Road trips are fun! Especially with great company and unknown destinations left to explore. With this exact thought in our mind, we stepped up to chalk out a 5-day Tamil Nadu roadtrip, located in the Southern state of India. The state of Tamil Nadu in India is home to such architectural delight that history buffs can have a field day. Keeping this in mind, we put together a road trip itinerary to cover some of the most revered and architecturally brilliant temples out there.
We started off the first leg of the journey from Bangalore by heading towards Tiruvannamalai – home to one of the largest temples in the world dedicated to Lord Shiva! Early morning escapades, foggy windscreens, piping hot tea from a roadside stall and plenty of greenery around – that’s what a December brings you in Tamil Nadu. Having said that, the roadways in Tamil Nadu are excellent. 8 lane roads, cars zipping by & a supercharged Maruti Swift is all we needed for this epic adventure. Pro tip: Do recharge your Fastag by atleast INR 2500 such that the entire trip is covered.
Here’s how our trip looked for fellow travellers: (A tad less than 1700 Km’s for the round trip)
Day 1 – Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai & Thanjavur (Night stay)
Day 2 – Thanjavur to Rameshwaram (Night stay)
Day 3 – Rameshwaram to Kanyakumari (Night stay)
Day 4 – Kanyakumari to Madurai (Night stay)
Day 5 – Madurai to Bangalore
Day 1 - Tiruvannamalai – Arulmigu Arunachaleshwarar Temple
Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai is the first leg of the journey in Day 1
Distance covered is 200 KMs & Approx. time taken is 4 Hours
Time to explore the temple is around 1.5 Hours
Located at the base of the Arunachala hill in the temple town of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, the Arunachaleshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Being one of the Pancha Bhoota Stalams (Five Shiva temples) with each being a manifestation of the natural elements of land, water, air, sky, fire; the relevance of the Arunachaleshwar temple is huge. The temple town is located roughly at a 4-hour drive from Bangalore via NH44 and then the NH 77 (just after hitting the Chennai expressway).
Lord Shiva’s famous representation – Agni Lingam, is the main course of worship here. Coming back to the temple, the huge complex spans over 10 hectares and houses four gateway towers called gopurams. Each gopuram is exquisitely carved out and the tallest one (eastern tower) stands at an impressive height of 11 storeys. Another notable structure within the temple complex is the thousand-pillared hall built during the Vijayanagar Kingdom period. The present masonry structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th-century additional architectural developments carried on through multiple dynasties as late as 1570 CE. Legend has it that in Hindu mythology, Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva had once playfully closed the eyes of her husband at their abode atop Mount Kailash. Even though momentarily for the Gods, all light was sucked out from the universe and earth plunged into complete darkness for years! Parvati, along with other disciples and devotees of Lord Shiva, then performed penance. It was only then that Lord Shiva appeared as a column of fire at the top of the Arunachala hills, returning light to the world! Both of them then merged together to form ‘Ardhanarishwara‘ – the half female, half-male form of Shiva.
The temple is open for devotees from the morning till 12:30 PM before closing and re-opening at 4:00 PM. So, it’s advisable to plan the travel accordingly. The main shrine in the temple complex housing the Arunachalesvara is the oldest structure in the temple. There is a general as well as a paid queue for devotees with darshan time depending on the time of visit (approx 1 hour). The temple complex is adorned with many structures including the 16 pillared Deepa Darshana Mandapam, Magizha (Sacred temple tree), the Kalyana Mandapam (Marriage Hall), Brahma Teertham, the Temple Tank and the Vasantha Mandapam (Hall of Spring). Notable is witnessing the pillared halls adorned with images of Yali – a mythological beast with the body of a lion and the head of an elephant, a symbol of Nayak power! Strolling about the temple complex filled us up with so much peace within. After a quick stop for food, we continued our journey towards the next destination – Thanjavur!
Tiruvannamalai to Thanjavur is the second leg of the journey in Day 2
Distance covered is 200 KMs & Approx. time taken is 4 Hours
Time to explore the temple is around 1.5 - 2 Hours
Thanjavur, formerly known as Tanjore, is a very important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture! The city is also an important agricultural center located in Cauvery Delta and is known as the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is also famous for the Great Living Chola Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage monument, the most famous amongst them being the Brihadeeswara Temple! Thanjavur is also home to the Tanjore paintings, a style pretty unique to the region. After roughly about 4 hours of bumpy and careful drive through the State Highways, we reached Thanjavur and headed for a late lunch at Sri Krishna Bhavan, bang opposite to the Brihadeeswara Temple. Food never tasted yummier! We relished the traditional South Indian thali and headed to our homestay to freshen up. Soon after, we headed straight to the Great Living Chola Temples to witness the architectural magnificence with our own eyes. Built by Tamil king Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 – 1010 AD, the delight of witnessing an 11th Century temple was clearly depicted in our eyes. The original monuments of this temple were built around a moat and include the gopura, main temple, massive towers, inscriptions, frescoes and sculptures related to Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism! The fortified walls of the temple were added post the 16th Century!!
Built-in granite, the sanctum tower is one of the tallest in South India. The temple boasts of a massive corridor and one of the largest Shiva lingam in India! The Brihadeeshwara Temple is also famed as the location that commissioned the brass Nataraja – Shiva as the Lord of Dance! The temple plan utilizes the axial and symmetrical geometry rules known as Perunkoil (a big temple built on a higher platform of natural man-made mounds). The huge complex almost covers close to 800 feet by 400 feet in dimensions and is made up of temple structures, main sanctum, community halls, and the gathering/praying hall! The temple complex has two walls of enclosure for added fortifications and safety. The temple saw additional shrines being added by multiple subsequent rulers – Pandyas, Nayakas, Vijayanagara and Marathas! The scale of the Brihadeeshwara temple simply exceeds the temples built in the 11th Century.
The evening is really the best time to stroll about in the temple complex with artificial lights adorning the entire structure. However, if you’re a staunch fan of the artwork, frescoes, and murals, it is advisable to visit the temple during day hours. The entire temple walls are inscribed with Tamil and Grantha scripts beginning with Sankrit and having historical introductions to the king who authorized the various grants to the temple. It’s difficult to believe that the Brihadeeshwara temple turned 1000 years old in September 2010. While we were enchanted by the gigantic scale of the temple complex and felt like walking through a live history lesson, we retired back to our homestay carrying fond remembrances of the days’ travel!
Next Up: Up, up and away towards Rameshwaram. Stay tuned!
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