planets. General entry was free but for doing prayers to dissolve sins (dosham like Naga Dosham, Brahmhati dosham etc.,) various charges were mentioned. The temple was open from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 pm on all days. Unlike other South Indian temples, where people were not allowed to touch the presiding deities, pilgrims could do their own worship on the images here. The nine Planetary idols were made up of Nine Poisons as per Siddha tradition.








Navagraha Temple Pictures

Swambu Varahi Amman Temple, Uthrakosamangai: 7 to 12.30PM and 4 to 8PM

Next, we moved on to Uthrakosamangai. On the way took breakfast at same Hotel Vasantham on Ramanathapuram Bypass.
Matrikas also called Mataras or Matri, are a group of mother goddesses who are always depicted together in Hinduism. The Matrikas are often depicted in a group of seven, the Saptamatrika(s) (Seven Mothers). However, they are also depicted as a group of eight, the Ashtamatrika(s). Brahmani emerged from Brahma, Vaishnavi from Vishnu, Maheshvari from Shiva, Indrani from Indra, Kaumari from Kartikeya, Varahi from Varaha and Chamunda from Chandi. And additional are Narasimhi from Narasimha and Vinayaki from Ganesha. Out of this Varahi is manifestation with boar head whom Shakta consider Varahi to be a manifestation of the goddess Lalita Tripurasundari or as "Dandanayika" or "Dandanatha" – the commander-general of Lalita's army. Even though few temples are already available for Varahi Amman but people attraction towards these temples seems to be a recent thing. When we went there, main idol was screened for decorations which took nearly an hour. Wife spent this time in chanting Varahi and Lalita songs (she never comes out of a temple quickly). Temple location was serene as it was little bit outside with a pond nearby. There are lots of ammikkal (Grindstone) to grind turmeric to be applied to the deity which is a practice in this temple by families.





Varahi Amman Temple

Mangalanatha Swamy temple, Uthrakosamangai: 6.00 to 11.00 am and 4 to 8.00 pm.

Deities: Mangaleswarar (Shiva) Mangalambigai (Parvati)
The temple houses a 6 ft (1.8 m) tall ancient Maragatha Nataraja idol carved out of emerald, being the one of its kind. This temple is considered to the first temple built as it is more than 3000 years old. Legend has some connection between Ravana , Madodhari and the deity here. As Kumbabishekam (Consecration ritual) happened in this temple few days ago (that was why wife wanted to visit) there was more crowd compared to other temples in our trip. Spent more than an hour here and returned via Thirupullanai (instead of Ramanathapuram). On the way stopped at Pamban bridge to click some pictures. Had launch at guest house which was preordered .









Temple inside

New Pamban Railway Bridge

Another view
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[kvsneela]

Dhanushkodi:

After some rest started for Dhanushkodi from where Lord Rama was supposed to have built his bridge across to reach Lanka. It took some 15 minutes there was entry fees of 20/- . Though the location looked beautiful it was over crowded and so had to park the car a bit away. A metre gauge railway line connected Mandapam on mainland India to Dhanushkodi. Boat mail express ran from Chennai Egmore to Dhanushkodi till 1964 when the metre-gauge branch line from Pamban to Dhanushkodi was destroyed during the 1964 Dhanushkodi cyclone ( with wind speed 280Km/hr and tidal waves 7 meters high) killing nearly 1800 people. There is only 24 km separation from Dhanushkodi and Thalaimannar of Sri Lanka.
Spent some time and since the ladies needed to go to the main temple. I dropped them near the temple and returned to the guest house and they after finishing the temple visit on Pradosham day returned at around 8 PM by auto. Had dinner and went to sleep earlier as we had to start for Kanyakumari early.


Dhanushkodi Road




Dhanushkodi pictures

11.04.2025 Friday: 300Km Via Thoththukudi and Thiruchedhur

Adhi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thirupullanai: 7:30 to 12:00 pm and 3:30 to 7:45 pm

We started around 6 AM towards Kanyakumari. On the way stopped at Adhi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thirupullanai which is one of the 108 Diva Desam ( Temples of Lord Vishnu or Perumal). As per Hindu legend, Rama is believed to have done penance to worship the god of ocean to seek way to Lanka in grass, giving the name Dharbasayanam to the place. Thirupullanai means same thing in Tamil (Pul-Grass, Anai-Pillow). As per another legend, Dasharatha, the father of Rama, performed different sacrifices and did a lot of penance to obtain the sacred payasam (sweet pudding). He offered it to his three wives, resulting in the birth of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrughna. Following the legend, childless couple perform a worship called nagapradishta (installing a statue of snake god) in the temple. Sweet pudding is offered to childless couple praying for a child.







