Madurai Musings a great experience .....
Madurai Musings
Every time, our stay in Madurai is just for a day and move out the following day. This time we stayed for two full days Saturday and Sunday , enjoyed every bit, exploring the unexplored.
Visit to Gandhigram Trust , presently in Dindugal District, was a memorable one. Driving, after breakfast, we visited a temple on the outskirts of Madurai.
THIRUVADHAVOOR and KALAMEGHAPERUMAL koil.
After few minutes in each temple, we drove to Gandhgram Trust. 50 kms from here. Driving through the dry flat lands, it is intercepted by small hillocks like Sirumalai, chinnamalai, Pasumalai etc. they are covered with Plantain groves, mango, chickoo and grape gardens. The famous jasmine shrubs and the green trees with pomegranates are a sight to admire and enjoy the fresh fruits. It is rightly called the flower and fruit bowl of the south.(( PAZHZMUDIR SOLAI) . We were glad to meet Mr. M.R.Rajagopal, chief Trusty of the Gandhi gram, who met us.This was Village was started by Gandhji'sfollowers, Dr Soundaram and later by other eminent followers . It has five main areas devoted to Health, Education, Social Welfare, Employment and Rehabilitation
Visit to Thituparam kundram Murugan Temple (first of the 6 houses of Lord.Muruga) and then toMadurai Meenakshi Temple. From here we drove to reach Nainar Koil. On way to Visit to Nainarkoil, we stopped by at PillayarPatti Ganesh Temple, then to Pallathur, kanadukathan (Chettiar houses and heritage town in Chettinad Palace , mansions owned by some of the Chettiar families. Each of these house runs through the entire length and breadth of the street, and we were happy to see the house of Raja Muthiah Chettiar and his grand parents.Happy to trace the house of Late Dr. Muthiah of Pallathur. Making enquiries from strangers, they recollected it was the "Iyer Doctor", who,lived ....they pointed out the Iyers Agraharams locality. It seems, during the chettiars time, they had given plots for Brahmins, who helped them in various fields, one Dr,. Muthiah is one such person. His son, Late Dr. Mani, ENT surgeon is from Pallathur , and his uncle and aunt recognized me on introducing myself as VAK's daughter. Mr. Ganesan and his wife were very hospitable and recollected the good old days of their visits to Madras. Mr. Ganesan is 94 yrs old, a retired army officer, very disciplined in his routine, escorted us-and showed some of the huge Chettinad houses, both interior and from outside.we had a light lunch and moved further to reach Nainarkoil..
A narration about the Chettiar Household.
Interiors are marvelous and looks very elegant and majestic, with exquisite carvings on Burmese Teak and Rose wood . Single beam measuring 18 feet and more we're brought to shore from Burma along the river course, and then through the Bay of Bengal near the Eastcoast. Interesting anecdote India and Burma had prosperous trade links since several centuries, that have been left behind. As cultural heritage for posterity.These woods were tied to the bid steamers,with names of the owners where it had to be unloaded, So these blocks float for several days , and on reaching theTamil Nadu shores, they are dried and left behind till ready to be transported by roadways. Carvings on the door panel are remarkable for their craftmanship. Three levels of courtyard stand bold and the flooring, symmetry in the pillars , show the level of architectural accuracy .
Nainarkoil. The much dreamt of visit was finally made. We reached the temple , by evening opening time. The temple looks clean with all the other sanctum sanctorium, and the temple authorities are getting ready for the Pangunin Uthiram festival. Felt very happy and satisfied , for having visited this temple. Driving from there we passed through Ramnad town, and recollected the stories told by my father, uncles and aunts, later by chamianna and others. We noticed some of the much heard of landmarks of Ramnad .---Raja sethupathi school, Melaranmanai etc . With election campaign getting into action, we could not go further to have a close look at the Melaranmanai ..and proceeded to Rameswaram by late evening and got into our hotel.
Rameswaram Temple.
