This post is more related to a trip we made to a few temples near Bangalore rather than to provide a channel for self-realization or moksha - never mind the title :) - So here goes:
Yesterday we visited the beautiful temple town of Thiruvannamalai. Read: "beautiful temple" separate from town. The town (that is - human habitation outside the temple) can barely pass for anything related to civilization. Pretty dirty, crowded and filled with complete chaos.
Thiruvannamalai - Lord Shiva as Shri Arunachaleshwarar
But the grand temple complex more than makes up for it. 25 acres in size, the main temple is walled in like a fort with four entrances in the four cardinal directions, each highlighted by a grand gopuram nearly 15 floors high. This structure has been erected in part by King Krishnadevaraya - fortunately for us that he did that, else the post-independence "secular" Indian Government would have gobbled up this land as well to offer others for free to enable them to build mosques and churches.
Anyways, after the awe-inspiring entrance, one is floored literally by the plethora of artwork on granite. The thresholds, staffs and mainly the numerous pillars everywhere are etched with the work of endless hours, days and years of labour of hundreds of artisans.
The delicacy of various dancers, people, animals and scenes worked on the rock and erected as 10-15 feet tall pillars are amazing. Granite slabs for the roof, 15 storey Gopurams, 10 foot pillars.... All this at a time (that we think) there was little or no mechanization. Strikes me as if we're missing something here !!!
However - we took the Rs.20 "Special Darshanam". The main idol (vigraham) of Shri Arunachaleshwarar was fabulous and beautifully decorated (alankaaram).
The drive from Bangalore to Thiruvannamalai was 200km long.
The first 100km upto Krishnagiri was smooth as a baby's bottom. From there we turned Left (Eastwards) towards Pondicherry (NH66). The road started off on a promising note but proceeded to become a horrible nightmare until Chengam.. At least until Uthangarai, 20km before Chengam. After that the drive was peaceful.
Thirukkoilur - Lord Vishnu as Ulagalandha Perumal (the one who measured the world).
After a very satisfying Darshanam at Thiruvannamalai we proceeded to Thirukkoilur, a town 35km South of Thiruvannamalai. It was a straight road, unbelievably smooth with very little traffic. Dotted by fields of paddy and sugarcane on both sides, this was my first tryst with the real rural India. It was beautiful to say the least. The temple is ancient. Lord Vishnu is manifested as Trivikrama (or Vamana). His right leg points at the Heavens and is worshipped by Brahma. His left leg points downwards and is worshipped by Mahabali. Every point of the grand idol decorated beautifully was explained by the Gurukkal. Ambal (devi) is present in a different temple.
This temple also happens to be one of the 108 Divya Deshams for Vaishnavas.
Ample evidence of the destructive mentality of Muslim invaders is visible in the damage inflicted upon various parts of the temple architecture. However, these barbaric hordes could fortunately not destroy too much - most of the original temple remains, except perhaps for its original riches. What they may have left behind has probably been looted by the Indian Government.
Thirukkoilur - Lord Shiva as Veerateshwarar
Very close by to the Ulagalandha Perumal temple is another even more ancient Shiva temple - Shiva known as Veerateshwarar is worshipped in the form of a Swayambhu Lingam. The temple commemorates His victory of Anthakasura. Also the hallowed grounds of this temple are the birth-place of "Vaasthu Purusha" who is worshipped before occupying a new house in India.
Additionally, legend has it that the Arumugam Murugan and Shri Ganapathy have been worshipped by Avvayar herself. Avvayar reached Kailas directly from here by the aid of Ganapathy Himself.
Thus three wonderful temples that should be a must for people living in/around Bangalore or Chennai.
One more point - there was one temple we missed due to lack of time.
Manalurpettai - Shri Ranganathaswamy temple also known as Thiruvarangam. This is just 10km from Thirukkoyilur. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to offer our respects here the next time.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
After many many envious readings of other travelogues and cancellations of my own plans for a trip, finally we did the drive to Shravanabelagola on Sunday 29th October 2007.