Thirupullani Temple Pictures

Spent an hour in the temple as it was not crowded and then moved on. While searching could not find any good hotels for breakfast. Suddenly found a name Hotel Royal Palace which had Iyengar’s Bakery on the ground floor. But nothing was available for breakfast so used the place only for bio break. Was recommended a Sindhu Hotel ( just before Sayalkudi) after some distance which did not disappoint us. It was a small setup (like tea shop) with tiffin items were available like Idlis, Dosai, Poori etc., It very tasty and very cheap also. Even the ladies were satisfied. GMaps showed the route via Tirunelveli but I suddenly decided to take the ECR route via Thooththukudi, Thiruchendur, Koodankulam to Kanyakumari. Directly went through Tooththukudi ( without taking bypass) city and went up to the Thiruchendur Murugan temple ( no visit as it was Panguni Uththram day which is a yearly festival for all Murugan Temples). Though had some apprehension about the traffic, but went through without any trouble. Crossed Koodankulam (which was in news for its Nuclear Power Plant though the Plant was not visible from the road). Reached Kanyakumari Holiday Homes which was on Kovalam Road nearer to all tourist locations. Since Our lunch was preordered, took in the canteen and had some rest.




Hotel Sindhu

Thanumalayan Temple, Suchindram (4:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM)

Reached the temple, which is about 10 km from the guesthouse, in 20 minutes as Suchindram is situated on Kanyakumari-Nagercoil main road.
This temple is important for both Saivite and Vaishnavite sects. The name Thanumalayan has Siva, Vishnu and Brahma in it. Thanu (Sthanu)- Siva, Mal -Vishnu and Ayan-Brahma. It is one of the 108 Shiva Temples revered by the Kerala Hindu culture, though this temple is now in Tamil Nadu, after Kanyakumari District was merged into Tamil Nadu from Travancore. Hindu mythological legend was that king of devas, Indra got relieved of a curse at the place of the main linga in the temple. The term "Suchi" in Suchindram is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit meaning that stands for "purify". As per another legend. Anusuya (wife of Sage Atri) was tested by Trimurtis (Brahma, Vishnu and Siva) who came as Brahmin mendicants with a condition that she should serve them nude. So, Anusuya converted them into babies and fed them breast milk. Then as the request from the wives of Trimurtis ( Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati) restored them again adults. There are several inscriptions from the period of early and medieval Cholas along with other Pandya rulers and Chera rulers in the region. Since it was part of Travancore once upon a time, the practice of removing upper garment for gents is compulsory here. There is an Anjaneya (Hanuman) statue which stands at 22 feet (6.7 m) and is carved of a single granite block. It is one of the tallest statues of its type in India. It is also of historical interest that this statue was buried in the temple in 1740 and was subsequently forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1930, and subsequently restored. Spent an hour in temple.





Narayani Shakthi Peetam, Suchindram: 7.30 Am to 7.30 PM

Then moved on to the Shakthi Peetham which was on the other side of the temple pond. The legend here is similar to Lalita temple in Prayagraj. Daksha did not invite his daughter Sati and Son in Law Lord Siva for his Yajna. Sati, in spite of Siva’s warnings, attended the yajna where she and her husband were insulted by her father. So, Sati killed herself and Lord Siva got angry and carried her body all around . Parts of her body had fallen in many places and her “ Upper Teeth” had fallen here ( which was one of the 51 parts and so 51 Shakthi Peetams all around the country) . There was some group chanting going on. After spending 30 minutes returned to guest house by 7 PM. This road was under construction so careful driving suggested.

Bagavathy Amman Temple, Kanyakumari: 4:30 am–12:30 pm and 4–8:15 pm

Main deity in this temple is a manifestation of the Hindu goddess Mahadevi in the form of an adolescent girl to kill Banasura. As per legend her marriage with Lord Siva was interrupted so that she could kill Banasura as he had a boon that he could be killed by only a virgin girl. She is variously described by various traditions of Hinduism to either be a form of Parvati or Lakshmi. Devi Kanya Kumari has been mentioned in Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Sangam works Manimekalai, Purananuru and the Narayana Upanishad, a Vaishnava Upanishad in the Taittiriya Samhita of Krishna Yajur Veda. The author of Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (60-80 CE) has written about the prevalence of the propitiation of the deity Kanyakumari in the extreme southern part of India. This is one of the Shakthi Peetams where Sati’s Back Spine fell.
This temple is situated along the sea shore near the docks. It is walkable from the guest house (15 minutes). Here also gents needed to remove upper garments. After the temple visit, spent sometime at the backside of the temple near the sea shore. Wife purchased some pearl necklace. On the way return took dinner at Hotel Saravana (very much crowded) and returned to the guest house for a good night sleep as it was a hectic day.



