"Investment in travel is an investment in yourself."--Matthew Karsten
A quote that befits us the most!
Myself Dipan, I'm a Banker & my betterhalf Swati is a Teacher by profession and Bongs(bengalee) by birth. We have a scheduled lifestyle like most of the working professionals. So sometimes it becomes necessary to take a break and recharge our tired soul with positivity & enthusiasm, then get back to our scheduled lifestyle. Moreover Bongs by nature loves to travel & so it's our natural instinct as well.
Every travel creates some evergreen memories. At the dusk of our life if nothing lasts to support us, at least we can live by embracing upon our sweet memories.
So this time when we got a 5 day break on the ocassion of Pongal (Jan 2020) we set aside two days for our own, to celebrate our 1st Wedding Anniversary. We headed to Chennai from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh(we stay here due to my posting) to visit my in-laws and then we decided to have a road trip to Puducheri or Pondicherry or Pondy as locals call it.
These 2 days we lived like there was no tomorrow. In this journey we experienced a roller coaster drive, witnessed the living history, threw ourselves on the lap of mother nature, had a romantic dinner date and lastly a spine-chilling return drive at night.
We both love long drive but we never experienced it as a couple. It was my Dona's (wife) plan to rent a car for ourselves, as it has it's own pros and cons. We choose Zoom car for this purpose, being a newbie to Zoom car we were initially tensed about the proceedings. You won't believe it was the smoothest experience within our budget and we are eagerly waiting for our next road trip, obviously with Zoom car.
We booked a Maruti Baleno through ZOOMCAR app for 30 hours and it priced around Rs.5000, inclusive of diesel cost.
Road Trip in a gist!
1.Chennai to Mahabalipuram 50 km drive - 13.01.2020 - Early Morning Drive
2. Had Breakfast and visited the world heritage sites in Mahabalipuram.
3. Drive to Puducherry around 100 km, spent the night in Hotel i-residency.
4. Visited places in Puducherry
5. Started at evening towards Chennai, 14.01.2020
Day.1 (13.01.2020) - The Journey Begins - Drive through ECR
We reached our pick up spot at Velachery in Chennai around 7 am. After completing the formalities through Zoomcar app, we filled the fuel and started our journey. This was my 2nd visit to Chennai. So driving towards highway through the morning traffic was like a city tour for me. For Swati it is her hometown so she became my road guide for the rest of the journey. It was a partly cloudy morning. The rest of India (mostly north) was still shivering in cold. But temperature in Chennai was moderate, it was more like autumn or spring. As we reached the ECR road (East Coast Road) within minutes the speedometer reached 100. It's a clean smooth four lane highway along the East Coast parallel to the sea. The road goes to the southernmost end of our country. Slowly the sun became brighter and brighter. The sea is just few hundred meters to our left. At places we could see the glance of the mighty sea while driving through the road. My wife was taking videos. Later she showed me that once I touched the speed of 130kmph.
After nearly a 40-50 minutes drive we left the highway and entered the Mahabalipuram town.
The Scrumptious Morning Breakfast!
After a few meters from the entrance we saw a south indian restaurant. The name of the restaurant is 'Adyar Ananda Bhavan Sweets'. This is a popular food chain in Tamil Nadu. Their main branch is located at Adyar. The restaurant has a big parking place and a well maintained garden(we took selfie with car at this place). We started our drive from Chennai after having a cup of tea & biscuits, so by the time we reached Mahabalipuram we were literally starving. As we entered the shop we saw a gigantic menu pasted on the wall. The entire ambience was electric with sound of people chattering, the sounds of plates and spoons and off course the mouth watering smells of food. Here we present some clicks of our scrumptious breakfast, that we had to quench our hunger.
Sightseeing at Mahabalipuram!
