Visiting Kanchipuram and Tiruvannamalai
I’ve visited Tamil Nadu twice before but had been to Chennai both times (visited Mahabalipuram too). From my childhood, whenever I hear someone visiting Tirumala, they often see either Kanchi or Kalahasti. So, Kanchi has been on my go-to list for a long time.
When I started working, my thoughts wandered around Tiruvannamalai for no reason. My friend Gowtham had been there once and had a good experience.
In July, while travelling in Hyderabad Metro, I saw a fellow passenger, about 65, wearing a bag from Sri Ramanasramam. He was tall, lean, and looked composed and serene. While getting down, I asked him about visiting the place, etc., for 2 min, and he assured me that I could see it in August and it was safe for solo travellers. I also spoke to my uncle about the place, and he charted a plan for me, suggesting I could cover Kanchi, Tiruvannamalai, and Vellore in 3 days.
I took two days of leave during the Independence Day weekend and left for the trip, going solo again 😄
The train reached Arakkonam at around 5:30 am, and I took a bus to Kanchipuram from there. I didn’t have a good sleep on the train (RAC ticket) and slept after reaching Kanchi for some time.
Vaguely the plan was to visit Shiva Kanchi in the morning and Vishnu Kanchi in the evening. Shiva Kanchi has many temples, and Vishnu Kanchi has one majestic temple with many deities, including the Golden Lizard.
Kanchipuram
Kamakshi Amman Temple
Woke up, and the first task I had was to visit Kamakshi Amman temple. Since it was morning, there wasn’t a crowd, and I completed the darshan soon. Next, I opened Google Maps, searched for “Similar Places,” and got a list of temples with their open timings.
Had breakfast at the famous Saravana Bhavan along with a filter coffee (wait for a short anecdote at the end) and headed to visit other temples nearby, as suggested by Google. After having a darshan at Kamakshi Amman temple, I went to Ulagalantha Perumal temple.
Kamakshi Amman temple has no long queues in the morning, and the temple has composure all the time. It has great architecture, and people from all walks of life visit it. I had darshan thrice on the same day 🙌
Pandavathoothar Perumal Temple
Then walked for more than a kilometre to Pandavathoothar Perumal Temple. Not knowing anything about the temple’s history or why it was built, I went inside, and the priest narrated the legend in Tamil about its origins to the devotees.
I can understand Tamil but not the pure orthodox Tamil. Hence, I couldn’t get the main plot point. I saw the deities, and the priest started performing a Harathi, and then I saw it!! The giant Krishna sitting on the throne was visible when the light emanated from the Harathi when taken close to it. It was a spectacular moment for me to see that vast structure. I was in awe!
I came out and read the history of the temple and the legend behind it on a banner. A good incident from Mahabharata has its inspiration for this temple. Do visit this temple when you visit Kanchi.
Ekambareswarar Temple
Most of the temples in Kanchi close by noon, and I had to rush to another temple immediately after Google recommended visiting. This temple is enormous, and the area is vast. Ekambareswarar Temple has many deities inside, along with Shiva and an old mango tree (some thousands of years old). An excellent place to visit, as you can witness the brilliant architecture and sit there in a peaceful place. I was there for almost an hour, exploring all the places inside.
Apart from these three temples, I visited multiple temples on the way but didn’t take pictures of them. There are many temples on the main road, and you can plan your visit according to the weather. Unfortunately, it was too hot on the day of my visit. I stopped at juice shops several times that day.
Lunch Break
I had lunch at Adyar Ananda Bhavan and went to my lodge to sleep for some time as I was exhausted by continuously walking in scorching heat throughout the first half of the day. I slept for one hour and started to walk towards Silk Saree Cooperative Societies in Kanchipuram, as Kanchi is famous for authentic Silk Sarees. Witnessed how the sarees are made. Inquired about the prices of sarees, and they were too high for me at this point 😶
Evening — Vishnu Kanchi
As per the plan, I started to Vishnu Kanchi from the Bus station. The temple reopened in the evening (~5 pm), and the crowd was less. Only one temple, called Varadharaja Perumal Temple, has many smaller temples on its premises. The weather wasn’t that hot compared to the first half, and I walked all along the way. The sacred Golden Lizard is at the top, and there is a long queue to touch the lizard. People mentioned that the crowd is always high at Golden Lizard.
People gathered outside the temple around 6:30 to have rituals and festivities. I returned to my lodge and had Kamakshi Amman temple darshan yet again! I also went to Chitragupta Swamy temple near the Bus station.