It was a "Let's go!" moment at 10 in the morning, while having our post-breakfast chai that we decided we would go.
So with five adults, one kid and a hastily prepared lunch with all the necessary accessories (puke bags for kiddo, umbrellas, snacks, curd rice, etc) we headed off at 11:15 am from Indiranagar, Bangalore.
The route:
We left Indiranagar at 11:15 am. Drove down via Mekhri Circle – Yeshwantpur Circle to Tumkur Road. Kept on this until Neelamangala where we turned left into NH48. Until this point, we took 1 hour and covered only about 35km.
After that it was a straight drive for most ways. The road was not the dream ride I had really anticipated but it wasn’t too bad anyways. There was light traffic (Sunday afternoon). The asphalt surface was gone in numerous places due to the rains probably. The drive was fairly uneventful until we passed Neligere where we found a fork. One has to stick to the right – however, I took the left and had to turn back after about 4km. Beyond that was a peaceful drive until Hirisave – sharp turn there to the left (well marked) for a further 18km to Shravanabelagola. Once there, the road ends, you turn left and see the entrance to the main Vindhyagiri hill as a huge white arch. Turn right there and you can park on the right side of the road, next to the tank.
We reached here at precisely 2:30pm – that is 3 hours after departure.
The drive/car:
This should probably be under a different section but I won’t go long about it. The car was my new (less than 2 months old) Hyundai Getz Prime GLS 1.3. Drove like a dream with five adults (and one kid). There was a bit of drag with a/c – however, the weather being nice, we didn’t need the a/c at all. I just crossed 1000km on the odo when we returned.
Everything else:
Having packed our lunch, we ate at a park nearby. However, there are some Veggie hotels. Also, one can eat near the entrance (inside) of Vindhyagiri. There are toilets and good drinking/washing water available also.
One has to leave one’s footwear at the base of Vindhyagiri and start the trek to the top. Fortunately we seemed to have picked the perfect day. It was cloudy enough that the steps were not hot, so we did not need the socks we brought. However, visibility was good and it did not rain either.
So we started the trek up the 550 odd steps to the top to offer our respects to one of the most alluring architectural beauty of Karnakata – the Gomateshwara statue. The slow climb up actually gets tougher – the steps become harder (it doesn’t just seem that way – the riser of the steps towards the top is more) as one goes on. However, at periodic stops, the view around is just amazing. No camera – I believe – can really do justice. On reaching near the top, we start getting an idea of how simply breathtaking the work done by the artisans is. I have never traveled much in India – but I was simply taken aback by the beautiful carvings on the various Basadi’s (monasteries) near the top. Periodically one can sight some young jain muni’s silently sitting around or studying. Some of the carvings are intelligently protected by glass shields.
As one enters the main monument, things get even better. Every pillar is a work of art. Even the threshold of the temple has a beautiful flower carving on the granite. Every moment – I was awe struck, imagining the patience and labour of love created by the numerous unknown artisans, chiseling away at the unyielding stone to reveal this marvel of beauty inside it. Once inside, the first view of Gomateshwara leaves one gaping. That someone could carve something so massive, yet delicately beautiful leaves one’s mouth gaping. Every feature of the monolith is visible. The delicacy fo the fingernails, the proportions of the toes, the slight fold of skin around the navel, the hint of a smile around the lips, the calm expression of the face. I was simply left humbled and dumb-founded by Him. Offering my respects I walked around to find little nuggets of treasure in every pillar and stone around.
Even the roof of the temple has wonderful carvings on it. Every bit alluring are the statuettes and frescoes of various women/goddesses everywhere.
There were carvings of games on some of the stones – possibly Pachisi played by artisans in their spare times.
There are idols of various Teerthankara’s in some of the grotto like parts of the monument. Some parts, lit only by a dim bulb with natural water seepage add to a slightly mystic environment. It is enough to cause one’s imagination to run amok – with visions of the 100’s if not thousands of skilled pairs of hands creating this work for future generations. A legacy of love and devotion.
After seeking the blessings of the priest, I went around on a shooting spree with my digital camera with the results for all to see.
