Trip members: Karthik and family / Karthik, Sanjeev, Jagadeesh
Trip date: 20-Mar-15 and 21-Mar-15 / 1-May-15
Trip Route: Trichy - Thanjavur - Gangai Konda Cholapuram - Trichy
An adhoc planned trip to Trichy for a friend's marriage turned out to be trip between Chennai-Madurai-Trichy-Tnajavur-Trichy-Chennai in 3 days!!!
Day-1:
We reached Trichy bus stand by 2:30 PM from Madurai and checked into Hotel Maya Residency. The hotel is 500m distance from the Chatram bus stand and room was booked online. The rooms were very good. The rooms are sound proof. though they are closer to bus stand, we don't get any noise. The cleanliness is also very good. Another important thing is the Pure Veg. restaurant that is available at the ground floor - Sree Sangeethas. They serve one of the best South Indian foods and very good. After having a good lunch at Sree Sangeethas, we planned to goto Jambukeswarar temple @ Thiruvanaikoil.
The temple is just 2 bus stops away from the Chatram bus stand, on buses towards Srirangam. The temple is 5 minutes walk from the bus stop. There is no need of auto or cab to reach this temple. We reached the temple around 5:30 PM and learnt that the some pooja was going on and opened for darshan around 6 PM. The Shivalinga is one of the Panchabhoota Sthalams and represents water. The deity is few feet below ground level and the Garbhagriha is always wet. One would need to see the deity through window (like Udupi, if one had visited). However, you can take Rs.10 special dharshan ticket and pay darshan closer to the deity as well. I would suggest you to do both, go in general queue first and then in the Rs.10 queue to have a closer look.
After completing the dharshan, we came out around 6:45, had some hot vadais and bhajjis and next planned to goto Uchi Pillayar temple - The Rockfort temple. We got into a bus to Chatram bus stand and took an auto for Rs.70 to the entrance of the hill temple. The temple has steep steps and one has to be fit to walk non-stop. There is a practice of carrying a banana-heap to the Thayumanavar Temple on top of the hill.
The dharshan shall be closed by 8 PM and we were at the base of the hill by 7:15 PM. We marched quickly non-stop and reached the temple by 7:45. The view of the town is amazing from the hill top. The night view was amazing to see glazing lights on the highway and the Cauvery river bridge. This is a must visit during sunsets and best time killer for visitors in the evenings and deserves time!
We returned back to the hotel and had a great sleep and ready for a long road trip next day.
Day-2:
We started our day by 6:30 towards Thanjavur. The plan was to see Thanjavur - Brihadeeswara temple and Gangai Konda Cholapuram. We had visited most of the popular temples of Thanjavur-Kumbakonam stretch in our earlier trips; including the navagraha sthalams and other famous temples like Uppliappan, Swamimalai, and other temples.
Distances:
Trichy - Brihadeeshwara Temple – 59 kms
Brihadeeshwara Temple - Gangaikonda Cholapuram = 73 kms
Gangaikonda Cholapuram - Trichy – 101 kms
We reached our first destination - Punnainallur Mariamman Temple, one of the very famous and important temples in Thanjavur. To the biggest of surprises, we were the only one to be in the temple and had an amazing dharshan of the deity.
After which, we had some good breakfast at Hotel Anandaas and went to the next hop - Lord Brihadeeshwara temple. Again, we had a very good dharshan here also, with only 20-25 people in the temple premises. After a great dharshan, we decided to goto Gangai Konda Cholapuram. We bought few souvenirs of clay dolls from the Tanjore temple - very famous ones in the locality.
Gangai Konda Cholapuram is close to 80 kms from Thanjavur and would take more than 2 hours to reach. The timings are 6 AM to 12 noon and 4 PM to 8 PM. So, plan accordingly. When we came out of the Big Temple @ Thajavur, it was almost 10:15 and we had limited time to reach. The cab driver was conscious about the timings, drove well and took us by 11:50 to the temple premises! Yes, we did made it and had a dharshan on time. We were one of the last batch of people to have dharshan before the Sanithi was closed.
