[dreamdiesel]

Back from the 4 day trip (25th June to 28th June, 2009) to Ooty/Coonoor/Kotagiri and am already busy planning the routes and places to visit at Madurai and Kodaikanal in the 3rd week of July, the occasion being my first wedding anniversary. Just popped a question to my wife about going on a road trip again and it was an affirmative yes. I guess it’s just another reason to travel, which both of us enjoy very much. My wife keeps telling me she is more of “Hills and Nature” kind of a person and how much she looks forward for road trips to hill stations and I keep telling her I am a “Highway” kind of a person where a good long stretch of highway and a nice car is where my holiday is made. Both of us have never been to Madurai or Kodaikanal and we wanted to explore this place. Madurai was also included as we wanted to visit the famous Sri Meenakshi temple and then head to the hills nearby. Another reason being the car had just finished its 20000kms service and I usually take the car out for a long drive after the engine oil change. Thanks to funda2max and Ramp for suggesting the route. I also looked up some of the travelogues and the thread in the route query section. So with the route finalized I looked forward for yet another memorable trip.


Preparation:

The car serviced at Mandovi Motors, Wilson Garden for the 20000km scheduled service. This time around I had to fill up diesel (for Rs.1000/26.8lts) at HP rather than my usual IOC as my wife had some imint HP fuel coupons to redeem. No hotel bookings were done in Madurai or Kodaikanal as firstly did not have much idea about these places and secondly we really wanted to land up at these places completely unprepared. I had some idea about hotels in Kodaikanal though. Bags packed the previous evening; we decided to leave Bangalore by 6:00AM and kept a target of reaching Madurai which is about 440kms from Bangalore around 2:00PM just in time for lunch.


Day 1 (16th July, 2009): Bangalore – Krishnagiri – Dharmapuri – Salem – Namakkal – Karur – Dindigul – Madurai
Trip Meter – 0kms to 444kms

I am up by 5:30AM and quickly get ready. Take the car out of the garage and let it idle for some time. Wife is up only by 6:00AM as she came home pretty late from work last night and is ready in the next 30 minutes. All bags loaded into the car and we leave our place by 6:45AM. Quickly head towards BTM Layout and on Hosur road in no time as the traffic is very sparse. The road till Electronic City is almost ready below the flyover and I could easily zip at 80-90kmph at this time of the day. Only after Electronic City till Hosur, the roads are bad with lots of construction going on. By 7:30AM we are out of Karnataka and cruising on the beautiful NH7 towards Krishnagiri. We decided to stop at Spicy Spoon restaurant that has a HP fuel station and a Café Coffee day Outlet beside it about 5-6kms before A2B on NH7 as I presumed A2B to be crowded and we would get delayed because of this.

After a sumptuous breakfast of idlis and dosas we are on our way towards Krishnagiri. Cruising at 90-100kmph, reach the first toll plaza at Krishnagiri (Rs.25) and towards the flyovers at Krishnagiri. We cross the 2 flyovers and head towards Dharmapuri which is about 48kms from Krishnagiri. Reach Dharmapuri and continue towards Thoppur which is about 28kms. There are 1 or 2 bridges being built near Thoppur on the NH7 for which you need to take a deviation. There is also another Toll Plaza near Thoppur (Rs.48). Continue the drive towards Salem and we encounter some truck traffic and once past Salem steel plant the traffic reduces. Enter Salem city and its get little confusing on where exactly one needs to take the right turn. From the first circle/junction on NH7 at Salem, travel about 7-8kms ahead and take the right towards Erode under a Flyover that’s being built. You will encounter about 2-3 circles/junctions before the right turn towards Erode. Another 40kms from Salem take the by-pass near Namakkal and head towards Karur. Salem to Namakkal stretch is almost 75-80% done with few deviations and a new Toll Plaza is almost functional near Namakkal. From Namakkal the NH7 is still being built with lots of deviations all the way till Dindigul via Karur. I would say almost 70-75% is ready.

The stretch between Namakkal and Karur was extremely windy and I could feel the car being pushed by the wind. I encountered one huge dust storm blowing across the highway near Karur which hampered the visibility and speed for the next 5 minutes. All this while I kept a steady 100-120kmph and stopped once for 15 minutes near Karur after the dust storm. Always keep a lookout for crazy 2 wheelers who travel at full speed on the wrong side of the road. We pass Karur by 11:30AM and on the way towards Dindigul which is about 68kms. At Dindigul there is a huge flyover by-pass being built towards Madurai. We cross Dindigul and the beautiful NH7 narrows down to a 2 lane highway about 10-14kms before Madurai City. We cross the bridge over the almost dry River Vaigai and enter Madurai City around 1:40PM, then cross the flyover near the Railway station and head left towards West Perumal Maistry Street where most of the good hotels in the City are located. The approach road towards this street is slightly narrow from the Railway Station side.


