My initially straightforward route through Tamil Nadu got derailed by suggestions from locals where to go.
So, next is Rameswaram, an important pilgrim destination, second only to Varanasi to wash away sins. People were quite emotional and I only took a few distant pictures to respect their privacy.
Rameswaram is actually on an island connected by a bridge, very close to Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, a lingering cyclone created a lot of rain which doesn’t go well witch cow pies. Not stepping in one of them was my #2 priority (#1 not getting hit by a vehicle), and I mostly succeeded with #2. It really makes sense to take off your shoes before entering a house 🙂
My zig-zag itinerary led me to Trichy, actually I stayed on a long island called Srirangam, sandwiched between two rivers. One of them is called Kaveri and is very significant for Hindus to wash away sins by taking a bath in it. Trichy was surprisingly hectic, and thankfully my homestay on Srirangam was on a remote corner on the island, very idyllic and relaxing:
Srirangam has quite a lot of temples and I really liked the cow ceremony at the Tiruvanaikoil temple where people place money on the back of a decorated temple cow and touch it for blessings. A brahmin would then perform a ritual, followed by a procession to another part of the temple which involves an elephant. Very interesting to see.
So far I mostly relied on using public transport (i.e. walk, bus, train, occasional tuktuk) to get around. But to get to a really remote place, I caved in and did what most other tourist do in Tamil Nadu: Rent a car with a driver. What’s important is that the driver could ask the locals in Tamil and find the way. I would have never found it.
This is Narthamalai, near Pudukothai, a temple about 1300 years old and partially carved out of a rock. The carvings were in great shape and I could even see some remnants of wall paintings. It must have been beautiful in full color! I needed to walk up the rock and it wasn’t easy to find. The driver was so thankful when I indicated that he could stay back in the shade while I was walking up the big rock.
Suddenly a local guy showed up and explained that a seemingly random waterhole actually has a temple inside, only visible in dry season. The second picture shows inscriptions in old Tamil right above the temple.
A really remote animalistic temple that’s mostly outdoors, similar to the one in Chettinad. Everyone was really friendly, unfortunately nobody could speak English (incl. my driver). They insisted to take a long video and everyone laughed when they saw it and random people or animals walked through the video.
My final stop had to be Madurai, a 2300 year old city that already traded with Rome! It felt quite medieval with a maze of narrow alleyways in the old town center, I really enjoyed it! The main draw is the famous Meenakshi Amman temple, which is mostly off limits for non-Hindus. So no pictures…
Madurai has a strong food scene with unique dishes and drinks. I’m glad I booked a guided sampling tour. There were some more dishes (dosas etc) but I forgot to take pictures.
Madurai spice neighborhood
Saree hunting! A hole in the wall shop but super famous.
A few random pictures I like:
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