Road trip to Kanyakumari - Southern tip of India

Driving hours in traffic can be extremely frustrating and painful. Traveling in a luxury private mini coach with super comfortable and reclining seats, cozy bunk bed, entertainment system and above all not having to drive is relaxing. As a family there couldn't have been a better self paced journey from the ancient temple town of Madurai to the culminating point of three seas - Kanyakumari.

As we walked out of the Madurai airport, I was pleasantly surprised to see the new airport building and its facilities. Our coach was waiting and we were greeted by our driver. Luckily few of my family members spoke and understood  tamil (the local language). Hats off to the man behind the wheel who cleverly managed to maneuver smartly through the traffic. Rameswaram, a holy temple town along the eastern seaboard of India and around 50 kilometers from Srilanka was our first destination. As we passed through the small towns and villages, the changing landscape and road side shops and not to forget the movies on board made our 7 hour drive look short.

Rameswaram is considered to be one of the four holy pilgrimage sites, where legend says that Hindu god Rama built a bridge,across the sea to Lanka (now Srilanka) to rescue his consort Sita from her abductor Ravana. The Ramanathaswamy temple dedicated to the hindu god Shiva is located at the centre of the town. The following day started with a visit to the temple. We were lucky to have some very knowledge guides who explained the historical significance of the temple and took us around the magnificent galleries and corridors. Waves from the Bay of Bengal washed the shores of this small island town. Thousands of devotees took holy dip in the sea and the 21 wells within the temple compound in the faith that this will wash away all their sins.

Paying abide to this holy place we headed south to Kanyakumari, en route the magnificent Pamban bridge, which connects Rameswaram to the mainland. This is an architectural marvel by itself. As we drove down south, lush green banana plantations, coconut groves, green fields and lakes with lilies painted a beautiful canvas. We stopped to enjoy fresh coconut and palm kernels. This experience took me back to my childhood when these local delicacies thrilled me.

At the end of another long day we relaxed at our hotel in Kanyakumari and enjoyed some southern cuisines. I woke up each hour to make sure we did not miss the sunrise. The captivating and mesmerizing sunrise from the horizon was worth waking up at wee hours. The golden rays on the water sparkled each and every wave. Fishermen were busy getting ready for their venture into the open oceans. The view of the Vivekananda rock and surrounding three oceans from the terrace cannot be described in words.

After a quick visit to the Kanyakumari temple, we all planned to take the boat ride to Vivekananda rock. Swirling ocean waves and strong winds made our ride a little choppy. Calm and peaceful atmosphere inside the memorial hall was worth every effort.

Later than afternoon we headed to our final destination, Trivandrum. Colorful houses, churches and temple along the route was quite interesting. The backwaters were ideal for boating. Progress and growth was prevalent on this stretch of our journey. I was told that villages are now replaced with big buildings and resorts. Luxury cars replaced small two wheelers. As the sun dropped in the horizon we reached the coastal city of Trivandrum to spend our night at the hotel before we could board our flight next morning. 

It is certainly difficult to pen down the experience in this blog. A few captured moments can be see in my smugmug site.

http://worldunfolded.smugmug.com/Travel/Cities/Kanyakumari-and-Rameswaram/27785259_xv8RBM

Architectural Marvel - Temples of Kiradu

Given an opportunity I would like to be in a place lesser known to masses with cultural or historical importance. Somehow, lady luck takes me to such places once in a while and my eyes popped open when I got to see these ruins of 11th century marvels.

Located about 50 kilometers from Barmer enroute towards the border town of Munabao in western Rajasthan, these temples are hidden in the desert terrain. Look for the sign on the state highway or make sure you ask the helping locals before you know you have crossed the diversion. 

As you walk down a few hundred meters from the gate into this archaeologically protected area, one gets the glimpse of these sand stone marvels nestled in a back drop of green baboor and kikar trees (local desert trees that have deadly thorns). They are not tall nor are they spread out, yet these temple captivate your eyes. I have see many beautiful and giant temples which have sprawling landscape and can take off any man's imagination as to how these were built hundreds of years ago.

The pillars, geometrical shapes, sculptures, designs and idols will certainly mesmerize the visitor and wonderstruck at the amazing craftsmanship . Time and tide has taken a heavy toll in this heritage site. However the effort and restoration work makes one feel happy that we are taking time to preserve our history for generation to understand and appreciate the kind of artistic capabilities our ancestors had. Science and modern machines can churn out wonders, but it is the incomparable skill, courage and passion of geniuses that brought these temples to life in this worlds centuries ago.

A few more images of these magnificent Kiradu temples can be see in the link below

http://worldunfolded.smugmug.com/History/Temples-of-Kiradu/27618507_WKHS2j