Pit Stop just after the dust storm near Karur


The beautiful NH7

Madurai city was sweltering hot at 36 degree C and we quickly find a nice hotel that matched our budget. Hotel Golden Park is a nice new hotel with nice restaurants and we are checked-in by 2:15PM. Double AC rooms at Rs.1200 plus taxes. On this stretch (West Perumal Maistry Street) at Madurai you will find numerous decent hotels starting from Rs.700 to Rs.3500 for AC rooms. The famous Sri Meenakshi Temple is at a walk-able distance from the hotel. After relaxing in the room for some time we head over to the restaurant for lunch. Post lunch we get back to the room and plan to venture out only after 4:00PM. The car is parked safely in the hotel basement and I don’t plan to take the car out for the rest of the day as traffic in Madurai is chaotic, roads are narrow towards the temple and parking difficult to find.

By 4:00PM we are out of the hotel and take an Auto rickshaw towards Thirumalai Nayak Palace which is about 1.5 kms from the Sri Meenakshi temple. The Palace is open for visitors between 0900 hrs and 1300 hrs and again between 1400 hrs and 1700 hrs. This palace was built in 1636 by the Mannar Thirumalai Nayak. The imposing appearance is famous for the moldings and decorative work on its domes and impressive arches. A song "kannalane" was shot in this Palace from film “Bombay” by Mani Rathnam. The entire palace is being restored and floor was littered with construction material. We spent a good 30-40 minutes here and took an Auto rickshaw towards Sri Meenakshi Temple.


Beautiful arches at Thirumalai Nayak Palace


Inside Thirumalai Nayak Palace


At Thirumalai Nayak Palace


Inside Thirumalai Nayak Palace


Beautifully painted ceiling

Sri Meenakshi temple is usually open between 5:00AM to 12:30PM and again between 4:00PM and 9:30PM. The Sri Meenakshi temple is one of the largest and certainly one of the most ancient temples, with a constant flow of pilgrims and was almost packed when we visited. According to legend Madurai is the actual site where the wedding between Shiva and Meenakshi took place. After some walking from the East Gate we rest for sometime on the steps at the Golden Lotus Tank. Then we get into the queue for the darshan. Finish Darshan in about an hour and walk around the huge temple complex trying to find the way out where we had kept our footwear. We are out of the temple by 7:30PM and walk back to the hotel.


Sri Meenakshi Temple


Entrance to Sri Meenakshi Temple


Inside Sri Meenakshi Temple (Sorry for the slightly blurred image)


View of one of the Gopurams


View of the Golden Lotus Pond inside the temple complex


Colorfully painted Gopuram


View of the South Gopuram


Lights on at Dusk

A good 20 minutes walk back to the hotel and my legs were aching with all the walking I did for the day. Get back to the room and take a cold water bath which revived me. Take rest for an hour watching TV and we decide to go out by 9.00PM for some shopping. Also visit a church near the Madurai bus station for some time. After shopping we head to the roof-top restaurant at the hotel that offers a breath taking aerial view of the great temple and the city. After a nice dinner we head back to the room by 11:30PM and asleep by midnight.

Continued....

[mjothi]

Beautiful pics.

The Meenakshi temple was very recently re-painted for the Kumbabisekam. Even otherwise it would be very nice to view those art work.

Same with Mahal too. They recently finished all works and were planning to open the sound and music program again for public. Was it opened already?

[dreamdiesel]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Beautiful pics.

The Meenakshi temple was very recently re-painted for the Kumbabisekam. Even otherwise it would be very nice to view those art work.

Same with Mahal too. They recently finished all works and were planning to open the sound and music program again for public. Was it opened already?

Thanks mjothi. Yes the temple did seem freshly painted. There is still some work going on at the Thirumalai Nayak Palace.

[funda2max]

Wonderful write-up. Waiting to read more!

[pypkmsrikanth]

This is going to be as good as your Ooty-Coonoor travelogue. Good start. Waiting for more.