Here are the results - the real work is of course far superior to anything that my poor pictures can convey.
(Please ignore the erroneous date on the photos, btw).
But:
The undesirable side of our society was amply visible in some places. Empty Bisleri bottles, plastic covers, etc. Even worse, graffiti like “Pinky loves Bittu”, etc. It was heartbreaking – how could any human being in his/her senses allow such a defiling to happen in such a sacred place?
However:
We returned, our hearts full of love and respect for those who created this wonderful place for us to visit, appreciate and cherish. My three-year-old did the steps all the way up and back down by herself, albeit some of the steps were as high as her little legs.
An idea for senior citizens that helped my mother a lot – while climbing down, walk backwards as much as possible. Reduces the strain on your knees big-time. Also, better that someone younger walks in front of them JUST in case....
I realized there is no way one cannot have an emotional feeling when visiting such a marvel of architectural beauty.
The return:
We left SBG at 5:40 precisely. The return was simple and straight. We hit the junction of NH48 and Tumkur Road at Neelamangala at 7:30 (approx 110km). I did not go beyond 80kmph since this is a new car. However, at Neelamangala, we ended up waiting for nearly 45min to enter Bangalore thanks to the unyielding and chaotic truck traffic. Back home by 9pm.
Epilogue:
I was burning with irritation at the casual irresponsibility and scant respect shown by our society towards such a priceless legacy when - on our way down - there was a group of four adults (2 men, 2 women) who simply opened a chocolate and threw the wrapper aside on the steps. This - when a rubbish bin was just sitting on the right side of the steps at that point.
That was the last straw. I picked up the wrapper and went down to them and in Hindi (my Kannada leaves a lot to be desired) asked "Why don't you have some basic civic sense - there is a trash can on your right. Why do you litter this beautiful place". They gave me a cold glare but then took the wrapper and put it in the right place. Hopefully at least this one family will think twice before littering again...
In any case, berating them offered a slight solace to my irritation and I again happily dwelt on the beauty offered by the wonderous architects of Vindhyagiri.
I certainly hope to add more travelogues in the coming months.
Cheers
Ravi
It was a "Let's go!" moment at 10 in the morning, while having our post-breakfast chai that we decided we would go.
So with five adults, one kid and a hastily prepared lunch with all the necessary accessories (puke bags for kiddo, umbrellas, snacks, curd rice, etc) we headed off at 11:15 am from Indiranagar, Bangalore.
The route:
We left Indiranagar at 11:15 am. Drove down via Mekhri Circle – Yeshwantpur Circle to Tumkur Road. Kept on this until Neelamangala where we turned left into NH48. Until this point, we took 1 hour and covered only about 35km.
After that it was a straight drive for most ways. The road was not the dream ride I had really anticipated but it wasn’t too bad anyways. There was light traffic (Sunday afternoon). The asphalt surface was gone in numerous places due to the rains probably. The drive was fairly uneventful until we passed Neligere where we found a fork. One has to stick to the right – however, I took the left and had to turn back after about 4km. Beyond that was a peaceful drive until Hirisave – sharp turn there to the left (well marked) for a further 18km to Shravanabelagola. Once there, the road ends, you turn left and see the entrance to the main Vindhyagiri hill as a huge white arch. Turn right there and you can park on the right side of the road, next to the tank.
We reached here at precisely 2:30pm – that is 3 hours after departure.
The drive/car:
This should probably be under a different section but I won’t go long about it. The car was my new (less than 2 months old) Hyundai Getz Prime GLS 1.3. Drove like a dream with five adults (and one kid). There was a bit of drag with a/c – however, the weather being nice, we didn’t need the a/c at all. I just crossed 1000km on the odo when we returned.
Everything else:
Having packed our lunch, we ate at a park nearby. However, there are some Veggie hotels. Also, one can eat near the entrance (inside) of Vindhyagiri. There are toilets and good drinking/washing water available also.