This temple is a ditto of the Big Temple, Thanjavur. The Big temple, built by Rajaraja Cholan and this temple is built by his son, Rajendra Cholan. This temple is maintained amazingly clean and green. We were surprised to see the greenliness of the temple and was watered properly, all trees/plants were bearing flowers and fruits. This place is a must-visit when someone goes through the surroundings to visit places across Thanjavur-Kumbakonam sector. This temple is closer to Jayamkondan, 35 kms farther from Kumbakonam.
We had lunch at Hotel Aryaas near Kumbakonam, which was not that great; provided Kumbakonam is famous for meals! We then headed towards Kallanai (Grand Anicut). Kallanai is 98 kms from Gangai Konda Cholapuram. The whole stretch of roads are on the banks of Cauvery river. Since we visited in the month of March, it was dry all the way. If one gets a chance to go in the months of August-September, this would be an amazing route to stop, take bath and great for photography!
We reached Kallani in scorching sun by around 3 PM. The two channels of the river Cauvery split and join in this place - Kollidam and Cauvery. The dam splits the river Cauvery into 4 - known as Kollidam, Cauvery, Vennaru and Puthu Aru. This would be a breathtaking view during the months of August and September. There is a small part available for kids to play and lot of security in place to guide tourists. Ensure you take safety as the only factor and be cautious with kids and valuables. This is a must visit place around Trichy. We returned back to Trichy after spending close to 1 hour in Grand Anicut.
Trip date: 20-Mar-15 and 21-Mar-15 / 1-May-15
Trip Route: Trichy - Thanjavur - Gangai Konda Cholapuram - Trichy
An adhoc planned trip to Trichy for a friend's marriage turned out to be trip between Chennai-Madurai-Trichy-Tnajavur-Trichy-Chennai in 3 days!!!
Day-1:
We reached Trichy bus stand by 2:30 PM from Madurai and checked into Hotel Maya Residency. The hotel is 500m distance from the Chatram bus stand and room was booked online. The rooms were very good. The rooms are sound proof. though they are closer to bus stand, we don't get any noise. The cleanliness is also very good. Another important thing is the Pure Veg. restaurant that is available at the ground floor - Sree Sangeethas. They serve one of the best South Indian foods and very good. After having a good lunch at Sree Sangeethas, we planned to goto Jambukeswarar temple @ Thiruvanaikoil.
The temple is just 2 bus stops away from the Chatram bus stand, on buses towards Srirangam. The temple is 5 minutes walk from the bus stop. There is no need of auto or cab to reach this temple. We reached the temple around 5:30 PM and learnt that the some pooja was going on and opened for darshan around 6 PM. The Shivalinga is one of the Panchabhoota Sthalams and represents water. The deity is few feet below ground level and the Garbhagriha is always wet. One would need to see the deity through window (like Udupi, if one had visited). However, you can take Rs.10 special dharshan ticket and pay darshan closer to the deity as well. I would suggest you to do both, go in general queue first and then in the Rs.10 queue to have a closer look.
After completing the dharshan, we came out around 6:45, had some hot vadais and bhajjis and next planned to goto Uchi Pillayar temple - The Rockfort temple. We got into a bus to Chatram bus stand and took an auto for Rs.70 to the entrance of the hill temple. The temple has steep steps and one has to be fit to walk non-stop. There is a practice of carrying a banana-heap to the Thayumanavar Temple on top of the hill.
The dharshan shall be closed by 8 PM and we were at the base of the hill by 7:15 PM. We marched quickly non-stop and reached the temple by 7:45. The view of the town is amazing from the hill top. The night view was amazing to see glazing lights on the highway and the Cauvery river bridge. This is a must visit during sunsets and best time killer for visitors in the evenings and deserves time!
We returned back to the hotel and had a great sleep and ready for a long road trip next day.
Day-2:
We started our day by 6:30 towards Thanjavur. The plan was to see Thanjavur - Brihadeeswara temple and Gangai Konda Cholapuram. We had visited most of the popular temples of Thanjavur-Kumbakonam stretch in our earlier trips; including the navagraha sthalams and other famous temples like Uppliappan, Swamimalai, and other temples.