This town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th - 8th century. Many temples are widely scattered all over the town. The speciality of these temples lies in their architechture. Some temples are built in the form of chariot, some are built in the form of caves and some are giant open air rock reliefs. There are many other forms of architechture too. There are stone sculptures on the walls of those temples depicting our hindu mythological stories. All these temples are living examples of engineering marvels of that time. We visited the following sites:--
1. The Pancha Rathas
Mahabalipuram is an ancient port city. All the structures here are built along the coastline. At the Pancha Rathas other than the temples and their marvellous sculptures, the backyard caught my attention. There is a huge field at the back of the site and the sea can be seen from the site.
Funfilled photoshoot
2. The Cave Temples
Next we headed towards the Ishwara temple and Mahisasurmardini cave temple. The Ishwara temple was built on the top of a hill. There is a rock cut cave temple at the bottom of the same hill. The lower part is called the Mahisasuramardini Temple. More than the temple I liked the surroundings of that temple. As we started to climb upward the temple, we got an ecstatic view of it through the gap of the trees located on both sides of the path. As we reached the top we got to see the vast picturesque landscape of the town.
The temple is facing the lighthouse. After visiting the Ishwara Temple we came down and went to the frontside of the hill to visit the Mahisasuramardini Temple.
From the Mahisasuramardini temple we headed for the Lighthouse. The lighthouse is an active lighthouse and one can only visit during the visiting hours. We had only 15 minutes in hand before closing of the visiting hour. The staircase to the top of the lighthouse was very steep and as we were moving upwards it was becoming steeper and narrower. Near the top it was so narrow that two person cannot stand side by side on the same stair. From the top we got to see the Ishwara and Mahisasuramardini temple. It was looking like the back of a giant tortoise.
We clicked few more photos of the exotic place from the top of the lighthouse.
Our next destination was Draupadi's Bath. This is a natural bathtub carved at the top of the rock. The tub gets filled with rainwater during monsoon.
Beside that a huge monument was there. It was a large unfinished temple from the seventh century. There is a huge corridor in the middle of the temple. At the begining of the corridor there is a huge unfinished door frame and at the end of the corridor there is a similar huge door frame which marks the exit. The temple wall is decorated with carvings on the wall
Our next destination was the Rock Cut Varaha Temple. This is another cave temple with sculptures on its wall. This temple is dedicated to Lord Varaha, the third incarnation of Lord vishnu. The wall sculptures tell the mythological story of Lord Varaha.
As we moved towards our next monument we noticed probably the only active temple from that era. This is the only temple where regular prayer is being offered to Lord Ganesha.
Our next halt was at Krishna's Butterball. This is not a temple. This is just an oval shaped rock static on a steep slope. The interesting thing about the rock is that there is only a minute touchpoint between the rock and the slope. If we go by the basic physics, an almost round rock of that giant size and weight should have been rolling down the slope. But that rock is static for thousands of years at the same place. Local people say that one ancient ruler tried to pull that rock downward along the slope using 100 elephants but still couldn't move an inch.
By now it was almost 1:30 in the afternoon. Though it was middle of January, the heat here was like begining of April in Kolkata. The giant rock gives a giant shadow and as we were tired strolling around the monuments walking up and down the slopes, we took some rest under the shadow of the rock.
We decided to reach to the parking area and go to the Shore Temple. But before that while we were at the entry gate of the site we faced another momument there. This is Arjuna's Penance. This is a giant 'open air rock relief'. On two giant boulders the story of 'Keeratarjuna', the life of Arjuna in the forest and his obtaining of 'pashupat' weapon from Lord Shiva is depicted here.
With Arjuna's Penance there is a cave temple attached which is called Krishna's Mandapa.
Now we started for the most mysterious and popular sight of Mahabalipuram.
3. The Shore Temple
A brief look at th history: When famous Italian traveller Marcopolo visited this place he called this place The city of seven pagoda. It is believed by the local people that seven identical structures once stood along the seashore, of which only one is left now. After the British took over this place many European Archeaological team excavated this site and very recently Indian Navy also searced under the sea with SONAR technology. All of them assured about some rock structures like buildings and walls under the sea though nobody could confirm whether they are identical structers of the presently standing shore temple. Coins from Roman empire also got found here which indicates that this area was an active seaport during ancient time. Some people even say that during the 2004 tsunami when the seawater pulled back, some sturctures were visible for a while though there is no authentic evidence about that claim.