Bhagavathy Amman Temple



12.04.2025 ( Saturday):

Today we had to go outside towards Tirunelveli for which needed to take the GT highway for the first time in this trip. Started as usual around 6 AM and GMaps showed a shortcut to avoid Nanguneri Toll ( only one toll up to Tirunelveli). Take left turn before the first Toll board (after Nanguneri town) and take right side road which will join with the NH after the Toll. This road is about 5 kms (where as straight road is about 2 kms). Initial portion of the road had some potholes (but drivable) then it became smooth. Reached Kurukkuthurai Murugan Temple at around 8 AM.

Kurukkuthurai Murugan ( Subramania Samy) Temple: 7 to 11.30 Am and 5 to 7.30 PM

This temple is situated in the middle of Porunai (Thamirabharani) river and so for 2 months ( November and December) this temple would get immersed in river water and there wont be any activities. For that another temple is constructed in the upper level to continue activities in rainy season. It is said that the Idol in Thiruchendur Murugan Temple was made from a rock taken from this place and remaining rock portion was converted in idol for this temple. Whole temple is made by digging deep into a rock. There were steps for taking bath in the river. Drivable by car up to the temple with off-roading in the last bit. Spent an hour in the temple and then continued towards Nellaiyappar temple.






Kurukkuthurai temple Pictures

Nellaiyappar Temple: 5 to 12.30 AM and 4 to 8.30 PM

Main Deities of this temple are Lord Siva (called as Nellaiyappar) and Kandhimathi Amman. The original complex is believed to have been built by Pandyas, while the present masonry structure was added by Cholas, Pallavas, Cheras, and Madurai Nayaks. The sanctums of the temple and the gopurams were constructed by Nindraseer Nedumaran (Koon Pandian) who reigned in the 7th century AD. Originally, the Nellaiyappar and Kanthimathi temples were two independent structures with spaces in between. It was in 1647 that Thiru Vadamalaiappa Pillaiyan, a great devotee of Siva linked the two temples by building the "Chain mandapam" (In Tamil Sangili Mandapam). Tirunelveli also is one of the five places where Lord Siva is said to have displayed his dance and all these places have stages/ ambalams. While Tirunelveli has the Thaamira (Copper) Ambalam or Thamira Sabhai, the others are the Rathina Ambalam/ Rathna Sabhai at Thiruvaalangadu (rathinam – ruby / red), the Chitra Ambalam or Chitra Sabhai at Courtallam (chitra – painting), the Velli Ambalam or Rajatha Sabhai at Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple (velli – silver) and the Pon (Gold) Ambalam or PorSabhai at Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram. The temple complex covers an area of 5.9 hectares (14.5 acres) and all its shrines are enclosed with concentric rectangular walls. This is one the 274 or so Paadal Pettra Thalam ( Places where the 4 important Saivites sang songs in praise of the deity).

Initially parked the car just outside and after reparked at Hotel Saravana Bhava underground parking on East Car Street where we took breakfast. Then spent nearly 3 hrs in this temple as wife had lot of activities including chanting Abhirami Andhathi (a Tamil Song collection) group chanting. Meanwhile SIL had developed fever and body pain and was unable to do any activities. I immediately went outside and got her Paracetamol and Amoxicillin for immediate relief which she swallowed and took some rest.






Nellaiappar temple Picture
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[kvsneela]

Nellaiyappar Temple

Story of Tirunelveli Halwa:

If anybody comes to Tirunelveli cannot go without buying Wheat Halwa as the name itself will secrete litres of saliva. So instead of waiting for wife to finish her activities, I went to purchase the famous Halwa. Mr. Jegan Singh, who is regarded as the father of the halwa, made the initiative to start a shop in Tirunelveli in 1882, which is when the halwa first appeared. “Tirunelveli Halwa” was the name of the first halwa shop. Rajput cooks were initially hired by the zamindar of Chokkampatti, a village close to Tirunelveli, to prepare the halwa. After falling in love with the dishes in Kasi, the zamindar asked Jegan Singh’s family to prepare them at his palace. Later, Singh moved to Tirunelveli and established Lakshmi Vilas, honouring a female relative who, by coincidence, was the first to sell halwa on the city’s streets. The present famous “ Iruttukadai” (meaning dark shop) was started by Krishna Singh’s son Bijli Singh in 1940 in which the Halwa was sold only after 5 PM with a 40 watts bulb. The taste comes due to the river water they say. This shop is next the Hotel Saravana Bhava on East car street. If one could not come in the evening, their own next shop called Vishaka Sweets which is open full day. I purchased 2 Kg (4- 500g packets) and just to check the difference in tastes got ¼ kg each from Santhi Sweets and Amar Sigh Sweets (also got one from Pondy local sweet shop for comparison). Price was between 280 to 330/- per kg.

