Kumbakonam Temples Visit - Feb 2011

Our Family undertook a trip to Few temples near Kumbakonam & Thanjavur on 12 & 13 Feb 2011. In this blog, I list down the brief details of the trip, the temples that we visited and places we dined.

Stay - Kodeeswara Lodge
Dine - Hotels near Bus stand. Not so good, but enough to whet your appetite, esp. if you are a fan of Pongal, Vada with Sambar and Chutney.


Places Visited on Day #1

We had breakfast at Vasanta Bhavan, near the Busstand, and started around 8:45 AM. Then we proceeded to Tirukkarugavur, via Papanasam Railway Crossing. The roads were good, and the smell of harvest was a blessing.

Thirukkarugavoor
http://www.sri-karparakshambigai-temple.com/
We reached here around 10:00, got the garlands from nearby shop. We offered archanas to Mullaivananathar and Garbarakshambika. We walked 3 rounds, around the temple, cherishing the gardens at the temple.

We started from here around 11:30 AM.

Thittai Guru Temple
http://www.dharsanam.com/2007/09/thenkudi-thittai-guru-bhagavan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thengudi_Thittai
On the way from Thirukkarugavoor to Thanjavur, via Melattur, on the advice of the driver, we took a stop.
Unlike many other temples, here the complete temple is built using the stone. Not only for the main dieties, but also all other Sannidhi's are constructed using stones, right from floors, pillars, walls and roof.
An unique feature of this temple is a drop of water falls on the Lingam (Main Diety) exactly every twenty four minutes (1 Naazhigai) from the roof. But for a small hole, there is no source of water or anything, on the Vimana of the main diety.
The archakas were very friendly ad explained about the history of the temple. More details can be had from the reference link mentioned.
We started from here around 12:15 and proceeded to Tanjore.

Thanjavoor Brihadeeswarar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brihadeeswarar_Temple
Upon reaching here around 1:00, what strike upon me was a marvel. No words can explain the sheer magnificence of the temple. If you haven't been here, you must visit once.
The temple has a very big Nandi, at the entrace, and Lord Brihadeeswara (Shiva Linga) and Goddess Parvati. We clicked numerous snaps here, and you would still be spellbound for sure.

It was lunchtime, and the driver informed that all temples would be closed now and can be seen only after 4:00 PM. It would not be possible to go back to Kumbakonam, and then visit the other temples. So, we decided to spend some time at the Maratha Museum.

One of the hoardings provided a glimpse of the various temples around Tanjavor, thought this would be useful -


Tanjore Maratha Palace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanjavur_Maratha_palace
There was nothing to be overawed, but nevertheless we could spend some time at the bat filled palace. The darbar hall still has the throne and some rich paintings, but they are not well maintained over the years.

The palace compound also has -
1. The Saraswati Mahal Library, housing some of the ancient literature.
2. The Art Gallery
3. Museum

We then started from here around 3:30 PM and proceeded towards Papanasam.

Papanasam 108 Sivan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papanasam#108_Shivalayam
Papanasam is 18 KM away from Kumbakonam on Kumbakonam – Tanjore highway. The Papanasam 108 Sivalaya was under renovation and painting when we went. The temple has 108 Lingas in one roof. The main deity is Ramalingeswarar, installed by Sri Ramar Himself. Since the Brahma harthi dosham was following Sri Ramar because of killing the two demons Haran and Dhooshan, Ramar installed this lingam here and got His dhosham cleared off. There are 106 individual (big) lingams in a separate mandapam. There is also a separate lingam (Hanumantha lingam) brought by Sri Hanuman from Kasi. So,along with the moolavar, there are totally 108 lingams here. As the name of the place suggests, this is a place where one can get their sins washed off. Papa, meaning sins and Nasam meaning, loosing out.
This is also the birth place of great people like Poet Papanasam Sivan and Sri Sri Ravishankar of Art Of Living.

Some Pics, that we took -

There's also a video on Youtube, that I am embedding here -



Nallur - Kalyana Sundareswarar
http://kumbakonamtemples.in/nallur-temple.html
http://kumbakonam-temples.blogspot.com/2009/05/nallur-temple.html

Nallur is about 4 km from Papanasam, which is on Papanasam-Kumbakonam Road via Vazhapazhakadai.
Sri Kalyanasundareswarar temple is an ancient Shiva shrine. The Lingam is made of a shining metal which changes colour five times a day. The images of Shiva and Parvati on Rishaba with Vishnu and Brahma are worshipped in the sanctum. Masi Magham (Feb-March) is a major festival.