One has to leave one’s footwear at the base of Vindhyagiri and start the trek to the top. Fortunately we seemed to have picked the perfect day. It was cloudy enough that the steps were not hot, so we did not need the socks we brought. However, visibility was good and it did not rain either.
So we started the trek up the 550 odd steps to the top to offer our respects to one of the most alluring architectural beauty of Karnakata – the Gomateshwara statue. The slow climb up actually gets tougher – the steps become harder (it doesn’t just seem that way – the riser of the steps towards the top is more) as one goes on. However, at periodic stops, the view around is just amazing. No camera – I believe – can really do justice. On reaching near the top, we start getting an idea of how simply breathtaking the work done by the artisans is. I have never traveled much in India – but I was simply taken aback by the beautiful carvings on the various Basadi’s (monasteries) near the top. Periodically one can sight some young jain muni’s silently sitting around or studying. Some of the carvings are intelligently protected by glass shields.
As one enters the main monument, things get even better. Every pillar is a work of art. Even the threshold of the temple has a beautiful flower carving on the granite. Every moment – I was awe struck, imagining the patience and labour of love created by the numerous unknown artisans, chiseling away at the unyielding stone to reveal this marvel of beauty inside it. Once inside, the first view of Gomateshwara leaves one gaping. That someone could carve something so massive, yet delicately beautiful leaves one’s mouth gaping. Every feature of the monolith is visible. The delicacy fo the fingernails, the proportions of the toes, the slight fold of skin around the navel, the hint of a smile around the lips, the calm expression of the face. I was simply left humbled and dumb-founded by Him. Offering my respects I walked around to find little nuggets of treasure in every pillar and stone around.
Even the roof of the temple has wonderful carvings on it. Every bit alluring are the statuettes and frescoes of various women/goddesses everywhere.
There were carvings of games on some of the stones – possibly Pachisi played by artisans in their spare times.
There are idols of various Teerthankara’s in some of the grotto like parts of the monument. Some parts, lit only by a dim bulb with natural water seepage add to a slightly mystic environment. It is enough to cause one’s imagination to run amok – with visions of the 100’s if not thousands of skilled pairs of hands creating this work for future generations. A legacy of love and devotion.
After seeking the blessings of the priest, I went around on a shooting spree with my digital camera with the results for all to see.
Here are the results - the real work is of course far superior to anything that my poor pictures can convey.
(Please ignore the erroneous date on the photos, btw).
But:
The undesirable side of our society was amply visible in some places. Empty Bisleri bottles, plastic covers, etc. Even worse, graffiti like “Pinky loves Bittu”, etc. It was heartbreaking – how could any human being in his/her senses allow such a defiling to happen in such a sacred place?
However:
We returned, our hearts full of love and respect for those who created this wonderful place for us to visit, appreciate and cherish. My three-year-old did the steps all the way up and back down by herself, albeit some of the steps were as high as her little legs.
An idea for senior citizens that helped my mother a lot – while climbing down, walk backwards as much as possible. Reduces the strain on your knees big-time. Also, better that someone younger walks in front of them JUST in case....
I realized there is no way one cannot have an emotional feeling when visiting such a marvel of architectural beauty.
The return:
We left SBG at 5:40 precisely. The return was simple and straight. We hit the junction of NH48 and Tumkur Road at Neelamangala at 7:30 (approx 110km). I did not go beyond 80kmph since this is a new car. However, at Neelamangala, we ended up waiting for nearly 45min to enter Bangalore thanks to the unyielding and chaotic truck traffic. Back home by 9pm.
Epilogue:
I was burning with irritation at the casual irresponsibility and scant respect shown by our society towards such a priceless legacy when - on our way down - there was a group of four adults (2 men, 2 women) who simply opened a chocolate and threw the wrapper aside on the steps. This - when a rubbish bin was just sitting on the right side of the steps at that point.
That was the last straw. I picked up the wrapper and went down to them and in Hindi (my Kannada leaves a lot to be desired) asked "Why don't you have some basic civic sense - there is a trash can on your right. Why do you litter this beautiful place". They gave me a cold glare but then took the wrapper and put it in the right place. Hopefully at least this one family will think twice before littering again...