Then we had simple lunch at same hotel and returned back to Kanyakumari. GMaps again showed same shortcut for Nanguneri toll but I went through the toll due to SIL’s health condition. Reached guest house at 2.30 PM. Wife planned this trip in Kanyakumari so that we would be there on full moon day to see moon rise which was Saturday 12th April. Leaving SIL to rest we went to the Amman temple. Went to the Rock formation which was the southernmost tip of the Indian main land. Wife went inside the temple again (not satisfied with previous day’s visit) while I went to the sea shore side and waited for her. There was no Moon rise yet and was watching the sun set. Suddenly Moon appeared behind the Thiruvalluvar Statue above the horizon as if somebody placed it there suddenly. Probably it was hidden among the clouds gathered around the horizon. Alas wife planned for this moment but completely missed out as she joined me after sometime. Spent sometime watching the moon rise and returned to guesthouse after getting some idlis parcels on the way at “Dosai Corner”.


SunSet




Moonrise

SIL’s train was at 9.30 PM from Nagercoil Town station which is at the other end of the city. While walking to the guest house saw traffic on Kovalam road and decided to leave for the station immediately so that we could finish the dinner at the station itself. Started around 7.30 PM and reached the station in 45 minutes and drive itself was little adventurous as had to face many one-way roads (GMaps also guided wrongly through Railway feeder road which was also one way in the end) . After putting SIL in the train (Punalur-Madurai Exp and she would take VB exp from Madurai to Bangalore). As she was not well, we waited for the trains arrival which was only 15 minutes late. Then returned to Guest house (which was very easy as there was no one-way this time) and had a good sleep as next day we had to travel 600km back to Pondy.

13.04.2025 Sunday:

We started around 6 AM but wife wanted to see the sun rise suddenly. So, after keeping luggage in the car, walked towards the boating docks where already big crowd was in que to get boat tickets to Vivekandha rock (Counter opens only at 8 AM and online facility not available). Previous day we did not take the ride due to SIL’s health and also, we had to many boat rides in recent times. Dock area was already full of people waiting to see the sun rise which happened in 10 minutes. After wife got satisfaction, we moved on towards Pondy. Again, took shortcut in Nanguneri Toll and while approaching Tirunelveli suddenly decided to move Sankaran Koil as Wife originally wanted Sankaran Koil and Srivilliputhur and we might not come to this time again, I wanted to fulfil her wish. Road was beautiful (though 2 lanes but wide) and reached Hotel Kumar near the temple at around 9 am where we finished our breakfast. Food was good but parking was on the road. Owner guided us to park on the west side of the temple. From there it was only few meters to the temple.

SankaraNarayanan Temple, Sankaran Koil: 5 to 12.30 PM and 4 to 9 PM

Deities in this temple are Sankaralinga Samy ( Siva) , Gomathi Amman( Parvati) and SankaraNarayan ( Siva Vishnu Combination). Legend is that once there were 2 snakes named Sankhan and Padman who were devotees of Siva and Vishnu respectively. They argued who was the greatest and went to Parvati for the verdict. Parvati prayed to Siva and Vishnu to appear in combined form to prove both are same. After spending an hour moved on to Srivilliputhur.


Sunrise

Tirunelveli to Sankarankoil Road




Sankarankpoil Pictures

Andal Sametha Rangamannar Temple, Srivilliputhur: 6.30 to 1 P.M & 4 to 9 P.M

Srivilliputhur is famous for:

1. Birth place of 2 of the 12 Alwars (Tamil Vaishnavite poets) namely Periyazhvaar (Vishnuchittar) and Andal (Kodhai). The historical period of these Alwars is believed to be between 6-9th century CE, (Though Vaishnavites believe they were born in BCE era). Once Periyazhvaar, who was helping in the temple, found Andal as a baby in Tulasi Plant. Her parents were unknown. She grew up surrounded by Perumal/Vishnu devotion and so always imagined Him as her husband. She is believed to have worn the garland before dedicating it to the presiding deity of the temple. Perivalvar, who later found it, was highly upset and stopped the practice. It is believed Vishnu appeared in his dream and asked him to dedicate the garland worn by Andal to him daily, which is a practice followed during the modern times. It is also believed that Ranganatha of Srirangam temple married Andal, who later merged with him (thus the deity’s name became Rangamannar). We were asked to surrender phones at the entrance itself so unable to take photos. Spent around 30 minutes in the temple as it was not crowded.




