Kumbakonam: The divine town

(in continuation of the East Coast Diaries)

Some History:
Kumbakonam is referred as a Temple town because of a large number of temples surrounding the town. There are temples in every lanes and by-lanes of this town. The name Kumbakonam is derived from the word, kumbam, meaning a broken pot. Legend has it, Lord Shiva, as hunter, chose to shoot an arrow at the pot and break it, so that its contents could spill and life would form again. This was after the great deluge and before the advent of kaliyuga.

Seeing Around:
Adi Kumbeswarar Temple
Is home to the famous Shivalingam , from which the town derived its name. As we entered the main temple, we passed by the temple elephant with painted forehead and necklace laded with bells, nodding its head now and then, swaying around, as if it were welcoming the pilgrims.
The sculptural wealth inside the temple is amazing not to the least. There were no hallways or mandapams, or any pillars and the ceilings which were not ornamented with fine sculptural architecture

Gopuram of Adi Kumbeswarar temple under renovation when we visited

Sarangpani Temple
Is the biggest temple in Kumbakonam. Striking elegance of this temple is the 44m tall, 11-tiered gopuram which rises above kumbakonam.
The idol of Lord Vishnu rests is a half lying, half raised posture. The main sanctum is shaped like a chariot. The statues of the dvarapalas guarding the entrance to the sanctum were enormous.

The tall gopuram of Sarangpani Temple

Other temples Of Kumbakonam:
There are many other temples in kumbakonam town. The Nageswarar and the Chakrapani temples being the prominent.
Other things not to miss are the Mahamaham Tank, where the pot broken by Lord Shiva and the nectar which spilled from the pot filled the tank.

Other things not to be missed in Kumbakonam:

• Kumbakonam's fine degree filter coffee, almost all eateries in Kumbakonam will serve them in two containers, one tumbler and the other shallower so you can sip in when it is light hot
• The temples of Darasuram and GangaikondaCholapuram, both UNESCO World heritage sites and both unique on its own.
• The brass vessels which are famous here.
  

East Coast Diaries: Tranquebar

(Continuation Of the East Coast Diaries)

The travel from Chidambaram to Kumbakonam was a complete road maze. We were traversing the same set of roads to and fro in search of the Navagraha temples( read in the later part of the blog). En-route we heard about this coastal Sea-side town from a local and decided to make it, hoping it will be wonderful outing on a beach side.

Tranquebar or Tharangambadi as it is locally known lies 50 km South East of Chidambaram. Found by the Dutch East India Company, it was a thriving port during the 1600s under the Dutch rule. The main tourist attractions in Tranquebar are the Dutch Fort, Fort Dansborg built during the Dutch rule in India and Masilamani Temple on the coast of Tharangambadi. Tranquebar also boasts of a very beautiful and pristine coastline devoid of lot of tourists. Fort Dansborg is now converted into a museum housing the personal collections of few Dutch Travelers who made it to this port town during the 1600s. The entry fee into this dutch fort was a bit expensive, but, i guess it was for the renovation effort underway to restore the fort. You may as well find lot of Dutch Travelers rather than Indian tourists . Dutch backpackers trying to find the roots of their ancestors. After a customary exchange of a few "Hello's" and "namasthe" with few Dutch Tourists, it was time to bid farewell to this port town and leave for our final Destination, Kumbakonam.

Fort Dansborg on Tranquebar beach

Coast of Tranquebar

Staying options in Tranquebar is limited only to a high end resort. Neemrana groups runs a Bungalow on the Beach resort with prices starting from Rs4000/-. Other than that there are no options of staying back in Tranquebar.