In any case, berating them offered a slight solace to my irritation and I again happily dwelt on the beauty offered by the wonderous architects of Vindhyagiri.
I certainly hope to add more travelogues in the coming months.
Cheers
Ravi
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Its Here !!!!!!!!!!
My brand new Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLS
- Awesome gearshift
- LOADS of space inside
- Comfortable driving - footrest, handrest, tilt steering, huge windshield, etc.
- Headlight tilt adjustment - cool feature
- Digital Trip meter - nice
- Nice quiet engine
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Car(e) to make a choice
The start:
Having just entered the new car market after having a faithful pre-owned M800 earlier, the choices (like in every other aspect of life these days) have been mind-boggling. I've jotted down the salient points leading to my car purchase - maybe someone else might find it useful. This is in no way a technical evaluation of various cars in the market today - there are more than enough of these available out there.
NOTE - ALL DETAILS MENTIONED BELOW ARE STRICTLY THE OPINION OF THIS AUTHOR AND DO NOT HAVE THE BACKING OF ANY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT IS - AN OPINION - AND NOTHING MORE.
The internet has been the starting point for my research - having discovered fairly useful sites.
Of course, the quantity of information is fairly overwhelming, especially to an auto - newbie like yours truly, but the usefulness cannot be discounted.
Two other websites that are VERY useful in terms of reviews and feedback would be:
My parameters for buying were:
Mostly, I used the above websites for:
Maruti Swift VDi
This was the obvious choice - price below 6lakhs (on the road), awesome performance, great owner feedback. Almost no negative points. Except a BIG ONE from Maruti itself which caused me to move on. The car wouldn't be available before 8 months after booking.
Having made up my mind to buy a car, I certainly did not relish waiting that long. So I thought of moving to the next best in the category - the petrol version
Maruti Swift VXi
I went ahead and booked the car paying the steep booking charges of Rs.50,000. However, a couple of weeks later, I realized even the 2+ months wait for this car was too annoying and requested the dealer (Bimal) to refund my deposit which he kindly agreed to. Thus Maruti lost one more customer to competition.
So finally..... (let the drumrolls begin)
Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLS
I actually went by to the Hyundai showroom (Trident - Indiranagar) simply because it was really close to my house. I intended to test drive the 1.3 Getz because a friend of mine had just bought it and was all praise.
Strangely, none of the above listed sites have too much review/feedback information to offer about this car apart from its lack of mileage.
Anywas, once there, I test drove the Accent and was almost taken up by it - costing just 10k more the Getz GLX (on the road - Bangalore - 6.2lakhs), here was a "BIG" car, a tried and tested workhorse.
And then I test drove the Getz Prime 1.3 with my wife.
What pretty much closed the deal was:
Overall, this is more of a family car rather than just a driver's car.
It would lend itself well to long drives with many people, all enjoying the trip rather than just the driver.
Thus - a Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLS it is :)
We (as in - my wife) has selected the dark blue option (Deep Pearl Blue). Hoping to get the car by the first week of Septemer. (Maruti Suzuki - note: waiting period < 2 weeks)
More REAL feedback to be added later.
Having just entered the new car market after having a faithful pre-owned M800 earlier, the choices (like in every other aspect of life these days) have been mind-boggling. I've jotted down the salient points leading to my car purchase - maybe someone else might find it useful. This is in no way a technical evaluation of various cars in the market today - there are more than enough of these available out there.
NOTE - ALL DETAILS MENTIONED BELOW ARE STRICTLY THE OPINION OF THIS AUTHOR AND DO NOT HAVE THE BACKING OF ANY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT IS - AN OPINION - AND NOTHING MORE.
The internet has been the starting point for my research - having discovered fairly useful sites.
- www.indiacar.com - one of the first auto portals, they seem to have wasted their lead in the market with an EXTREMELY poorly designed site with most links (comparisons, quotes, etc) leading to non-existent information
- www.carazoo.com
- www.indiaautomobile.com
- www.carwale.com
- www.driveinside.com
Of course, the quantity of information is fairly overwhelming, especially to an auto - newbie like yours truly, but the usefulness cannot be discounted.