When we were at the top of the light house we got a glimpse of the Shore Temple. From the architechtural point of view this structure is like any other rock structure at this site. But if you consider the environment around it, definately it will feel different. The temple is located at the end of a huge green landscape and the sea is surrounding the temple from three sides. Though there were many tourists like other places, yet due to its vastness it felt very quiet and the continous roaring of the sea added a weighty depth to that silence. The sun was already on the west. The temple tomb wrapped in golden rays of the sun, the blue sea behind and the cool breeze made that place like the one straight out of the fairytale book.
As we entered the main temple compound, we saw the temple standing there and it is surronded with dry pools. Probably those pools were made for bathing before entering the temple.
Our Mahabalipuram sightseeing was wrapped up here!
Drive through ECR - Mahabalipuram to Pondicherry
We then started for a long 100 km drive towards Pondicherry. We drove through the same ECR road to further south. The only difference was that the road was a narrower two lane road. So we had to slow down our speed a little as there were incoming traffic from the opposite direction.
As we drove towards Pondicherry we got a glimpse of Rural Tamilnadu. Along the way the view was mesmerising, as we saw the canopy of trees at many places. The road condition was quite good. At few places we even got a glimpse of the sea and the backwaters.
It was around 5'o clock in the evening we entered the Pondicherry city. We didn't have a hotel booking, so upon entering the outskirt of the city we found a hotel online and booked it as it suited our budget. But nevertheless we had the idea that we would get a comfortable stay and classy ambience within 2000 bucks.
Though this tour was for a short duration, but it was our first long distance tour after marriage and our first marriage anniversary was just 2 weeks away. So in a way this was our honeymoon trip and we got a reason to get delighted as we got the deluxe suit at a budget rate.
After freshening up on that evening, we went to a very popular Indo-French Fusion restro bar 'Villa Shanti' for dinner. The environment was classy and the food was scrumptious.
I am a foodie and always open to experiment with new delicacies, but so far I have tried mostly Indian dishes from various part of the country. Pondicherry has a rich french heritage in its culture, food and lifestyle. Once this place used to be a french colony and as we reached the restaurant we noticed the touch of classic 18th century European style practically in everything. The hotel itself was built in a 19th century french building located at the heart of french town. This place is also called White town. This is the actual old Pondicherry where the french built their settlement.
In such an environment I thought why not try some french style food. Swati is vegan and she is very particular about her choice of dishes. So when the menu came she chose to stay with spicy Indian dish paneer tikka and Tandoori roti with pudina coriander chutney. For me it was difficult to choose, as I had no idea or previous experience about all the french dishes listed on the menu. After a deep thought I felt chicken is the safest option because no matter how you prepare it never flops . So I ordered Chef's candied Chicken. The menu said, it was prepared with chicken legs, honey, citrus, herbs and chef's special mix of spieces, sauces and served with eggplant cavier, zucchini and spatzle. Other than chicken, honey, citrus and eggplant I didn't knew the other ingredients. The food was served in a granished platter and it tasted yummylicious, as if it opened a new level of spirituality to my tastebuds.
No dinner date is complete without a little booze. So we ordered two Beercan and we got a delicious complimentary snacks with that. The complimentary snacks(we didn't knew its name) was made of rice and it was a perfect match with the beer.
No meal is complete without dessert. So lastly we gifted ourselves a brownie with a ice-cream topping. By the time we ended our dinner the restaurant was closed. With full stomach and heart full of satisfaction we came back to our Hotel & retired for the night.
Day.2 (14.01.2020) - Exploring Pondicherry!
Our booking @i-Residency hotel was upto 10 am in the morning. We got up around 8am and ordered our breakfast from a local restaurant through online food delivery app. We freshened up after breakfast & checked out of the hotel.