Distances:
Trichy - Brihadeeshwara Temple – 59 kms
Brihadeeshwara Temple - Gangaikonda Cholapuram = 73 kms
Gangaikonda Cholapuram - Trichy – 101 kms
We reached our first destination - Punnainallur Mariamman Temple, one of the very famous and important temples in Thanjavur. To the biggest of surprises, we were the only one to be in the temple and had an amazing dharshan of the deity.
After which, we had some good breakfast at Hotel Anandaas and went to the next hop - Lord Brihadeeshwara temple. Again, we had a very good dharshan here also, with only 20-25 people in the temple premises. After a great dharshan, we decided to goto Gangai Konda Cholapuram. We bought few souvenirs of clay dolls from the Tanjore temple - very famous ones in the locality.
Gangai Konda Cholapuram is close to 80 kms from Thanjavur and would take more than 2 hours to reach. The timings are 6 AM to 12 noon and 4 PM to 8 PM. So, plan accordingly. When we came out of the Big Temple @ Thajavur, it was almost 10:15 and we had limited time to reach. The cab driver was conscious about the timings, drove well and took us by 11:50 to the temple premises! Yes, we did made it and had a dharshan on time. We were one of the last batch of people to have dharshan before the Sanithi was closed.
This temple is a ditto of the Big Temple, Thanjavur. The Big temple, built by Rajaraja Cholan and this temple is built by his son, Rajendra Cholan. This temple is maintained amazingly clean and green. We were surprised to see the greenliness of the temple and was watered properly, all trees/plants were bearing flowers and fruits. This place is a must-visit when someone goes through the surroundings to visit places across Thanjavur-Kumbakonam sector. This temple is closer to Jayamkondan, 35 kms farther from Kumbakonam.
We had lunch at Hotel Aryaas near Kumbakonam, which was not that great; provided Kumbakonam is famous for meals! We then headed towards Kallanai (Grand Anicut). Kallanai is 98 kms from Gangai Konda Cholapuram. The whole stretch of roads are on the banks of Cauvery river. Since we visited in the month of March, it was dry all the way. If one gets a chance to go in the months of August-September, this would be an amazing route to stop, take bath and great for photography!
We reached Kallani in scorching sun by around 3 PM. The two channels of the river Cauvery split and join in this place - Kollidam and Cauvery. The dam splits the river Cauvery into 4 - known as Kollidam, Cauvery, Vennaru and Puthu Aru. This would be a breathtaking view during the months of August and September. There is a small part available for kids to play and lot of security in place to guide tourists. Ensure you take safety as the only factor and be cautious with kids and valuables. This is a must visit place around Trichy. We returned back to Trichy after spending close to 1 hour in Grand Anicut.
1-May-15:
We visited 2 more popular temples in Trichy - the Uraiyur Vekkaliamman Temple and Vayalur Murugan Temple. These 2 temples are very popular locally and known for the strong beliefs by localites for the their wishes and prayers.
Uraiyur Vekkaliamman temple is present in Uraiyur - across small streets. The Goddess is open to sky, bearing Sun and rain. The prakara for the Goddess is surrounded by gold plated walls. The temple is small, yet the crowd that goes is very big. There are special tickets available for Rs.10/15 and Rs.50. Parking is available only on the streets near the temple.
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| Uraiyur Vekkaliamman Temple |
Next, we visited the very popular Vayalur Murugan Temple. This is one of the ancient temples in Trichy and is located around 15 kms from the Chatram bus stand. We took support from known people in Trichy and able to get a dharshan quickly. The day being very auspicious and holiday, the temple was very crowded. Once entering the temple, one gets to visit the Sivalinga deity. Then, we get to visit Lord Murugan. The place is so divine-filled and special and one can visit when they go to Trichy.
Excellent narration - both Orissa, Calcutta, Sundarbans & Trichy, Thanjavur.
ReplyDeleteExpecting more from you in the near future. With hearty wishes - Muralidhar P.J.
Excellent narration - both Orissa, Calcutta, Sundarbans & Trichy, Thanjavur.
ReplyDeleteExpecting more from you in the near future. With hearty wishes - Muralidhar P.J.