This summer, we're finally going on a trip I planned four years ago. Our previous plans were canceled due to the pandemic. This time, we're going to visit the devotional places in Tamil Nadu. While I've been to some before, my wife hasn't.
Since we both work from home, we have flexibility with time. We don't want to rush. we just want to fully explore every place we visit.
The best decision we made for this trip was choosing the off-season. We were very lucky to explore every place peacefully without any rush. In Tamil Nadu, most temples close between 12 PM and 4 PM, allowing us to rest during that time.
April 27th: I had some personal tasks in Kodad, which I completed during the day. We reached my in-laws' home in Addanki by night, where we stayed overnight.
April 28th: We had breakfast in Addanki and then headed to Kanchipuram. We arrived at 2pm and checked into Hotel Aalayam by TTDC, the best hotel in Kanchi. We booked it for a two-day stay.
We decided on ten places to visit in Kanchipuram, splitting them into two sets, one for each day. On Day 1, we visited the following places.
- Arulmigu Sri Varadharaja Perumal Temple
- Ekambaranathar Temple
- Sri Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple
On Day 2 we covered below places.
- Kailasanathar Temple
- Sri Vaikunta Perumal Temple
- Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam
- Sri Pancha Pandava Temple
- Kachabeswara Temple
- Sri Ulagalanda Perumal Temple
- Sri Ashtabujakara Perumal Temple
Kanchipuram full details:
Day 1:
Surely, a one-day plan is not ideal for a Kanchipuram trip. two days are definitely needed. Many people visit the top three places and leave, but Kanchi has two UNESCO sites that are must-visit. all sites are within a 5 km range and these two are a paradise for photographers. These sites are Kailasanathar Temple and Vaikunta Perumal Temple.
On the first day, we went to the Perumal Temple and joined the queue by 3:30 PM. It's a large place with multiple spots to visit. By following the devotee lines, you automatically visit everything, including the famous Golden Lizard. There's a Rs. 5 and a Rs. 50 ticket for this, and I recommend getting the Rs. 50 ticket. The entire temple visit takes about an hour, and the Golden Lizard area takes 1.5 hours to complete.
After Perumal Temple, we went to Ekambaranathar Temple, arriving by 6 PM. Here, we had darshan of the 'Prithvi Lingam,' one of the 'Pancha Lingas.' We finished the darshan and everything else by 7 PM.
Next, we visited the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple, there wasn't much crowd, so the darshan was quick. We did 11 pradikshanas at Kamakshi Temple and had the chance to explore every corner without rush. By 8 PM, we completed the darshan and returned to the hotel.
April 29th - Day 2:
On day 2, we visited all 7 places I mentioned earlier, in the same order. Each place is unique and a must-visit. Most temples in Tamil Nadu don't have a darshan ticket or prasadam concept. In the morning, we visited the first four places, and in the evening, we visited the remaining three, finishing by 5 PM. Then we tried Kanchi's famous rose milk, which is really worth it and a must-try.
Since we still had time, my wife wanted to visit Kamakshi Amman Temple again. We had visited at night on day 1, so we took the opportunity to see it in daylight. We spent some peaceful time there and had darshan again. By 8 PM, we returned to the hotel and packed everything to start early the next day.
Kanchi alone needs a separate blog, but since I need to cover 10 more days of this trip, I'm keeping the content short.
April 30th:
Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam
We reached Srirangam and checked into the hotel by 12:30 PM. After having lunch and resting, we went to the temple's main entrance by 3:30 PM. The main Gopuram is a marvel. it's the largest temple in India and one of the 108 Divya Desams. The Gopuram stands at 239.5 feet, a sight to behold. There was no rush, and we explored everything, including the museum inside the temple premises. We captured some lifetime memories here.
May 1st:
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai
After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed to Madurai, arriving by 11 AM. Since the temple reopened at 4 PM, we spent the free time tasting Madurai's famous Jigarthanda and then had lunch. At 3:30 PM, we visited Meenakshi Amman Temple and left around 7 PM. Mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple, so we didn't capture any photos. We bought a Rs. 100 darshan ticket and completed the darshan in 30 minutes. There are many renovation works going on, so parts of the temple have been closed for some time. However, we could still observe areas like the famous Sorna Kamala pond from outside.
May 2nd:
Subramanya Swamy Temple, Palani
We checked out of the hotel around 7 AM, had breakfast after leaving the city, and charged the car. We then headed to Palani, arriving by 12 PM.
Palani temple is open from morning to night and can only be reached by steps or rope train.car. We chose the rope train, and even in the off-season, we waited 2 hours. We were aware of the wait time. Palani is like Tirupati for Tamil people, busy with devotees. Our paid darshan took another 2 hours, but this delay allowed us to witness the Golden Ratha Yatra at 7 PM.
