It was certainly not a spur of the moment decision. This was a trip we both wanted to do for a long time but just couldn’t work out the time. But finally we did. It was the March of 2012, a time when did not even know what blogging meant! We decided to set out on our first road trip to explore the wonders of Dravidian architecture in the south eastern part of India.
14 days and around 1800 km – that was all the stats we had in those days of pre Google Maps and travel vlogs to guide us. But our confidence, fed by the excitement of the road trip, was enough to get us started. We revved up our Chevy Beat and off we went.
Day One
We made an early start at 4 am from our home in Bengaluru. Our first destination – the temple town of Tiruvannamalai – about 220 km away.
By 6:45 am we were near the Chennai Highway witnessing the sun rise from behind the Krishnagiri Hills. By the time we reached Tiruvannamalai, the sun had crossed half the sky.
Next stop – the most important and sacred landmark of the city – the Arunachaleswara Temple (also called the Annamalaiyar Temple). This 9th century temple – one of the largest in India – was built by the Chola dynasty and is a stunning display of Dravidian architecture. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is one of the most sacred in Shaivism.
Although we wanted to spend more than the 2 hrs exploring and enjoying the sanctity and beauty of the place, it was time to move to our next location – the Ginjee Fort, about 40 km west of the temple.
The Ginjee Fort (or Senji Fort) is a must see attraction. Originally built in 1190 this fort was called the ‘most impregnable fortress in India’ by Shivaji the Great, and ‘Troy of the East’ by the British. We explored the fort and the surrounding natural beauty, spending almost one and a half hours. We enjoyed the sunset and set out for Pondicherry around 6 pm.
The 70 km drive to Pondicherry took us almost 2 hrs. This was our night halt but there was just one problem. We had not booked a hotel !
2012 had not seen the boom of hotel apps. Even OYO was in its very nascent stage. So out came the Lonely Planet book and the phone. We frantically called for almost half an hour (it was getting slightly tense as there were no rooms available wherever we called), we finally found the La Maison Pondichéry – Heritage Guesthouse off MG Road Area.
It was a clean and cozy guesthouse so we decided to book it for both the nights in town.
Day Two
Both Vinay and I have been to Pondicherry once before. The vibe and charm of this city is something that attracts both of us. This coastal town sprinkled with its quaint colonial French and Dutch architecture is a photographer’s delight. This is a good place to take a stroll or just rent a bicycle and ride around.
Although we were road tripping in March, we were quite set aback by the heat and humidity. The drive was quite exhausting for Vinay the day before, and even though the sights were beautiful, the heat was quite fatiguing for both of us in Pondicherry.
We decided to cut short our day stroll and headed for the attractions after sundown. On our list were the French War Memorial, Shri Aurobindo Ashram, and the French Colony.
For dinner we headed to De Bussy, a classic dive bar with old-fashioned interiors and incredibly cheap drinks. We teamed those with a variety of traditional Indian seafood dishes. A good and sumptuous end to Day Two of our trip.
Day Three
We set out to Narambai Beach before sunrise to watch the fishermen. Upon arrival at 6:10 AM, we were greeted by a bustling scene of active fishermen hard at work. We learned that they head out to sea to cast their nets in the middle of the night and begin pulling them in by 6:30 AM. This impressive feat is not accomplished by just a few individuals, but rather by a team of 20-25 people.
After a late breakfast, we checked out and headed towards Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram. We started around 12:30 pm and decided to take the NH32 through Cuddalore.
By 2:30 pm we reached the historic temple dating back to the 10th century, making it one of the oldest temples in South India. The complex is spread over 40 acres and we decided to soak in every bit of the stunning architecture sprinkled all over. It was after sundown we left the temple premises and retired for the day, as we wanted to start early the next day.
Day Four
We hit the road at 5 am. The plan was to reach Nagapattinam with a stop at Tharangambadi. With Google Maps at its nascent stages in India, the twists and turns were all the more adventurous.
We stopped at Thirukadaiyur for a much needed morning tea, about 7 km from Tharangambadi.
By 8am we had reached the beautiful coastal town of Tharangambadi, still known to many by its former name, Tranquebar. The next couple of hours went like a breeze, chatting with the local fishermen families and playing with their kids on the beach.
Tharangambadi, or Tranquebar as many locals still call it, is a town that you are bound to fall in love with. With its beautiful beach, Danish colonial architecture, and quaint cobbled streets, the town paints a peaceful picture in its every nook and corner. There is plenty to see but we just had time to explore the 17th century Fort Dansberg, the second largest fort ever to be built by the Danes.
Around 1 pm we started off for Nagapattinam, about 32 km south along the Coromandel Coast. We stoped for lunch at Karaikal, about halfway to our destination. This former French Colony and temple town is known for its cultural heritage and its serene beauty. While exploring the town, we met some local potters who shared experiences about their lives and trade in modern day Karaikal.
Nagapattinam, our final stop for the day, is a historic town dotted with ancient temples and colonial architecture. But after the long and eventful day, what beckoned us the most was the calming breeze of the sea. We lazed at the beach for a couple of hours and called it an early night.
Day Five
An early morning start from Nagapattinam took us to Rameswaram by 10 am. We covered nearly 250 km in just about 5 hrs.
Our first stop was the Ramanathaswamy Temple. It was quite crowded when we reached the temple at 10:30 am, and it took us almost 2 hrs to complete our ‘darshan’.
After visiting the temple we explored two very popular attractions – the Pamban Bridge and Dhanushkodi.
The iconic Pamban Bridge, also known as the Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge is the longest sea-bridge of South India and joins the Pamban Island with the Indian mainland.
Dhanushkodi is located right at the tip of the island, just over 20 km west of Sri Lanka. Shaped like an arrow, it protrudes into the sea with some remnants of the old town reminding visitors of a tragic cyclone of 1954.
Having driven over 250 km and spending hours in the sun, we decided to call it a day and checked in at the beach-side TTDC Hotel.
Day Six
Day Six of our trip was reserved for the longest drive – over 320 km. We started early and headed west towards the temple town of Madurai. From Madurai we drove north to Trichy (also called Tiruchirapalli). Trichy has many tourist attractions to explore – ranging from the Chola period to the colonial days.
Our pick of attractions was the historic Rockfort – Malaikottai to the locals. Inside the fort we visited the Uchi Pillayar Temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The access to this temple is through a series of steep steps but the view of the city skyline from the top makes up for the effort.