The archagar explained about the history and significance of the temple. Even of the devottes remarked that this was the first time the archagar has explained so deeply about the temple, and it was a blessing to hear those.

Around 6:00, we started from here and proceeded towards Patteswaram.

Patteswaram
http://www.patteeswaramdurga.org/
We were very fortunate to see less crowd, and we had a chance to have an aarthi darshan. The temple is huge and the "vruksham" (tree) behind Durga is very famous. The archagar explained the procedure to pray in this temple, and at the end of the day, we were pretty satisfied lot.

After having dinner at a hotel nearby, we went to our hotel around 8:30 PM.

Route Map for Places visited on Day #1

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Places Visited on Day #2
On Sunday, we had plans to visit Thirumanancheri, Swamimalai & Thiruvalanchuzhi, and were planning to return by 2:00 PM or so, as we had to catch our train back around 6:00 PM.

Thirumanancheri
http://www.thiruvidaimarudur.com/thirumanancheri.php
We reached here around 8:00 AM, and we were surprised to see the heavy rush. The temple is for people who wants to get married, and there is a belief that marriage would get settled soon after visiting the temple.
You need to get a archana ticket, and garland set. There are specific instructions to light the lamp and offer worship at the temple. Any vendor should be able to assist you.

After offering poojas here, we then decided to proceed towards Swamimalai, however, if time permits we thought we could see few temples on the way. We had elaneeru (Tender Coconut) on the way, and believe me the taste you get over those areas cannot be matched. After relishing it, the driver halted at Suriyar Koil, as it was a Sunday and very auspicious day to worship Sun God.

Kanjanur - Sukran

http://indiantemplesonline.blogspot.com/2011/02/navagriha-sukran-kanjanur.html http://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/2009/03/agneeswarar-temple-kanjanoor-navagraha.html Agneeswarar Temple at Kanjanoor or Agniswara Swami Temple at Kanjanur is one of the nine Navagraha Temples in Tamil Nadu and is associated with Lord Sukran (Planet Venus), the sixth of Navagraha planets. Also known as Sukran Navagraha Sthalam, Agniswarar temple is located around 18 km from Kumbakonam and 2 km to the east from Sooriyanayanar Kovil, on the Kallanai - Poompuhar road, in Tamilnadu.

Suriyanar Koil

http://www.suriyanarkoil.com/ Sooriyanar Temple is in East of Kumbakonam, Kumbakonam - Mayiladuthurai road. It is exactly 2Km to the north of Aduthurai and the temple is well connected from lower Anicut and Thiruppanandal. We had a brief stop at Suriyanar Koil, but as it was a Sunday, there was heavy rush. As we had to visit other temples, we had a darshan from outside the temple, and proceeded towards Swamimalai.

Swamimalai
http://murugan.org/temples/swamimalai.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamimalai_Murugan_Temple
http://www.lordmurugan.com/swamimalai.htm
Swamimalai is well known in the area as one of the Arupadai Veedus of Lord Muruga. We took the stairs to reach the top of the hillock and took a Rs. 25 ticket to have darshan of the lord. One of the incidents I couldn't forget was that a child (with a tonsured head) had inserted his head between two steel rods on the railings. People were trying with all force to get the child off, and one clever old man, realised that there was huge gap at the bottom, and made the child to bend down, and then took his head off the rods via the bottom.

Hmmm... Then we proceeded to Thiruvalanchuzhi as it was on our list of Must visit temples. On the way we had a brief stop at the Cauvery Bridge, and took some snaps of the river bed.


Thiruvalanchuzhi, Swamimalai
http://www.dharsanam.com/2007/11/thiruvalanchuzhi-sri-swetha-vinayakar.html
This place is about 4 kms from Swamimalai, after crossing the Cauvery Bridge. The name can, in fact, be taken to represent the letter "Om". The idol here is known as "Vellai vinayakar" or "white vinayakar" as it is believed to have originated from the foam of the sea. There is a beautiful legend associated with the shrine: The Asuras and Devas embarked on the task of churning the ocean to get "Amritham" or ambrosia. They wanted this nectar which confers immortality. There are many stories associated with this episode, but this little known one tells us that before they began the churning, they forgot to pray to Lord Vigneswara, the Remover of Obstacles. This resulted in the ocean spilling out poison. The Devas and Asuras, realising their error, made a small vigraha of Vinayaka using foam. They prayed to him and started the churning again. The rest of the legend is well known.

Since many people do not know the name "Thiruvalanchuzhi", it is best to ask for the "Vellai Vinayakar kovil". The temple is immensely peaceful and lovely, and prayers to Lord Ganapathy can never go without reward.