For the return, we took the rope train again. A smart tip: buy a two-way ticket to avoid another hour-long wait in line for the return ticket. Unfortunately, there are no signs or boards about this.
May 3rd:
Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
I always love places that combine devotion, history, and architecture. For this reason, Thanjavur was my favorite place on the entire trip.
We checked out of the hotel around 7 AM and headed to Thanjavur. We arrived in Thanjavur by lunchtime. I ordered some food through Swiggy and prepared for the most anticipated place of our entire trip: Sri Brihadeeswara Temple.
I don't have words to describe this place - you just have to feel it. We spent around 5 hours inside the premises. The temple is a must-see both during daylight and at night with the lighting. both views are marvelous. Thanjavur photos made up 50% of my entire trip photos.
May 4th:
Kumbakonam, Chidambaram, Pichavaram
In my initial plan, Kumbakonam wasn't included, but due to the off-season, we were completing each place quickly. So, we decided to visit Kumbakonam on the way to Chidambaram. To make this possible, we needed to reach Kumbakonam before 10 AM, giving us 2 hours to explore. We arrived by 9:30 AM.
Kumbakonam:
One day isn't enough for Kumbakonam, but we managed to visit three places in limited time.
- Arulmigu Swaminatha Swamy Temple
- Sri Sarangapani swami Temple
- Airavatesvara Temple
We arrived in Chidambaram by 3 PM, just in time for the temple opening at 4 PM. However, we decided to visit the Mangrove forest at Pichavaram, which is 20 minutes away from Chidambaram.
Pichavaram:
Visiting a mangrove forest is a unique experience, especially in the evening during the off-season when you can explore to the fullest. The cost is Rs. 450 for a 4-seater rover boat and Rs. 650 for a 6-seater rover boat. I bought a ticket for 4 and the boat operator charged an additional Rs. 200 to explore a few hidden areas, which is a common practice here. There was also a Rs. 100 fee for village entry. In total, we spent around Rs. 800 here.
Chidambaram:
We returned to Chidambaram by 6 PM and entered the temple by 6:30 PM, staying until 9:30 PM. Chidambaram Temple is quite unique compared to regular temples. the darshan and everything about it is different. One of the Panchalingas, the 'Akasa Lingam,' is located here.
I was surprised to learn that the Nataraja Temple is managed by a private trust, not the government. They requested donations for temple maintenance, and I contributed what I could. Inside the temple, there's no wind, so we couldn't stay inside for long. After darshan, we spent time outside the Mandapam until 9.30 PM before returning to the hotel.
May 5th:
Pondicherry
We traveled to Pondicherry, marking our sixth visit to the city. This time, we were there to attend a friend's wedding and stayed for a couple of days. It was a much-needed break for us, allowing us to rest and enjoy the great Pondi food.
May 10th:
Arunachaleswarar Temple,Tiruvannamalai
The day had finally arrived for our visit to Arunachalam, a name that brings positive vibes. This was my second visit, but last time I didn't do the 'Giri Pradikshana,' so this time we were planned to do it.
We reached the hotel and completed the check-in process by 7:30 PM. By 8:30 PM, we headed to the 'Raja Gopuram.' We waited for an auto, but they were all busy, so I decided to take my car. It was a wise decision as our car could easily reach the starting point of the Pradikshna. We completed the Pradikshna by midnight, avoiding the challenge of finding an auto at that hour.
The Giri route has 8 lingas and is well maintained, with enough signboards by donors and advertisers (not by the government). It's a 14 km flat walk. My daughter easily covered 11 km in two stretches, and I gave support for the remaining 3 km in between. Around 2 PM, we completed the Pradikshana and returned to the hotel.
May 11th:
Arunachaleswarar Temple,Tiruvannamalai
After a couple of hours of sleep, we visited the Arunachalewara Temple for darshan. It took around 3 hours to complete darshan of Swamy and Amman.
Afterward, we did the 'Giri Pradikshna' again by car and visited all 8 Lingas. We completed this by 2 PM and returned to the hotel.
We had lunch in town and began the 10-hour return journey by 4 PM. I didn't intend to stop along the way, so I continued driving with pit stops and reached Addanki by early 4 AM the next day.
May 12th: We arrived at our in-laws' home in Addanki by 4 AM and spent the day there.
May 13th: My wife voted in Addanki around 8 AM, and then we headed to Hyderabad, by lunch we reached Hyderabad and casted my vote.
That's the end of our trip. We could have easily saved 3-4 days, but I wasn't in a rush, so I completed it with peace of mind. In total, we traveled 3036 km for this trip.
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