I always wanted to touch the southern most tip of India, after i completed Ladhak (wanted to do in my bike, due to unfortunate reasons i switched to Car).
So the journey starts from namma Bengaluru accompanied by 2 more techie like minded friends (you will find them in the pics).
The route/places goes like this.
Bengaluru --> Madurai --> Rameshwaram (& Dhanushkodi) --> Kanyakumari --> Sri Padmanabha swami temple (Thiruvananthapuram) --> Isha centre (Coimbatore).
I had to start from BLR in the evening around 5PM because of couple of factors 1. Its approx 7-8hrs from BLR and 2. because the infamous Meenakshi amman temple timings are as below. So please plan accordingly. You may also avail the volvo service to reach.
Temple timings : 5:00 AM - 12:30 PM, 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM.
And the temple is soo huge on a busy day it might take upto 3 hours time. It has north/south entries.
Its skyline is dominated by the 14 colorful gopurams (gateway towers) of Meenakshi Amman Temple. Covered in bright carvings of Hindu gods, the Dravidian-style temple is a major pilgrimage site. Millions attend the processions and ceremonies of April's Chithirai Festival celebrating Meenakshi and Lord Vishnu.
I would recommend you to go through the below link, which will give a little background of this temple.
www.culturalindia.net/amp/indian-temples/meenakshi-temple.html
The temple is in the core of the city, so am sure most hotel booking apps auto suggest you while booking hotels based on the distance from the temple.
As usual no phones and footwears are not allowed (use the temple locker's,rather then nearby shops).
Please do wear full trousers or traditional dhoti for men and full dress for ladies.
So please plan accordingly. The city Madurai is know as temple city you will find lot of temples in this town if time permits, you may visit them.
Well when you are in Madurai please dont miss the local delicious food, its known for variety of idlis, dosa and vada, pongal and the list goes on.
So we were out from the temple by app 8 am. There will be a maha mangalarati at sharp 7am and the queue will be halted during that time. So try to be inside during that time.
After a delicious breakfast we hit the road heading to our next hop.
Madurai --> Rameshwaram (180km , app 3-4hr)
The road is beautiful and you will pass through many small towns very neat and clean. Lush greens and i recommend you should sip the tender coconut water on the way.
When you are about to reach the pamban bridge (am sure it recalls of Chennai express movie :)) you will start seeing the roads on either side covered by Bay of Bengal.
The Pamban Bridge (this itself is a one of its kind) both the railway and the flyover app 2km length gives a stunning view . And this is the only bridge which connects mainland to Rameshwaram.
Rameshwaram has many places to see , like Kalam house, Pancha mukhi anjaneya, Dhanushkodi and the Famous Rameshwaram Temple.
So we decided to check-in to hotel, and start to Dhanushkodi post lunch.
Dhanushkodi:
Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is south-east of Pamban and is about 24 kilometres west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and remains uninhabited in the aftermath.
As per mythology, Dhanushkodi was the spot where Lord Rama and his army built Ram Setu, otherwise known as Adam’s Bridge across the sea connecting Rameshwaram Island (Tamil Nadu) and Mannar Island (Sri Lanka), to rescue his wife Sita from the clutches of the demon king Ravana. After rescuing his wife, Lord Ram destroyed the bridge with arrows from his bow, on request of Vibhishan (new Lanka King), thus the name of the town became ‘Dhanushkodi’, meaning ‘end of bow’.
Due to some road repair work, we had to park the car and walk like 4-5km to reach the tip and i even got the sri lanka airtel message (dont believe me, see attached message:)). So be prepared, it was a windy and rainy , were fully drenched.
On your way back , you will find Kodandaramar temple . A little history:
"This is the place where Lord Rama crowned Vibhishana as the King of Lanka after rescuing Seetha from Lanka [Sri Lanka ] . Hanuman [Anjaneya] worshipping Lord Rama is a common sight in many temples but a rare and special feature in this temple is that Vibhishana is seen worshipping Lord Rama. Since Vibhishana got the blessings of Lord Rama he is given the status of an Azhwar and is praised as “Vibhishana Azhwar” by the devotees. Since this is a small temple, only Garuda Azhwar and Ramanujar in the front Mandapam are present. Since Rama disowned the bad – natured Ravana from the throne and crowned the good Vibhishana, those wanting to get a high post by fair means can worship the Lord here."
So we decided to visit Panchamukhi Anjaneya temple, which is in the centre of the city. Below links gives you the significance and a history.