We had lunch and then did some shopping at Lakshmi Mills, and returned to our hotel around 2:30 PM.

Route Map for Places visited on Day #2

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Photo Album
Here are the pics that we've taken on this trip. Though am not a pro photographer, I hope my shots would impress K.V.Anand or P.C.Sriram :-)

Drive from Bangalore to Chennai

Since we bought the i10, we had been to Chennai around 7 times. And 7 being my lucky number, I wanted to share some tips and learning for those deciding to travel to Chennai and back by car.

Well, the first decision to take as ever is the route. As you would know, Chittor route is the shortest, but then many parts are still under construction / conversion from 2 lane to 4 lane. So, its advisable to use the Hosur road.

The Route
Well, this is the route that I take mostly.

View Larger Map

Breakfast / Tiffin Options
Hosur - Meenakshi Bhavan (just beneath the Hosur Overpass)
Hosur - Vasanta Vihar (Gauri Shankar) behind Hosur old bus stand.
A2B (about 22 kms from Hosur towards Krishnagiri, near Chinnar)
Vellore (I don't know, but I avoid it as you need to go beneath the over passes at Vellore).

Where to Speed up ?
The section from Hosur to Krishnagiri is quite good, with lots of slopes (both up & down). The hassle in this stretch could be the lorries, that find it difficult to climb the slopes, and you might have to wait and zip past a couple of over friendly lorries.

From Krishnagiri, the road to Vellore is a run-way. One can easily do average speeds of over 90 kmph, with top speed of 130 kmph. You can find Ambur bit irritating, as there is no flyover here. There are atleast couple of traffic signals that takes about 2 mins each to cross. Once you cross Ambur, you can zip to Vellore at about 100 kmph average speed.

You will be greeted with as many as 7 over passes at Vellore - yes. All the intersections at Vellore have over passes, so if you wanna take a diversion to Katpadi or Arani or other places, then watch out for sign boards.

The road from Vellore to Kanchipuram intersection is quite good, but there would be slightly increased traffic, that requires all your skills to wade through the maze. The stretch from kanchipuram crossing to Sriperumbudur is a bit patchy I would say as the tar has melted and you can see the yellow & white lines curves on the road. As a result of this, you need to tighten your grip on the steering wheel a bit, to have more control.

As I say near Tambaram, I mostly take the road from Sriperumbudur to Tambaram. This stretch is approx. 22 kms, but takes atleast 45 mins to negotiate.

Attractions
The section from Hosur to Krishnagiri is very scenic with lots of lows and highs, that offers a breathtaking view from your driver seat.

There are lots of temples around Krishnagiri - Aravamudha Perumal temple, Kaatu Veera Anjaneya Temple, etc.

Once you reach Jolarpet, you can see the Yelagiri hills on the right (if you are travelling from Bangalore to Chennai). Take a moment to capture it if you want.

Near to Vellore, you have Sripuram & Ratnagiri. Sripuram is about 14 kms from the highway, whereas you can see the Ratnagiri temple from the highway itself.

Toll Gates
Electronic City - Rs. 35 (I avoid it when travelling towards Chennai, but take it on the return. You can zip past 12 kms in about 6 mins.)
Attibele - Rs. 20
Krishnagiri - Rs. 25
Vaniyambadi - Rs. 35
Pallikonda - Rs. 45
Walajapet - Rs. 25
Sriperumbudur - Rs. 25 (I can avoid it, as I take a detour before this toll towards Tambaram)

Time Chart
Silk board to Hosur ~30 mins
Hosur to Krishnagiri ~45 mins
Krishnagiri to Vellore ~75 mins
Vellore to Sriperumbudur ~60 mins

Photos
View the various Pics that I've taken on the highway.

View all

Get your own

Other Tips
1. Fill up the tank before embarking on a long journey, and check the tyre pressures.
2. The best time to drive is early mornings. Better start early by around 5:00 to 5:30, and you could have a smooth exit passage from the starting city.
3. If you are stopping on a highway, be sure that your car is completely off the tar (yellow line). Most of the Truck drivers drive on the extreme left, so beware.
4. Do not get too bothered about the attractions, pay attention to the road and the moving vehicles.

1st Drive to Nandi Hills

I've been to Nandi hills a couple of times before on bike, but this has been our first trip on Car. We started around 12:00 Noon, and zipped past Hebbal, Yelahanka Junction & then as we neared BIAL, my wife urged me to detour to the BIAL. The approach to the BIAL is just fantastic, with flyovers to all directions. Its a 5 km drive from the Hyderabad road, and you will enjoy every minute of it. We just drove past the drop point, and then took a U-turn back.