It was a beautiful day with the orange sun slowly changing towards the golden yellow, we went for sea bath. A customary sea bath initially and the dip in the 22 wells around the temple considered holy ,
was a great experience. We walked around with registered hand bands tied around the wrist, we move from 1 to 22, wells considered sacred , dedicated to seek the blessings and ward off evil forces. Drawing a bucket of water , he pours it on us , and then we move to the next, and finally the last one.
We move to our guest house and changed into our days finery. Performed the rites for all our ancestors, guided by pandits.., there after lunch was served in a special enclosure for those who performed the rites.
We saw the emerald spatikalingam, visible Only for an hour EACH day BETWEEN 5.00 -6.00am.
Special milk abhishekam is performed every 10 mts, and the lucky ones get to see it"", so we were in that lot!! One of the seven wonders of the World, RAMESWARAM CORRIDOR: Walking through the longest Corridor , more than once was amazing. Built between 1240 -1270 AD,, has 1212pillars. The dimensions 27'high and 14, width. The 4 sides of the third Prakaram ( enclosed walk ways takes about 35 minutes to 40 minutes to cover the temple at leisure. Visit to Dhanushkod: , lands end on the south eastern shore of Tamil Nadu.
At the confluence of Bay of Bengal and Palk strait, are few scattered remains of the island that was washed away in 1964. Having seen the island then, it was a sad sight to see. Only four wheel drive jeep was used to travel through the marshy lands, and some areas rugged, water in between. We reached as close to the tip, short 18 kms from Srilanka. The Sethupathi Bridge built as per our epic story Ramayana , begins from here. Hawkers sell sea shells, pearls, corals and other treasures found near the shore and the foreign visitors are the real catch for them. The stop over on our return journey over the Pamban Bridge, to take photographs and read the inscriptions, Indira Gandhi bridge. Three modes of transport keeps the economy thriving - rail and road for the tourists and water ways for the. marine and port development authorities, favoring small exports from these shores.
On the whole a drive from Madurai to Ramaswaram and to Tinnevelly gave a glimpse of the historical, geographical, cultural and economic trends of the southern states on a Tamil Nadu.
Every time, our stay in Madurai is just for a day and move out the following day. This time we stayed for two full days Saturday and Sunday , enjoyed every bit, exploring the unexplored.
Visit to Gandhigram Trust , presently in Dindugal District, was a memorable one. Driving, after breakfast, we visited a temple on the outskirts of Madurai.
THIRUVADHAVOOR and KALAMEGHAPERUMAL koil.
After few minutes in each temple, we drove to Gandhgram Trust. 50 kms from here. Driving through the dry flat lands, it is intercepted by small hillocks like Sirumalai, chinnamalai, Pasumalai etc. they are covered with Plantain groves, mango, chickoo and grape gardens. The famous jasmine shrubs and the green trees with pomegranates are a sight to admire and enjoy the fresh fruits. It is rightly called the flower and fruit bowl of the south.(( PAZHZMUDIR SOLAI) . We were glad to meet Mr. M.R.Rajagopal, chief Trusty of the Gandhi gram, who met us.This was Village was started by Gandhji'sfollowers, Dr Soundaram and later by other eminent followers . It has five main areas devoted to Health, Education, Social Welfare, Employment and Rehabilitation
Visit to Thituparam kundram Murugan Temple (first of the 6 houses of Lord.Muruga) and then toMadurai Meenakshi Temple. From here we drove to reach Nainar Koil. On way to Visit to Nainarkoil, we stopped by at PillayarPatti Ganesh Temple, then to Pallathur, kanadukathan (Chettiar houses and heritage town in Chettinad Palace , mansions owned by some of the Chettiar families. Each of these house runs through the entire length and breadth of the street, and we were happy to see the house of Raja Muthiah Chettiar and his grand parents.Happy to trace the house of Late Dr. Muthiah of Pallathur. Making enquiries from strangers, they recollected it was the "Iyer Doctor", who,lived ....they pointed out the Iyers Agraharams locality. It seems, during the chettiars time, they had given plots for Brahmins, who helped them in various fields, one Dr,. Muthiah is one such person. His son, Late Dr. Mani, ENT surgeon is from Pallathur , and his uncle and aunt recognized me on introducing myself as VAK's daughter. Mr. Ganesan and his wife were very hospitable and recollected the good old days of their visits to Madras. Mr. Ganesan is 94 yrs old, a retired army officer, very disciplined in his routine, escorted us-and showed some of the huge Chettinad houses, both interior and from outside.we had a light lunch and moved further to reach Nainarkoil..