Srivilliputhur Pictures

2. For PaalKova or Therattipaal (Milk sweet like Halwa). Locals say that it has been traditionally manufactured and sold since 1940 and is the main cottage industry of the Srivilliputhur area. The history of this delicious palkova can be traced back to the time when people of this town were forced to find alternative uses for the unconsumed milk. As the area boasts of excessive milk production, locals had to find an innovative way to convert the remaining milk into food and it is said that this is how Srivilliputhur PaalKova came into existence. It became so popular among people that this is now their primary occupation. Locals say that approximately 2,000 kg of PaalKova is produced every day. The average shelf life of the milk product is 7 to 10 days. We got 2 Kgs for some 360 Rs per kg.

At around 12 Noon started towards Pondy. After Madurai (towards Melur) took lunch at Adyar Anandha Bhavan. Reached Home at around 7.30 PM.

Some points:

1. The Entire ECR from Pondicherry to Kanyakumari was drivable with speed around 80km. In this route, Unlike Chennai -Pondy Strech of ECR, sea was not visible but the entire route went through different towns which made the drive not boring. Other than the toll near Chidambaram, there was no other toll in this route.

2. Entry fee for Rameswaram was Rs 100/- which was valid for one day (it was day based not hour based like Fastag). Fastag worked here. Separate fees for Dhanushkodi (Rs 20/-). In Kanyakumari it was Rs 50/- but no Fastag.

3. Holiday Homes for Govt Employees was ok for normal stay. For 250 to 300/- per day AC double room was available. One or 2 extra people can also be accommodated. But some typical Govt machinery problem came up. In Rameswaram, DTH worked but water heater did not( though the climate did not require hot water). In Kanyakumari it was the other way. Both had limited car parking facilities. While in Rameswaram it was outside the town at a lonely place on Dhanushkodi road, Kanyakumari location was on Kovalam Road which made every spot walkable. Both had canteen facilities but only North Indian Menu (Chickpeas, Kidney beans, Paneer etc.,) due to which we took food outside maximum (wife needs her vegetable intake compulsory daily which was not possible in this menu). Since we were moving outside mostly it was not difficult. Frankly the preparation in Kanyakumari more authentic North Indian than in Rameswaram.

4. Most of the temples where we visited had the timings similar in Tamil Nadu tradition. Morning 4 to 5 AM to 12.30 to 1 PM and Evening 4 PM to 9 PM. While drinking water might be problem, all the temples had toilet facilities (either free or paid).

5. After buying Wheat Halwa in 3 separate shops from Tirunelveli and one from Pondicherry , I found the taste was almost similar with subtle variations in taste. While irukkukadai and Pondy Halwa were plain, Santhi and Amar Singh were a bit caramelized which gave slightly different taste. This is my personal opinion only.

6. Finally, our Spresso behaved beautifully through the entire trip. AC was still a chiller. Audio system did not hang even once. Parking and driving though small roads were a breeze. Unless required , no plan to upgrade in near future.

[ike]

Neat trip, enjoyed reading the first part.

Originally Posted by kvsneela

I was planning to take the car to the temple but got an auto (50\- per head) by which reached the temple ( auto was more convenient as parking would be a problem near the temple).

There's a TTDC property very near the temple and the Agnitheertham, you can park your car here for 100 bucks even if you are not staying here. It is far less congested than the pay and parks that are there around the temple and it is very conveniently located too, just a few mins by foot from the temple. The food is pretty decent too.

The only problem I have is that since there are quite a lot of trees in the property, and the birds that live on these trees they crap on the cars parked below.

[kvsneela]

After 2 days ( on 16th)of reaching Pondy I got a message from my Fastag provider( IndusInd Bank) that Rs 255/- debited at Bhoothakudi Toll ( between Viralimalai and Trichy ) on the way return to Pondy due to shortfall. When I checked the transaction details , observed that Rs 110/- was already deducted for this toll. And there was no shortage of amount in my account (I had 2500/- before starting the journey and still has 1250/- after reaching Pondy) and I have a habit of recharging in thousands in advance rather waiting for the journey date .
I raised dispute on IndusInd site with " duplicate transaction since I passed the toll only once" . This was rejected mentioning the transaction IDs are same. Then I reapplied with " Excess amount debited " ( with pictures of Car and RC Card)which was sent to Bhoothakudi Toll for clarification . Then the amount 255/- was credited back to Fastag account on 2nd May. Overall it took about 10 days.