Plan for the day:
1. Drive from Hotel to Auroville
2. Drive back from Auroville to Rishi Aurobindo Ashram in White Town.
3. Paradise Beach, Rock beach
4. Return trip to Chennai.
We planned to complete the trip well before sunset and reach Mahabalipuram before dark. The road between Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram was single lane with both way traffic and at night it will be completely dark. So I gussed it would be risky to drive that part of the highway after dark. Our car booking was also scheduled upto 7'o clock.
P.S: certain things doesn't go as planned, when you are in the nature's lap. We were so mesmerised with the beaches in Pondicherry that we departed from there only at 7 pm, complete opposite of what we had planned.
1. At the Auroville
The Auroville is an eco friendly township covering Viluppuram district in Tamilnadu and some part of Union Territory of Pondicherry. Basically this is a spiritual village founded by Mirra Alfassa aka 'The Mother' in the year 1968 based on the vision and principle of Sri Aurobindo, her spiritual collaborator and a renowned bengali revolutionery in British India.
This place was about 12 km from our hotel. Before visiting the place we were not much aware of the historical significance that it holds. During our visit to this place we were mesmerized by its natural beauty and purity. Entering Auroville was like entering a different universe where all the noises of the world, all our worries in life, all oue egos, fake conflicts, consumerism are filtered out and you get to stay with what is pure, basic and natural. It bears a message that one can have a high and quality living standard when he/she learns to love the other creations of the world and peacefully coexixts with it rather than destroying it guided by greed and materialism.
After going a few kilometers through highway we got off the highway and took the village road to reach to the Auroville Visitor center. Actually the whole area is called Auroville and it is quite huge. Our objective here was to reach the parking area and from there by walking visit the 'Matrimandir' Globe.
As we got off the highway we were awestruck with the beauty of the road. The bright morning sunlight, the clean grey road, the trees on both sides of the road and their shadows all together touched the highest node of our visual sense. Sighting of foreign tourists on motorcycle was common there. At places there were village markets exhibiting various kinds of fancy items mostly targeted at those foreign customers. After a 30 minute drive we reached at the parking center of Auroville Visitor center.
At visitor center we got some information and a map of that place. The 'Matrimandir' is a globe shaped monument located at the heart of Auroville. The 'Matrimandir' is surrounded by 12 gardens which is named as Existence, Consciousness, Bliss, Light, Life, Power,Wealth, Utility, Progress, Youth, Harmony, Perfection. At the begining of each garden the name is written on a wooden plank.
It was a long walk from the visitor center to the 'Matrimandir' and though it was mid January the sun was quite harsh. But the walk was quite pleasant as the walkway was covered with the cool shadows of the trees. There is a big old Banyan tree just a few meters before the matrimandir gallery. The free bus ride is also available from the visitor center to 'Matrimandir Gallery'. But while going we chose to walk as we wanted to cherish the environment around us and to take some photos. While returning we took the bus as our legs were super tired by then. Moreover we were running short of time and had more things to explore in Pondicherry.
By the time we finished our visit to Auroville it was 1:30 in the afternoon and we were super hungry. There is a cafe just beside the visitor center which serves dishes both European and Indian. Many tourists were having their lunch at that place. It was very difficult to choose one item over the others as all of them sounded delicious. However we took Tuna sandwitch, veg cutlet, muffin and last but not the least ice-creams as desserts.
With the lunch our visit to Auroville ended and we realised that we have a lot more to explore and already we have spent more than half of the day at a single place. We headed towards our next destination which was Sri Aurobindo Ashram located in the White Town in the same area where we did our dinner last night. We went there but did not like it much. The place was quite and clean and specially was made for meditation. Phones, camera or any electronic device was prohibited inside. We didn't find the place interesting as we were not into the spiritual things and the purpose we came to Pondicherry was to explore nature, have fun and relax ourselves. So we moved on to our next destination Paradise Beach.