Went to the bus station to inquire about a bus to Tiruvannamalai the following day. Slept at around 10 pm after a tiring day with good memories.
Tiruvannamalai
On Saturday (13th August) morning, I started from Kanchi and reached Tiruvannamalai in the afternoon. I went to the nearby lodges and got a room at one lodge opposite the bus station for two days (13th — 15th). I had lunch and slept for some time to plan the day. The temple is 1 km from my place, and I can start Girivalam from there.
With imperfect Tamil, I inquired about the proper timings for Girivalam, temple timings, security & the atmosphere during Girivalam. It was too hot to step out until 5 pm, and the locals assured me I wouldn’t be alone on the road during Girivalam.
Girivalam
I started Girivalam at 5:30 pm from the Annamalai temple with full enthu, hoping to retain the energy. There are eight temples of Shiva along the way, and there are stalls with drinks, snacks, and socks sellers in proximity to all these temples.
Apart from these, there are umpteen temples, and as Kulasekar said, “It takes more than a week if we keep visiting all of them,” I visited only 8 of these temples to complete the Girivalam that day.
I was surprised to see the robust roads and pavement for the devotees visiting the town for Girivalam. Never in my life until that point had I walked for 14 km at a stretch. So, I hadn’t witnessed any pain until I walked 2 km. Then the pains slowly started in my legs.
I kept strolling since the way forward was lengthy, and I had to retain my energy. As it was Saturday, many devotees were walking, and I never felt I was alone.
There are banners with the map at each milestone of a kilometre, and the people there are friendly and helpful. People there can understand Telugu and help us with the directions, etc.
After completing 6 km, I sat for some time, as the leg pains peaked there. It was Raghavendra Swamiji’s Aradhane, and thankfully there was a mutt along the way that surprised me. I sat there for some time and resumed my walk.
Families, many groups of women, solo travellers, kids, a couple of old folks, and youth whom I saw stop for a while at regular intervals and resume the journey.
From 5:30 to 6:30 pm, I covered 4 km, and in the second and third hours, I covered 3km each. I completed 4km in the final hour, completing the Girivalam around 9:30 pm. It was closing time at the temple, and I didn’t enter it since they weren’t allowing people inside.
Exhausted, satisfied, proud, and hungry, I searched for restaurants that serve quality food and provide a good ambience. At that moment, I also needed to be cheered up since my lodge from the temple is another 2 km walk 😫
I went to a nearby restaurant, and the food wasn’t up to the mark. A group of women was waiting to get seated at the table I was eating at. They were talking Telugu and looking at how I was savouring Paneer Fried Rice; they ordered it. I informed them the taste was awful, and I was eating that way because I came there after walking for 14 km! Even if I was drinking water at the moment, I’d done the same way.
My mother always mentions applying coconut oil on my legs when there are leg pains, and this time without her saying it, I applied coconut oil on my legs that night (she was glad I remembered and did that).
The tasks for the next day, 14th August, were to visit the temple and Ramanasramam. I slept that day peacefully with slight leg pains.
Temple visit
The following day, between 7–8 am, I started walking towards Arunachaleswarar temple, and as usual, a vast crowd gathered to have darshan. It was Sunday, and I had to purchase a ticket to have darshan, as the queue for the general darshan was looooong.
I stood in the line for more than 90 minutes, and mind you; it was all due to mismanagement. Until the crowd gathered, the management didn’t let the people at the front have darshan. I can’t believe it happened, and they did it deliberately.
The management held the people in general darshan and made it long enough to encourage people to purchase tickets (Rs.50) and then make them wait again in the queues. I’m highly disappointed by the experience there. See, there is a limit to taking advantage of poor souls who can bear the amount of devotion. It is highly frustrating. Not generalising, but I saw the pattern repeat in Srikalahasti, Kanipakam, and this temple.
Older people were struggling to stand in the queue, infants were crying a lot due to the sweat and the queues there, and the management was nowhere to be seen — gross failure of the management there.
Coming to the temple, it is vast, and we can explore the architecture, and I visited Pathala Lingam temple inside the premises of Arunachaleswarar Temple. We can see the life story of Ramana Maharshi on the walls of the temple.
I had the darshan and came back to the room in the afternoon.
Ramanasramam
The sole purpose of my visit to Tiruvannamalai was to visit Ramanasramam and spend time there meditating, learning about the people there, and reading books. I boarded a bus to visit and entered the Asramam at around 5 pm.