And you can witness the floating lime stone with which Lord Sri Ram with help of Vanara sena had built the bridge to Lanka.
https://rameshwaramtourism.co.in/panchamukhi-hanuman-temple-rameshwaram
With that , we called it a day.
The darshanam and sacred bath in 22 wells:
We met a wonderful person/guide who charged us minimal and took the burden of buying tickets and expedite the lane by getting special entrance and attend all rituals. Below is his contact, hope this helps.
Sri Ram Panda.
+918838490407
One of the 12 jyotirlinga, Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple is the place where Lord Rama is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva. It is known for its high religious importance, association with the Hindu sacred epic Ramayana and captivating architecture. According to the legend behind this temple, Lord Rama, after his war with demon Ravana who had kidnapped Goddess Sita, had worshipped Lord Shiva here. Lord Rama had offered prayers to Lord Shiva so as to atone his sin of killing Ravana who was a half Brahmin. The lingam on which Lord Rama offered prayers was created by Goddess Sita and the same lingam is there in the temple. However, there is one more lingam in the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple, known as Viswalingam or Hanumalingam, which was brought by Lord Hanuman from the Himalayas. This temple has 22 teertham as well. According to belief, bathing in these theertham can liberate a devotee from his or her sins.
Importance of 22 teertham explained in brief:
The temperature of the teertham water varied and so did the salinity ranging from neutral to very sweet. I moved from well to well, beginning from Mahalakshmi, followed by Gayatri, Savitri, Saraswathi, Gavya, Gavyaksha, Nala, Neela, Sethumadhava, Gandhamadhava, Brahmahatya Vimochana, Shanku, Surya, Chandra, Chakra, Shiva, Sarva, Satyamrita, Gaya, Ganga, Yamuna and finally Kodi which is supposedly equivalent to a dip in the Ganges. Incidentally, each one has a story attached to it, in some way related to Ramayana and or removal of sins. I was strictly told not to take a bath in tap water that day, to allow the healing properties of the well bath to soak in.
P.S : In order to see the Vishwalinga (made of a unique crystal) pls make sure u r in the temple by 5am, as it closes for public visit at 6am.
And we start entering Kerala.
Please do a well planned if you are driving by yourself, as the roads are very narrow and it enters through many small towns and congested places.
Lucky we. It was a week day.
Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple:
The Padmanabhaswamy temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthpuram , state capital of Kerala, India. The name of the city og Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta",referring to the deity of the Padmanabhaswamy temple. The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the chera style and the Dravidian style of architecture, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century gopuras . While the Ananthapura temple in Kumble is considered the original seat of the deity ("Moolasthanam"), architecturally to some extent.
We had to take the South entrance due to parking problem, so not much pics i could click.
Please ensure you are carrying a dhoti (mandatory) and surrender your phones and Car keys (remote keys) to the nearest shops (i can assure they will remain safe).
You can have a free darshan or pay 500rs for 2 people. Lord Vishnu's statue is soo big, that need to be seen through 3 doors.
Just to add this temple has 6 hidden secret chambers beneath which is stashed with gold and rubies/diamonds from ages. In depth info in below link. This is one of the reason the temple is heavily guarded with security forces/police.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/padmanabhaswamy-temple-vault-b-facts-about-the-scary-inaccessible-chamber/amp_articleshow/60389479.cms
On our way back to Bangalore . We planned a visit to Isha Foundation, Coimbatore.
I wanted to see and understand the significance and Isha's work towards society and Sadhguru's guidance to this materialistic world and contribution towards Yoga & sadhana.
Totally i wanted to have that feel to be at Isha.
Its a very vast and beautiful place. Very systematically handled and maintained by sisya ganas/volunteer.
It has a Sarva Dharma Sthambha, which has a symbol of 9 major religions in the world on the three sides of this sthambha as a Universal welcome to all.
In depth details, information is available on Isha website. Even you can subscribe for Yoga and other Isha programs.
https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/center/isha-yoga-center-coimbatore
So it goes like this:
1. Adiyogi : a 112 feet/34 mtr Lord Shiva Statute . Recognised by Guinness book of world record as "Largest Bust Sculpture".
2. Sarpa vasal
3. Surya kund - for gents
4. Nandi statue
5. Linga Bhairavi
6. Chandra khund - for ladies
7. Dhyana linga - a dome made of no steel,no concrete, no pillar's . But only bricks, lime, mud and this is estimated to last for 5000 years. And its a bliss to be sitting inside the dome and u just let the energy flow through your body. Everyone ll be given a 15 mins time to meditate.