Then, took a left after Devanahalli towards Nandi Hills, and got some fresh grapes on the way.


The roads were sprinked with water, the clouds decorated the hills and it was a fantastic sight indeed. We didn't miss a moment.

As we approached the ghat section, the adrenaline level raised within myself. After all it was my second drive on a ghat section (first one being on Chamundi hills). The climb was pretty smooth on our i10, I managed to climb the best part on 3rd gear, without too much gear shifts. We stopped at about 1200 metres above sea level, and took some pics.

The next part of the climb was rather steep, and I had to use 1st gear at times. There were about 10 hair-pin bends, but the roads are well laid and pretty broad, so you will find it pretty easy.

Reached the top around 2:00 PM, took the Rs. 80 ticket, and the drove to the top. It was hard to find a parking place, and we got one finally.

We then did some mini treks to capture some breathtaking visuals.

I didn't miss the water droplets on the lush grass, it offered me immense joy as would do to a nature lover.


The clouds closed in and mist began to settle. Suddenly the climate changed, and the backdrop became breathtaking from amazing.

Within few minutes, there was a slight drizzle that turned into a downpour. Then, we began to scurry back to our car and started from there around 3:00 PM.

The retreat was less fun and I remembered one tip from my Guru - Do not drive down a slope in neutral, do not keep pressing brakes all the time to decelerate, use lower gears. Just at the foot of the hill, we found a tea shop, and wow, very hot tea - fitting for the weather indeed.

From then it was a cruise, as we reached our home in Old Madras Road by about 4:45 PM.

More photos can be found from -

2010_01_01@Nandi Hills

Shell - Fill Tank and get a Ferrari toy car (1:38) Free

Shell is offering a Ferrari toy car free on filling a tank. And what the offer is for 4-wheelers (Min Rs. 1500) and 2-wheelers (Min Rs. 350).



There are six different Ferrari model cars to collect, a display of stunning performance and brilliant design -
1. Ferrari Formula One F2005
2. 360 Spider
3. F430
4. F50
5. Enzo
6. Superamerica

I've already managed to get these models

Ferrari Enzo

F2005

360 Spider

F430

So, what are you waiting for, go get your grabs. Hurry, offer closes 25th October 2010.

My Endhiran Experience

Hurray ! I've been able to get a first day (01-Oct-2010) evening show ticket at Rex Theatre, Brigade Road, from www.bookmyshow.com. I am waiting to experience the experience. I will write more on the night of 1st Oct !!!



Its 01-10-10. Morning on the way to my office, there was an unusual traffic near Marathahalli. Innovative multiplex had innovatively converted open areas surrounding the adjoining buildings into car-parking slots. The crowd was monstrous, it took me about 15 minutes to cross Innovative from Salarpuria, I knew its going to be big...



People at my office were all talking about this crowd in front of Innovative, and we realized that it would only be a trailer of what should be going on in Chennai. Nevertheless everyone in my office were getting jealous and the news spread very quickly that I am gonna watch Endhiran in the evening...

We decided to go by bike, as we new parking at Brigade's gonna be a problem, and when we reached there about 5:00 PM, I was convinced that I have taken a wise decision... The very poster of Endhiran was ominous, and I didn't want to miss that...


The crowd kept building up, and the shouts of people waiting outside were deafening.


People had come to enjoy in various forms, few were wearing Endhiran T-Shirts, while few came with balloons and paper glitters... At about 6:00 PM, the previous shows' crowd were beginning to stroll out with loud cheers. I could sense that people were spell-bound, and were still experiencing the experience within.


Finally, we were able to squeeze to the theater hall. The crowd was just getting set to erupt, and we were getting bit worried if we would not be able to hear any dialogues, but after few opening bursts the crowd got settled down to enjoy every bit of it...

The titles, well as usual once you see "SUPERSTAR RAJINI"'s name in the title board, you could imaging the decibel levels, it was just awesome !!!



I am not going to write the story or the review frame by frame, but I would like to share some captivating moments... Quite contrary to the norm with Rajini's movies don't expect any punch dialogues, but there is style and charisma in abundance throughout...

Shankar's Robot, the real metal Robot is indeed a marvel in itself. The eyebrows, the lips and Rajini like steel face are all minutely crafted to perfection. Christened Chitti, the Robots initial days are described in an engrossing way - Chitti dealing with a Traffic Constable, Chitti learning things and helping Sana to take her MBBS Exams. Chitti is made to be an evolving robot, learn things as it unfolds, and this concept has been brilliantly told by Shankar.

