Padmanabhapuram: The Wooden Palace

The visit to wonderful Padmanabhapuram Palace near Trivandrum. A picture speaks a thousand words. Also enjoy the wonderful falls and hanging bridge nearby this palace.

Interiors of the Padmanabhapuram Palace

Exterior of the Padmanabhapuram Palace

Inside Padmanabhapuram Palace

Mathur Hanging Bridge

The Large Dining Space inside Padmanabhapuram Palace

Exterior of the Padmanabhapuram Palace

Falls near Padmanabhapuram Palace

Mathur Hanging Bridge

KanyaKumari: Where India Starts

If you have ever dreamed of watching Sunrise and Sunset across the seas from the same place or if you wanted to touch the sea and ocean together, then you have to be in Kanyakumari. 
Kanyakumari is the place where India's land mass ends or aptly told by someone where India's Land mass starts. 

The drive from Madurai to Kanyakumari crosses through dry lands on the left and the foothills of Cardamom Hills to the right. And as we start approaching Kanyakumari, the scene shifts to Coconut plantations on either side. 


We were in time to check the beautiful spectacle for what Kanyakumari is known for, The Sunrise and Sunsets. We checked into the hotel, freshened up and moved towards the Sunset point. In few minutes, the beach got piled up with lot of tourists assembling to view the magic of Sunset. The Sun started slowly descending and the skies over Kanyakumari were lit with different shades of bright orange. The sea wasn't rough and we were able to get a little bit into the sea too. Busy photographing the different shades of sunset it was almost dark before we left the sunset beach point. 

Watching a dramatic Sunset at Kanyakumari

Sunset at Beach point in Kanyakumari

Evening Skies at Kanyakumari

Evening in Kanyakumari

As we progressed back to settle in our hotels for the night, we could see a lit up Vivekananda Rock memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue, places which we would be covering in the morning. On our way we stopped by Gandhi Mandapam, and paid our respects to Father of our Nation. 

Kanyakumari by Night

Lit up Thiruvalluvar Statue at Kanyakumari

We woke up much earlier than usual to witness the sunrise from our Hotel balcony but were greeted by fog as early as 6am. The skies gradually cleared up, and we were able to witness a beautiful sunrise. As i see around most of the Hotel Terraces are filled with people watching the sunrise. We get ready quickly and make way for the boat jetty to take us to the Vivekananda Memorial. 

Watching Sunrise from our Hotel Terrace

The Boat jetty was really crowded owing to a public holiday. After around what seemed like an hour we were able to get the tickets and make it on the boat for a 15 minute ride across the sea towards the Vivekananda Memorial. First impression, Fabulous . It was a dream to be at the Southern tip of the Subcontinent. The boat ticket was for to and fro journey and you do not have a particular time to return back. Only thing is you need to be back by the last ferry boat to the dock by 5pm after which the services are shut down. We walked across the Vivekananda Memorial, the Gandhi Mandapam and the Dhyana mandir. We were amazed by the Solstice Calendar placed in Kanyakumari which predicts the exact direction of the sunrise during a year. We were not able to make to the base of the Thiruvalluvar Statue due to rough currents. 

Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Thiruvalluvar Statue

Kanyakumari Temple
The city of Kanyakumari is derived from the Kanyakumari Amman Temple situated here. It is at the confluence of 3 seas, The Arabian Sea, The Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Of particular significance is the nose ring of the deity which is made of pure diamond and the sparkle of the diamond is so bright that it is visible to distances out to sea. The sea travelers used to confuse the light coming from the nose ring as a Lighthouse nearby. Such is the brightness of the nose ring. We paid our obeisance to the Devi and moved on to our next destination.


We had a quick breakfast at Saravanas near the boat jetty and it was time to move onto Padmanabhapuram which was famous for its wooded palace.

Madurai

(Part of the Great South Indian Road Trip)

The receptionist at the front desk of our hotel says "The temple will be crowded today". We had traveled to Madurai during the time of Navaratri.

We do not ask for directions to go the Meenakshi Amman Temple. The towering gopurams leads us the path and acts as a giant compass. We enter through the west entrance. We visited this place 3 years back and lot had changed since then. The Paths leading outside the Outer Parakramas were neatly paved and there were electric cars doing the rounds of the temple.

The West entrance gopuram of Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple

We enter the inner parakram from the south entrance and make way towards the sanctum of Meenakshi Amman Kovil. The large Hallways neatly painted with murals lead us to the sanctum. It was a large queue owing to the festival.

We now patiently wait for the darshan. The crowds move slowly, but we were in no hurry. Looking around this magnificent temple is itself a bonus. We look at each rock cut architecture on the pillars. Finally we make to the inner sanctum of Meenakshi Amman. Blessed and rejuvenated we offer our prayers and move out.

Inside the Sundareshwarar Koil

We offer our prayers to lord Ganesha at the end of the hallway and make to the inner Sanctum of Lord Shiva also known as Lord Sundareshwarar here in Madurai. Different hallways lead us to different shrines at the Meenakshi Amman Temple. This temple is so huge it requires atleast 4 hours or more to know each and every part of this renowned place.

The Golden Lotus Pond

Moving around the Temple

It is difficult to grasp the dimensions of this great temple and it requires at least half a day to be spent here. There are not less than 12 gopurams towering over each other. We make ourselves to the 1000 pillared temple. The paintings, the dancing nataraja and other sculptures are a must see here. There is also a musical pillar inside the 1000 pillared mandapam.

Inside Sundareshwarar Koil

 We move out of the mandapam and now face the giant Golden lotus tank. The tank is surrounded by spacious corridors on all sides with paintings and murals depicting the scenes from the puranas. From here we can see the golden vimanas of both Meenakshi Amman as well as Lord Sundareshwarar Shrines.

After a good 2 hours we move out of the temple mesmerized by its beauty and to be blessed by Meenakshi Amman itself.

Moving around Madurai

It was already 7pm and we were getting quite hungry. We had heard of Murugan idly Shop and we wanted to taste their delicious Idlis. We make it the place and find it very crowded and even more difficult to get a place to sit. The idly shop was a very congested place but the very smell of idlis was making me to lose my senses. After waiting patiently for 20 minutes we found it even more difficult to get a place. Such was the popularity of the idlis over here. We then made it to the other popular restaurant here, “The Modern Café”. Even this place was very crowded, but thanks to the owner of the place. He arranged us a place to sit and we were very soon ordering a plate of idlis to satisfy our tummies.

P.S: We did make it to Murugan Idly Shop the next day and I swear their Idlies and Chutnies are next to none, Fabulous.

We continued on to Kanyakumari the next day