Last week I drove to Bangalore and back from Chennai, I actually thought Bommanahalli Jn. was a serious pain while post Electronic City it was a breeze with only Chandapura Jn. slightly chaotic. Nevertheless its a major improvement over the last few months.

[muralisk]

A wonderful start to a good travelogue. Nice write up and great snaps there. Looking forward to seeing more pics and reading. Keep it rolling.

[CliffHanger]

Hey Dreamdiesel! As always your tavelogues kept me hooked on to it, your style of writing is simple and neat, your narration puts an imaginary screen in front of my eyes and with the pics,I can very well imagine myself being in the trip...

Please post the remaining parts with loads of pics..

[funda2max]

Originally Posted by dreamdiesel

The stretch between Namakkal and Karur was extremely windy and I could feel the car being pushed by the wind. I encountered one huge dust storm blowing across the highway near Karur which hampered the visibility and speed for the next 5 minutes. All this while I kept a steady 100-120kmph and stopped once for 15 minutes near Karur after the dust storm.

Yes, It is windy out there since June. Especially during Monsoon peaks at Kerala and it is Aadi maasam. It is really difficult to drive during sand storms which occurs frequently at this stretch. You can feel the wind till vedachandhur.

[dreamdiesel]

Day 2 (17th July, 2009): Madurai – Batlagundu - Kodaikanal
Trip Meter – 444kms to 593kms

I forgot to keep the alarm and when I wake up realize it’s about 9:30AM. After a really sound sleep feeling refreshed with all the walking I did yesterday. We quickly get ready and head downstairs and have a yummy breakfast at a small restaurant named Sabari’s on the same street. Then we check-out by 11:00AM. Load the entire luggage back into the car and we leave Madurai promising ourselves to visit this city again. We take the same road back out of Madurai towards Dindigul. Stop at an IOC fuel outlet and fill up diesel (for Rs.500/13.7lts). About 32kms from Madurai you take a left turn to go under the BG Railway line and cross the road level BG Railway line. Then immediately take a right towards Batlagundu.


Cloudy morning on NH7 out of Madurai


Super smooth NH7 out of Madurai


The left turn towards Batlagundu on NH7 from Madurai

It’s a 2 lane State Highway now all the way till Batlagundu. You can maintain a steady speed of 70-80kmph on this well paved SH. Batlagundu is about 50kms from Madurai. Past Batlagundu the views of the Kodaikanal hills look awesome. Kodaikanal is another 80kms from Batlagundu. In no time we are leaving the plains behind and climbing the hills. The climb is gradual and is not at steep at Segur Ghats towards Ooty. We stop at a few places for photographs and also see a dead snake on the road. Also on the way up we stop for sometime at the viewpoint for Rat Tail waterfalls which was completely dry and then we move on. The temperature is dropping as we climb. The road is very well done and at a few places it really gets narrow. You regularly come across blind curves and keep honking while negotiating these curves. We stop at a few places to buy some fruits to munch on the way. As we keep gaining altitude the temperature start to fall and I can feel the chillness usually experienced at a hill station. Have to get my jacket out of the bag and wear it.


Dead snake on the way up towards Kodaikanal


View on the way up the Ghats


View on the way up the Ghats


Stopped at a few places to look at the scenery


Dry Rat Tail Waterfalls


Good roads all the way upto Kodaikanal


Rolling fog nearing Kodaikanal


Silver Cascade waterfalls on the way towards Kodaikanal

By 2:30PM we are at Kodaikanal and we are greeted by fog filled roads. There is very slight drizzle and it adds to the beauty of a hill station. The temperature must be about 19-20 degree C. My friend had suggested the state owned TTDC as a nice place to stay at Kodaikanal. Ask our way to Fern Hill road where Hotel Tamil Nadu is located. Pretty big property they have there with numerous types of accommodation. We opted for Deluxe Cottage for Rs.950 plus taxes. Also included was complimentary breakfast. I was actually surprised to find the rooms maintained pretty well. We check-in by 3:00PM and relax for some time.

We leave the hotel in the next 30 minutes to find a nice place for lunch. I was recommended a restaurant named “Tava” opposite Kodaikanal International School. Find my way towards the lake and up towards Hotel Hill Top and go past it to the next junction. Towards the left is a small road going down the hill that has a few restaurants. One of them is Tava and you also have a famous Tibetan restaurant named “Tibetan Brothers”. Tava is a small vegetarian restaurant which serves excellent North Indian dishes. I feel it’s one of the best Vegetarian restaurants serving North Indian food I have visited. The prices are very nominal.