2. Paradise Beach
The Paradise Beach is not located in the city. This beach is like an island which is surrounded by sea and backwaters. To reach there we had to go to Chunnambar Boat House first and then take a ferry to Paradise Beach. There is a big parking place at Chunnambar Boat House. After parking our car we had to buy entry tickets to enter the main compound of that place. Here one luxury houseboat was anchored on the bank of the backwaters, that can be prebooked on hourly basis for parties. We got two ferry tickets for to and fro journey to Paradise Beach. The sun was already on the west. We boarded the ferry and started moving through the backwaters. On our backside there was a roadbridge across the backwater connecting two parts of the city. The sun rays were reflecting on the clean water of the backwaters. The cool breeze and the rows of coconut trees on both side made the feeling a lifetime experience. It was almost 30 minutes ride on one way. After a while we could see the yellow line of the beach in front of us.
At last we reached Paradise beach after half an hour. We reached at the last moment. This beach is open for tourist only at daytime and sunset happens early during December to February. So when we reached there we had hardly 40-45 minutes left to stay there and then come back.But within that time we enjoyed the beach to the fullest. We entered the beach from the backwaters and then we had to walk through the sands a few hundred meters and then on the other side we reached to the seashore. It was like any regular beach but not overcrowded as it was quite away from the main city. The beach was clean and people were enjoying with the waves. Swati wanted to capture sunset in the sea but then we realized that on the East Coast the sun sets behind the land and rises from the sea. But with the cool breeze the beach was looking exotic in the fallhour light.
After spending a goodtime we returned to our boat and came back to Chunnambar Boat House sailing through the backwaters while witnessing the sunset over the bridge.
It was evening already and we had to extend our car rental hour by another two hours. The plan to start by daylight and reach Mahabalipuram before dark was already dropped, but we don't regret it as we enjoyed the most. We continued our tour plan in Pondicherry, as planned eariler after extending our timings through Zoomcar call centre, which was swift & responded to our request within minutes.
3. The Rock Beach
From the Paradise Beach we headed towards the 'Rock Beach'. Again this is in the French town area of Pondicherry and during evening this place is quite buzzy. The tourists & the local people enjoy the sea breeze. Many people do their evening walk along the beachside road. We visited Pondicherry during Pongal which is the biggest festival in the southern part of India. So we had to face some difficulties to find a parking place as most of the adjoining lanes were either no parking, no entry or it was already full. It took another half an hour to find a parking for our car. We parked the car quite far from the beach in an ally of the french town. Getting off from the car we noticed how beautiful the lane was looking in all the neon lights of adjoining restaurants, stores and heritage buildings.
We could not spend much time at the rock beach. We were already late and we couldnot extend our trip for another day as the next day I had to leave from Chennai for Srikakulam, my workplace. We spent nearly one hour during which we had some munching over spring potato fry, a famous streetfood and evening snacks in south India and took some selfies beside the beach. The beachside road was separated from the sea by boulders. We could notice the contrast of white waves on the black boulders under the greyish sky. It felt amazing.
The rock beach was our last destination on this tour. There is a lot more to explore in Pondicherry for which merely one day is not enough. But most of the time we make plans instantly and start our journey. Swati says we are storm travellers. In one way this type of travel is fun, full of activities but in the end it drains us physically. So in the end we were craving to reach our home (my in-laws house in Chennai).
On our return journey to Chennai we drived the road upto Mahabalipuram in complete dark except the car head lights. It was a risky drive as expected and it gave me an adrenaline rush driving through that narrow highway in pitch dark, with waves of incoming traffic with their high beam on. At last we reached our home around 11'o clock at night.
We took two days to visit Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry. Both the places had lot more to explore and more time was required than what we contributed. But in the end though we were physically drained our heart and mind was full of energy.
We wanted a break from our scheduled lifestyle and so we gifted us this tour. Our tour indeed served the purpose of relaxing & rejuvenating ourselves mentally, so that we return to our scheduled lifestyle & start it all fresh.