Two other websites that are VERY useful in terms of reviews and feedback would be:
- www.team-bhp.com/forum - awesome forum of car crazy chaps, fantastic source of deep information
- www.mouthshut.com - fairly layman feedback/reviews/ownership reports about cars
My parameters for buying were:
- Budget - roughly Rs.5-6 lakhs, though somewhat flexible
- Size - I wanted to graduate beyond the Maruti 800/Alto/Santro zone at this time
- Size again - I was sure I didn't want (read - can't afford) a Merc, Sonata, Accord, etc - neither the purchase nor the maintenance :)
- Maintenance - should be fairly trouble free and not too pricey parts
- Mileage - should be decent
- Performance - While a good pickup, torque and smooth acceleration/braking are definitely a plus point, these weren't the ONLY driving factors for a weekend driver like me.
Mostly, I used the above websites for:
- Comparing cars - price, features, performance, etc.
- Cost details
- Reviews, feedback, reports, etc.
- Logan - new entrant, too risky - not many reality checks to go by
- Chevy U-VA, Ford Fusion - never a fan of American cars. Resale value doesn't seem to be great and parts are known to be not too cheap.
- Indica - hmmm, not sure but the looks aren't appealing enough - probably because there's too many of them out there :)
- Palio - mileage, maintenance headaches... Never mind..
Maruti Swift VDi
This was the obvious choice - price below 6lakhs (on the road), awesome performance, great owner feedback. Almost no negative points. Except a BIG ONE from Maruti itself which caused me to move on. The car wouldn't be available before 8 months after booking.
Having made up my mind to buy a car, I certainly did not relish waiting that long. So I thought of moving to the next best in the category - the petrol version
Maruti Swift VXi
I went ahead and booked the car paying the steep booking charges of Rs.50,000. However, a couple of weeks later, I realized even the 2+ months wait for this car was too annoying and requested the dealer (Bimal) to refund my deposit which he kindly agreed to. Thus Maruti lost one more customer to competition.
So finally..... (let the drumrolls begin)
Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLS
I actually went by to the Hyundai showroom (Trident - Indiranagar) simply because it was really close to my house. I intended to test drive the 1.3 Getz because a friend of mine had just bought it and was all praise.
Strangely, none of the above listed sites have too much review/feedback information to offer about this car apart from its lack of mileage.
Anywas, once there, I test drove the Accent and was almost taken up by it - costing just 10k more the Getz GLX (on the road - Bangalore - 6.2lakhs), here was a "BIG" car, a tried and tested workhorse.
And then I test drove the Getz Prime 1.3 with my wife.
What pretty much closed the deal was:
- Gearshift - The most amazing gearbox. Changing gears felt like a baby's bottom. Smooth as satin Has to be tried to believe. No other car I have driven has given this kind of feedback.
- Mileage - Just below the Swift. For a primarily weekend driver like me, that is not an issue. In fact, Getz Prime is not really that bad.
- Feedback from other Hyundai car owners - decent service, fairly widespread service network. Also, with this car requiring normal service once in 6 months/10k km. its not such a bad deal
- Space - For the people behind, more than even Accent. Made the Swift rear seating feel like a Mumbai local train at peak hour. For us with our frisky 3 year old who actually refuses to enter cars, this is a HUGE bonus. Plus, the additional 60-40 folding, etc. make the car REALLY spacious.
- What little feedback I did read from the owners was quite positive. Also, it did start appealing to me that one might pay extra for quality (GLS is certainly priced on the higher side). Besides, every other car on the road these days is a Swift (no exaggeration in Bangalore). The same is not true for Getz Prime.
Overall, this is more of a family car rather than just a driver's car.
It would lend itself well to long drives with many people, all enjoying the trip rather than just the driver.