After our fill of phulkas, vegetarian curry and rice we plan to visit the Kodaikanal Lake where most of the activity seems to be happening. We find our way back to Kodaikanal Lake and find a place to park the car. There is a steady drizzle now and boating does not seem to be a good idea. We drive around the lake for some time and park again near Bryant Park. Hire a bicycle and cycle around the lake. The lake is spread over 60 acres and surrounded by fine tarred road of 5 kms length. There are huge beautiful houses around the lake with huge gardens. We stroll for some time and ride the cycle the other time.


Its raining at Kodaikanal - Kodaikanal Lake


Kodaikanal Lake


Cycling around Kodaikanal Lake

We are back in an hour and we decide to visit Coaker’s Walk which is an ideal place for picturesque walk, situated at a distance of about 1 km from the Kodaikanal Lake. By the time we are at Coaker’s Walk it’s about 6:00PM. The place was almost deserted and it was a very relaxing walk in the midst of the fog. Most of the view was covered by fog. Spent about an hour at Coaker’s Walk and we head back to Lake for some hot tea and snacks. Weather is pretty cold and we have nice hot Masala tea and Mirchi Bajjis near the lake and we drive around the almost deserted road around Kodaikanal Lake.


Fog filled views at Coaker’s Walk


View from Coaker’s Walk


View from Coaker’s Walk


View of Kodikanal Lake at Dusk

We head back to the hotel by 8:30PM, relax for some time and go out for dinner around 9:30PM. Go to the same street where “Tava” restaurant is located and decide to have dinner at New Punjab restaurant. The food there was average and we are back to the room by 10:30PM. The weather at Kodaikanal is not as cold as Ooty. The night temperature is around 15 degree C. Hit the bed around midnight.

Continued....

[dreamdiesel]

Originally Posted by funda2max

Wonderful write-up. Waiting to read more!

Thanks. Keep watching out for more!!!

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

This is going to be as good as your Ooty-Coonoor travelogue. Good start. Waiting for more.

Last week I drove to Bangalore and back from Chennai, I actually thought Bommanahalli Jn. was a serious pain while post Electronic City it was a breeze with only Chandapura Jn. slightly chaotic. Nevertheless its a major improvement over the last few months.

Thanks Srikanth. Definitely things are lot better than what it was after Electronic City months back.

Originally Posted by muralisk

A wonderful start to a good travelogue. Nice write up and great snaps there. Looking forward to seeing more pics and reading. Keep it rolling.

Thank You muralisk. Day2 is up.. Will be updating Day 3 and 4 shortly.

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

Hey Dreamdiesel! As always your tavelogues kept me hooked on to it, your style of writing is simple and neat, your narration puts an imaginary screen in front of my eyes and with the pics,I can very well imagine myself being in the trip...

Please post the remaining parts with loads of pics..

Thanks Cliffhanger. I try to keep it simple and detailed. Glad you liked it.

Originally Posted by funda2max

Yes, It is windy out there since June. Especially during Monsoon peaks at Kerala and it is Aadi maasam. It is really difficult to drive during sand storms which occurs frequently at this stretch. You can feel the wind till vedachandhur.

Yes, was a little scary driving in the strong cross winds.

[muralisk]

Great shots again from Day 2. Kodai has been on my list for a long time and for some reason, I have not been able to make it. These shots are quite inspiring and will try and plan a trip to Kodai soon. Will be waiting for the next set ...

[CliffHanger]

That's a rattle snake, one of the deadliest around..Your second post seems to be a bit short [:P],finished it quickly..
Keep them coming!!

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

That's a rattle snake, one of the deadliest around..Your second post seems to be a bit short [:P],finished it quickly..
Keep them coming!!

India does not have rattle snake. That is a "Russells Viper" nevertheless very deadly as well.

Vipers - Wild India

One of the big four snakes in India.

[muralisk]

Oh, I guess I missed the dead snake. Am really sad to see the poor fella dead. It looks like a python. So sad.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

India does not have rattle snake. That is a "Russells Viper" nevertheless very deadly as well.

Vipers - Wild India

One of the big four snakes in India.

This is one of the deadliest snakes in the whole world. This snake is responsible for the majority of the snakebite related deaths in India.

Originally Posted by muralisk

Oh, I guess I missed the dead snake. Am really sad to see the poor fella dead. It looks like a python. So sad.

It's not a python. It is a Russells Viper as stated above.