A narration about the Chettiar Household.
Interiors are marvelous and looks very elegant and majestic, with exquisite carvings on Burmese Teak and Rose wood . Single beam measuring 18 feet and more we're brought to shore from Burma along the river course, and then through the Bay of Bengal near the Eastcoast. Interesting anecdote India and Burma had prosperous trade links since several centuries, that have been left behind. As cultural heritage for posterity.These woods were tied to the bid steamers,with names of the owners where it had to be unloaded, So these blocks float for several days , and on reaching theTamil Nadu shores, they are dried and left behind till ready to be transported by roadways. Carvings on the door panel are remarkable for their craftmanship. Three levels of courtyard stand bold and the flooring, symmetry in the pillars , show the level of architectural accuracy .
Nainarkoil. The much dreamt of visit was finally made. We reached the temple , by evening opening time. The temple looks clean with all the other sanctum sanctorium, and the temple authorities are getting ready for the Pangunin Uthiram festival. Felt very happy and satisfied , for having visited this temple. Driving from there we passed through Ramnad town, and recollected the stories told by my father, uncles and aunts, later by chamianna and others. We noticed some of the much heard of landmarks of Ramnad .---Raja sethupathi school, Melaranmanai etc . With election campaign getting into action, we could not go further to have a close look at the Melaranmanai ..and proceeded to Rameswaram by late evening and got into our hotel.
Rameswaram Temple.
It was a beautiful day with the orange sun slowly changing towards the golden yellow, we went for sea bath. A customary sea bath initially and the dip in the 22 wells around the temple considered holy ,
was a great experience. We walked around with registered hand bands tied around the wrist, we move from 1 to 22, wells considered sacred , dedicated to seek the blessings and ward off evil forces. Drawing a bucket of water , he pours it on us , and then we move to the next, and finally the last one.
We move to our guest house and changed into our days finery. Performed the rites for all our ancestors, guided by pandits.., there after lunch was served in a special enclosure for those who performed the rites.
We saw the emerald spatikalingam, visible Only for an hour EACH day BETWEEN 5.00 -6.00am.
Special milk abhishekam is performed every 10 mts, and the lucky ones get to see it"", so we were in that lot!! One of the seven wonders of the World, RAMESWARAM CORRIDOR: Walking through the longest Corridor , more than once was amazing. Built between 1240 -1270 AD,, has 1212pillars. The dimensions 27'high and 14, width. The 4 sides of the third Prakaram ( enclosed walk ways takes about 35 minutes to 40 minutes to cover the temple at leisure. Visit to Dhanushkod: , lands end on the south eastern shore of Tamil Nadu.
At the confluence of Bay of Bengal and Palk strait, are few scattered remains of the island that was washed away in 1964. Having seen the island then, it was a sad sight to see. Only four wheel drive jeep was used to travel through the marshy lands, and some areas rugged, water in between. We reached as close to the tip, short 18 kms from Srilanka. The Sethupathi Bridge built as per our epic story Ramayana , begins from here. Hawkers sell sea shells, pearls, corals and other treasures found near the shore and the foreign visitors are the real catch for them. The stop over on our return journey over the Pamban Bridge, to take photographs and read the inscriptions, Indira Gandhi bridge. Three modes of transport keeps the economy thriving - rail and road for the tourists and water ways for the. marine and port development authorities, favoring small exports from these shores.
On the whole a drive from Madurai to Ramaswaram and to Tinnevelly gave a glimpse of the historical, geographical, cultural and economic trends of the southern states on a Tamil Nadu.
Comments
Post a Comment