Thus - a Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLS it is :)
We (as in - my wife) has selected the dark blue option (Deep Pearl Blue). Hoping to get the car by the first week of Septemer. (Maruti Suzuki - note: waiting period < 2 weeks)
More REAL feedback to be added later.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Peace, calm and Yercaud
Yercaud - Gyaan, Route Map and Opinion
Yercaud was a name that - to me - was rarely heard, yet synonymous with some cozy little town nestled amidst some small corner between a couple of branches somewhere, floating on a cloud.Theoretically only 230km from Bangalore, yet seemed miles away in reality. Why else would I not have thought of visiting this little town on a hill in the past five years I have been in B'lore?
Prologue:
Trip to Yercaud on Friday the 13th (July 2007). Two couples with three sub-5 year olds between them. In a Maruti Alto. Has all the makings of an epic journey :)
Also - some of the experiences and artefacts (driving route map) may be of use to future trippers...
The drive to Yercaud: We started off from Bangalore at 1:30 pm. The idea was to try and reach Yercaud within 5 hours or sunset, whichever happened first. The route was planned well courtesy Google Maps and the kinds souls who have added the landmarks along the way. So off we went with the kids scattered on the back seats between the two mothers secured by child-lock doors - heading off towards Salem, Tamil Nadu, 200 km away.
It took about an hour to reach Hosur after passing the never-ending construction on Hosur Road/Electronics City and the truck mafia en route. After that the route was fairly straight forward. Most of the deviations were fairly intuitive and it was not too difficult to stay on the main road. Occasionally at places like Kaveripattinam (a little town on the way), it becomes hard to appreciate that one is on NH7 with the road being no wider than truck chassis and shops encroaching the highway - however, it is always reassuring to stop your friendly neighbourhood moped rider with his half-dozen kids packed in various positions, rather precariously, on his robust vaahan to validate that one is on the right track - towards Salem, TN.
Around 3 hours later, we rested at a nice veggie hotel at Dharmapuri. The snacks and coffee was really decent - not sure of the name of the hotel now but it was just on the left of the road @ Dharmapuri, with a rather large statue of a guy holding dosas and idlis on a plate.
Refreshed, we took off again - my daughter most cooperatively refusing to get back into the car, having thrown up twice already. Thanks to my alert wife holding plastic bags in the right place at the right time, the car did not stink that much :).
Once at Salem, NH7 becomes "Omalur Road" - and curiously all the sign boards on the road do not mention Salem anymore resulting in a bit of confusion. Finally, a split on the road comes up wherein all drivers to Yercaud are required to simply stay on the left fork.
This conveniently leads you to Salem's famed "Five Roads" - a junction as maddening as our beloved Begur Road junction on Hosur Road or even better, Trinity Circle minus cops and signals.
Here we took the immediate left which led to "Hastampatti", probably a suburb of Salem.
Hungry drivers would do well to simply go straight on Five Roads - within 1 km, you would find "Saravana Bhavan" hotel on the left (park on the left turn just before this hotel). The coffee (read - kaapi) there is fantastic.
Anyways, Hastampatti Circle came up quite soon - the identifier being a temple complex on the left.
Turning left, we passed a Central Jail and we were on Yercaud Road.
There was a slightly confusing junction (Gorumedu junction or something) where on stays on the right and then another fork with a pink house where one stays to the left.
Then the main drive uphill starts.
Yercaud is essentially a little town on top of a hill surrounded by forests.
The greenery was fantastic as was the road. Numerous hairpin bends - but the road was quite well maintained and the curves were rather well designed as well (anyone in BBMP listening?).
Also the truck drivers were (surprise?) quite courteous.
Along the route, upto about 5km before Yercaud one finds simian company all along the way (probably sighting their three little cousins in our car). They are very obviously used to handouts from tourists and can get rather aggressive so better not to have any food items on hand or visible - since the drive is rather slow, they would not hesitate to reach out and grab stuff from the car. 2-wheeler drivers, especially beware.
But the sight of tiny babies clutching their mother's tummies firmly even while the latter bounds up and down the rocks and trees is very endearing.
So finally, we reached our destination a bit late.