Chitti's description of itself - My name is Chitti, Processor - Pentium 1 Zeta Hertz, Memory - 1 Terabyte, tickles your comic senses. The scan of telephone directory and Chitti's answers to questions posed by various people, are all neatly crafted by Shankar.

The robot has electromagnetic powers and can move and attract any metallic substance. The stunts in the market, where Chitti grabs hold of the weapons and presents as Goddess Kali, the train stunt scene, the horizontal run on the side of the train are well pictured.

Some minute details like the temperature the Robot can withstand, water-proof, its capability to charge itself from a electric supply are all well explained by Shankar at various places..

Then comes the true characteristics of a machine vs human, the lack of heart, the lack of feelings and emotions, very nicely unfurled and infused into Chitti. There is a la 3-Idiots scene where Chitti handles a complicated pregnancy case, very neatly unraveled.

Every one would have read from all reviews that Chitti would begin to have a liking for Sana (Aish). The Irumbile irudhayam mulaitthadho song is indeed mind blowing, and Ash's dance is worth to mention. Very soon its followed by Chitti's dance showcase and here again, Chitti's dances (all CG) takes you by storm, and Ash easily wins over Chitti's CG dance by sheer elegance, you can see why she is the real beauty. You can see a refreshed Aish in Sana (not the frustrated Rahini from Raavan).

Danny as a villain by this time is beginning to corrupt Chitti. You might get emotionally attached when Chitti says to Danny "I want to live". Danny infuses a *RED* chip on to Chitti (to create mass destruction), and Chitti gets a new name - "Chitti v2.0" with the look of Moondru Mugam "Alex Pandian", with a lightning style girdha, you can accept only Rajini with these looks...

Many terms are bit IT centric like Gigabyte, v2.0, Ctrl+Alt+Del, Worming, De-worming, and many more. We are in 2010, and if you are aiming for hollywood standards, you must accept these terms. The presentation is in such a way that even B & C centres would cherish the overall experience.

From here on, its Chitti's destruction after abducting Sana, and you enjoy every minute of it, to an extent due to Shankar's presentation, but largely due to Rajini. If it was any other hero donning a negative role, the plot would have been lost. Its Rajini's screen presence, mannerisms and charisma that keeps you focussed. Chitti meanwhile creates an empire, and again you stand to admire these scenes. If Sivaji was human Rajini performing Robot like gravity defying stunts, you get to experience the fight where Chitti takes out all the guns from the army, and shoots back, you could have seen this from the trailor, but it gives you a whole new experience when you watch it as part of the movie.

Vaseegaran tries various tactics to rescue Sana and de-activate Chitti, all intellectually laughed away by Chitti. You can argue why is Vaseegaran not taking the henchman route? But that brings Chitti to the forefront, and keeps your adrenalin pumping. The scene where Chitti detects Vaseegaran (also in the same appearance as other Robot Rajinis) would keep you spell-bound.

I don't have a word to describe the last 45 minutes of the film, you need to experience it. Its a combination of the Matrix, the Anaconda, the Godzilla, the Terminator, some glimpses of 2012 and Shankar's very own imagination. The climax has a tinge of emotion, when Chitti hugs Vaseegaran for one last time.

Forget about storyline, who cares for a story in a Rajini movie. I certainly didn't. I am not an ardent Rajini fan either, but I truly enjoyed the ride. Aish has done a good supporting act and makes her presence felt throught the movie.

Rahman !!! Wow, Randy's camera and locations has given a rich sheen to all the songs. I especially loved the Arima Arima song, with a Robot Lion. Wow, amazing you can admire Rajini even when he is dancing with Lions. The much talked about Background music for the Climax is to an extent eaten up by the Visual magnificence.

Well, its a Stage planned & executed by Shankar, sponsored by Sun pictures, competed by all technicians (camera, music, art, sound, editing, etc.), acted by India's leading actress and our Superstar. At the end of it you would forget everything, but remember the phenomenon called Rajinikanth. You can't enjoy, admire, salute and look at awe at one person, be it Keanu Reeves or Arnold Schwarzenegger or John Travolta or Pierce Brosnan or our own Amitabh or SRK or Aamir or even Kamalahassan, but you will for Rajini. There was, is and will be one and only Superstar of World Cinema.

No movie can be without flaws and I don't want to write about it either. You need to appreciate the honest effort at a stifle budget when compared to Matrix, Titanic and 2012. You need to watch it, go and enjoy the roller coaster of an experience. You will cherish it for ages.