Rameshwaram - Tracing the footsteps of Lord Ram

It all seemed like a fantasy at first. It was an auspicious full moon night. Goddess Parvati, dressed up in all the fineries, was taking the round of the Rameshwaram temple in a golden palanquin. The accompanying chants, smoke and drum beats added to the rare spectacle. The following round by Lord Shiva from his sanctum to the goddess’ almost seemed like a royal routine. And, why not, for, he is the Lord of the Lord here in Rameshwaram – literally meaning Ram’s god.

When Lord Ram returned to these shores after slaying Ravan in Lanka, despite being on the right side, he wanted to repent for the killings. He washed his hair at the spot now called Jada Teertham before worshipping Shiv. Where Laxman, Ram’s younger brother, took bath Laxman Teertham. It so happened that Hanuman was getting late in bringing a lingam from the Himalayas for the worship, so Sita built one from sand. The lingam in the sanctum of the Ramanathaswamy temple or the Rameshwaram temple is believed to be the same. And, the 22 tanks and wells in the temple’s periphery, called teerthams, are said to absolve the sins of human beings today.

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A quick trip to Chennai

Revisiting the grandeur of Pallavas is a must when in the capital of Tamil Nadu.

Nature sometimes does love to show its humorous side. So, here I was trying to escape the chill of the north. A quick getaway to Chennai looked like a sign from heaven.

Being a light traveller though did attract a worried 'your luggage is very less for two days ma’m' from the chauffeur, little did I know that his concern would actually translate into one. Who would have imagined that otherwise much-dreaded heat and humidity of this city would choose to be a no-show just when desired! 

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Coimbatore, Gateway to the Bliss...

Coimbatore is 2^nd largest city in Tamil Nadu and one of the major industrial centers in this state. With these statistics any hopes of good sightseeing should have been effectively dropped. However, smoke filled environment and traffic jams were not in my destiny as I came across a well-planned beautiful city.
 
During my stay here, I came to know about lot of beautiful temples in and around Coimbatore and therefore a real temple run was on the cards.

15 km. from Coimbatore and situated in lush green hilly surroundings is the Marudhamalai temple, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It was twilight when I reached the temple, which is actually the best time to see the hazy ambience created by the blue skies and the hills. Situated on a hilltop, temple rises like a mirage to surround over the landscapes.

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Kodaikanal - Gift of the Forest

I have been staying in Bangalore for the last two years, working day in and day out. Off late was feeling too much cramped by not being able to enjoy at all. This was the time I came across articles posted on this site, Travel Diaries and thanks to the posted articles, I started believing that for a small trip all we need is a decision and a weekend. As there are a lot of places to explore near to Bangalore, so I discussed my plans with some of my friends. What I realized they also had same opinion about me and were planning to go out for some time.

Four was the company for us and one fine evening we packed our bags and boarded a late night bus to "Kodaikanal". We had whole travel plan in our mind that we will have our first stop in Kodaikanal where we had to take permission from the District Forest Officer to enter the forest for trekking but were unaware of the little obstacles we may face in-between.

We had little hint that Kodaikanal may give a feeling of a hill station but never imagined that it would welcome us with somewhat like below.

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