Our stay was booked in a Deluxe Cottage at Grange Resorts.
Yercaud Road takes one to the heart of the town which is the lake. From here, we asked for directions towards "Pagoda Point" (curiously known to locals as Pakoda Point) and went on.
The roads did not have any lights but there were quite a few sign boards and an occasional pedestrian - sufficient to get us to the resort without trouble.
About the resort:
Grange Resort has a website which makes it look quite appealing, but after two days of stay, I must say I was quite disappointed. For Rs.1350 a day, it was mostly not worth it. Reasons??
- The "Cottage" is basically just a bedroom with an attached bath.
- The rooms are not particularly clean and it is possibly to spot small cockroaches around.
- The bedsheets left a lot to be desired - one of them having a large hole in the center.
- Tea and coffee are not available until 7:30 am - so my idea of sitting up at 6:30am in the midst of the dense, lush greenery sipping fresh hot tea was rather washed out.
- The food at the resort is not great.
- Morning tea/coffee (when it is eventually available) is charged at Rs.12 per cup - so forget about having 2-3 cups at no cost if you are a tea addict like me.
- The swimming pool was non-functional.
- The main play area was derelict.
- Breakfast is over at 9:30 am so if you plan to get up late, prepare to go hungry.
- Green Green Green - lot of trees
- Small play area in front of our "cottage"
- Sprightly young manager - quite a nice guy
- Complimentary breakfast is GOOD
We experienced lunch at the Grand Palace - it is on the way to "Kilyur Falls".
The food was fantastic - wide range of options and quite tasty - even for vegetarians.
4 adults and 3 kids ate well - all the way from soup to ice-cream and the tab was less than Rs.800.
Also, the place looked professionally run though I cannot really vouch for it since I have not stayed there.
Anyways - our Yercaud - things to do list ran as below:
- Pagoda Point - nice view point 4 km from the lake. Beautiful vista. However, not too well maintained.
- Parks - brought out the kids within us. We (adults) had a jolly time on the swings along with the little ones too. Lots of parks.
- Anna Park with the HUGE slide - Rs.2 entry fee
- Horticulture garden - Rs. 2 entry, Rs. 10 camera
- The park without a name and free entry - by the lake. Small zoo though mainteance leaves a bit to be desired. LOTS of swings for adults and kids there...
- The lake - nice lake though dirty in some corners. Rs.70 for a paddle boat for 30 min. Very nice and enjoyable.
- Kiliyur Falls - We didn't go there since there's not water at this time. If you got Yercaud in the late monsoon or December time frame, it will have water.
There is a supermarket with Pizza, etc downstairs - haven't tried that though.
Shopping
- Bhavani Singh's Perfumery - I was obviously struck by the name. Apparently Bhavani Singh was a freedom fighter who settled down with family in Yercaud about 60 years ago. His family now run the business. They basically provide forestry products (honey, perfume, herbal extracts, etc). They have a shop and factory where one can see how things are done. This is on the way to Lady's Seat.
Route Tips
- You can go to Hogenakkal. It is just off NH7 at Dharmapuri - take a left (on the way to Bangalore) - go 30km. Not very advisable if you have small kids with you.
- At Dharmapuri, the NH forks out - both forks go to Bangalore. The right fork is 25km longer but it is a NH with multi-lanes along the way.
The left fork is a State Highway - 2 lanes all the way. But given it was a Sunday afternoon (this is the route we took), it was quite empty. Just a few trucks and buses here and there.
The road is decently maintained but has quite a few undulations all along. The route is very scenic and passes through Palacode and Royakattai towns before merging with the NH at Hosur.
- If you change your mind, you can turn right at a junction and Palacode and join the NH earlier.
-- If you have kids below 5, keep lot of plastic covers when you travel by car.
-- Don't feed kids in the car. It messes up the car while feeding AND after as well.
-- Just because a resort charges you nearly Rs.1500 per day, it won't necessarily be 3-star.
Appendix:
Route map: Bangalore - Yercaud >>>> Download here <<<<
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