The southern part of India is an ancient archive, a reflection of our rich cultural heritage. A trip to its historical cities gives one an insight into the wonderful architectural marvels standing before the spiritual backdrop of our beautiful country. A planned tour to Madurai, Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari allows one to experience the deep realm of religion and the underlying faith that dominates the temple towns here.
The people are warm and hospitable but language does seem to be a major barrier when it comes to communication. The public tone sounds loud, hence one may carry false impression that the locals are rude. They are not. But yes, these temple towns frequented by pious travellers offer a fertile ground for the locals to reap money. Tourists are milked by every second service provider and as they don’t understand a word of what is being spoken around, the visitors remain totally ignorant of the fact that they are being duped. Most temple towns in India are plagued with such curses and Madurai, Rameshwaram or Kanyakumari is not an exception to this common rule.
The temples in Tamil Nadu have ‘darshan tickets’ that range from Rs 5-10 to Rs 1000 and the committee people who sit in the temple campus to sell these tickets compel the visitors to purchase these tickets without which they are denied the ‘darshan’ of the idol. And as one enters the ‘sanctum’ archaks immediately do the ‘aarati’ and come close with their thalis to bless you. Though ‘daksheena’ is not asked for verbally, people donate generously in the name of charity. And despite such huge amount of funds being collected, most temples are found in pathetic condition “ there is no systematic management regarding hygiene, cleanliness of the surroundings, maintenance and up-keep of the structure as well as payment to the service givers.
But this does not deter the utter faith with which people visit these ancient shrines dotting the state to get wowed by their beauty and sanctity. The major city and the cultural headquarters of Tamil Nadu “ Madurai is centrally located and well-connected by air, rail and road. Treating this as a base camp, one can travel to both Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari by road without missing out on the shrines and historical sites on the way.
Forming the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year-old city of Madurai, the magnificent Meenakshi Amman temple stands tall on a sprawling 45 acre complex dedicated to Parvati (Meenakshi) and her consort, Shiva (Sundareshwarar). The perfect visiting period is April-May as the annual 10-day Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival celebrated during this period attracts one million visitors. A day falls short to enjoy the beauty of this ancient and magnificent shrine.
Most shrines and historical places here do not allow cameras. One has to leave their cameras or other gadgets outside, in a locker provided free by the temple committees and for using cameras on your mobile, a ticket of Rs 50 has to be purchased in each temple.
A must visit place is a 17th century structure, the palace of Thirumalai Nayak, standing on tall and wide boulders with its beautifully carved ceilings. Nearby is Azagar Kovil dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Sri Narasinga Perumal, a rock-cut temple at the foot of the Aanaimalai hills, 12 km from Madurai.
From Madurai one can go to Rameshwaram, an island at the extreme south-eastern end of Indian Peninsula at a distance of around 170 km. Known to be one of the ‘char dham’ locations, Rameshwaram is the place where Ram is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva to free himself from the sin of having killed Ravan, the king of Lanka.
After Rameshwaram one can visit Kanyakumari after travelling around 300 km by road. If time permits, one can stop by to admire the beauty of Pumban bridges running side by side, one for railway and the other as a road route. It is the tip of India from where Sri Lanka is just a few nautical miles away. Close from here stands “ with its remnants of the old church, railway station and post office “ the ‘ghost town’ Dhanushyakodi, making an interesting spot that needs an adventurous travel by private vans taking you through the sandy beaches. Hit by one of the worst cyclones in the 1960s a trip to Dhanushyakodi is sure to linger long in the memory, also for its proximity to the popular internationally famed ‘Ramsetu’ “ the bridge built by Ram and his ‘vanarsena’ to cross the sea to Lanka. Currently a road is being built in the sands to Ramsetu.
Known for its spectacular sunrises and sunsets, Kanyakumari carries a theory that a continent named Kumari Kandam once existed to the south of it. On a huge rock is erected the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial, a tourist monument built in 1970 in honour of Swami Vivekananda. A paid boat ride takes one to the memorial where a Dhyan Mandapam, Shripad Mandapam, a statue of Vivekananda and some bookstalls selling spiritual literature welcome the visitors warmly.
Adjacent to this memorial stands the Thiruvalluvar statue with a height of 95 feet, on a 38 feet pedestal, the combined height of the statue and pedestal is 133 feet. It has a total weight of 7000 tons. Sculpted by the Indian sculptor Dr V Ganapati Sthapati, it was thrown open for public on January 1, 2000 but was soon hit by the tsunami on December 26, 2004. Yet surviving the winds of change, these magnificent structures remind us of our glorious past. Satiating the hunger for spiritual and intellectual enlightenment, the travel ends at this popular meeting point of three seas “ the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, compelling one to commence the return journey.