There is a temple inside, a meditation hall, a library, Samadhi Hall, and many peacocks that cheer your mood instantly.
I meditated there for some time, and it was peaceful. The whole place is serene and calm. I felt like everything had come to a standstill, and the experience was refreshing. Glad I went there.
Unfortunately, the library was closed when I thought to return. I have one more day, and I thought I could go there the next day again.
The following day, I revisited Asramam. On the way to Ramanasramam on the bus, a fellow passenger, aged around 60, was visiting his friend who’s renouncing the material world and becoming an ascetic there.
On reaching the Ashram, this time without any delay, I went inside the library. Purchased three short books, one in English, Kannada, and Telugu.
I returned to my lodge, checked out, and boarded a bus to Vellore. The plan was to visit the Golden Temple in Vellore and board the bus in the evening to my hometown from there.
I reached Vellore in the afternoon around 3 pm and searched for a place to have lunch. The Golden Temple is closed and reopens in the evening, exactly at the time of my journey. I had to take a call and decided I could skip visiting the temple this time due to scheduling conflicts.
I had my lunch and then went to the bus stop. Shockingly there is more than one bus depot, and all Andhra buses don’t come to the Central bus stand! I had to walk for more than a mile to be at the bus stand where Andhra buses come. Boarded the bus, slept and woke up at my place!
Overall, I had a good experience travelling alone again, this time to an adjacent state where the language is slightly familiar, and I managed Tamil well! People were nice and helped me whenever I asked for directions, locations, timings, etc. Since I was travelling in August, I expected rainfall and carried a raincoat with me, but the temperatures in all the places were so high that I needed a cap or an umbrella!
This plan of visiting Tiruvannamalai now wouldn’t have seen the light without two people: Prabhu Dodappa (father’s elder brother) & Kulasekar (colleague and friend). They both charted out the tour plan, helped me in finding accommodation (there are many lodges there), and assured me that I could do it all alone 😄
Kulasekar even called me every day to inquire what I was up to and how I was feeling and asked me to call him for translation issues anywhere. Sweet! ❤
Before I wrap it up, I have two anecdotes to share, both related to food!
Two anecodotes
Saravana Bhavan Filter Coffee
The first one is at Saravana Bhavan in Kanchipuram. As far as I remember, until that point, I didn’t drink filter coffee in my life. So, I thought of trying it once, and Saravana Bhavan is famous for it, apparently.
I ordered filter coffee after eating breakfast there. The steward brought the coffee, seemingly hot, in a steel glass placed inside a small cup. I saw the decoction at the top, the whole milk below it, unevenly mixed. Went ahead and had the coffee as it was. It tasted worse with all the decoction in the beginning and sugar coming at the last sip. Since I didn’t know how to savour it, I thought this was how filter coffee tastes and I felt it was awful.
Dissatisfied with it, I was paying the bill when I saw people mixing the coffee with that small cup and drinking it after mixing properly. I laughed at myself! Next time you’re offering me coffee, please remember I’m a beginner ;)
Barbeque Nation, Vellore
The second anecdote came when I thought of rewarding myself after completing Girivalam in Tiruvannamalai. After I reached Vellore, I searched for good places to have lunch and found Barbeque Nation nearby. I went there and found many tables to be empty. It was around 3:20 pm, and the restaurant was open until 4:30 pm. One hour is more than enough for me to eat.
I went to the receptionist and asked him if there were tables unreserved. He went inside to check and initially told me that in the next 10 mins, there would be vacant tables (more than 1). He asked me for the number of people in my group. I mentioned I was alone. He went inside again and came outside quickly. I assume he didn’t talk to anyone and just went inside to play an act.
He told me there were no vacancies until 4:30 pm and asked me to visit after 7 pm. Already hungry, this answer didn’t go well with me. As always, I thought for a while, without even an iota of anger, searching on Google Maps for the location and found no reservations at that time! Tables were vacant, but the management wanted to prioritize a group of people over a single person; it’s their business, fine.
I opened the site, reserved a table, and showed it to the receptionist that I got a table reserved. His facial expressions changed, and he ushered me to the table. Had my lunch there. Ironically this happened as we celebrated 75th Independence Day, 15th August 2022.
These are the two stories I wanted to share. There were many such stories during my travels, and I remember these two vividly.
Thanks for reading the blog and constantly encouraging me to travel more and share experiences with you ❤
Until next time, with a new place and blog full of memories…
