Temples of Tamil Nadu (1): Itinerary

I had lived in Tamil Nadu for a year in 1987-88 when we had toured some places around. But since then, I somehow never got a chance to revisit the place. So last year, we spent a week travelling and exploring the state. We criss-crossed across, visiting a few historical towns, doing darshan in temples, shopping for sarees and stopping at a few of the beaches. Overall, I was amazed by the outstanding temple architecture and the deeply embedded presence of religion in daily life in the state. I have somehow never experienced it so much anywhere else. I was also quite struck by the distance between north and south India, both physically and metaphorically.


Itinerary

Our overall holiday was for about 8 days and 8 nights, with stays at the following locations:
Day 1 - 3: Land in Chennai, drive to Mahabalipuram (2 hours); 3 nights stay in Mahabalipuram at Four Points by Sheraton, Mahabalipuram
Day 4 - 6: Drive to Thanjavur (via Chidambaram temple and Pondicherry, 6 hours); 3 nights stay in Thanjavur at Hyders Mahal and Hotel
Day 7 - 8: Drive to Madurai (via Rameswaram, 7-8 hours); 2 nights stay at Taj Gateway Madurai


The detailed itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Land in Chennai, saree shopping at Ranganathan Street (in T. Nagar), drive to Mahabalipuram (2 hours) (Potential stops to add to the itinerary: visit to Kapaleeshwarar Temple (Mylapore, Chennai), classical performances at Kalakshetra or Narada Gana Sabha and visit to Chennai beach)

Day 2: Day trip to Kanchipuram (2.5 hours one way), visit to Ekambareshwarar Temple, Kailasanathar Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple, and kanjeevaram saree shopping at AS Babu Sah (Other places to add to itinerary: Varadharaja Perumal temple, Vaikuntha Perumal temple, and Kanchi Matha)

Day 3: Exploring the rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram - Shore Temple and Pancha Rathas, visit to Sadras beach and dance festival at night by the Shore Temple

Day 4: Drive to Thanjavur (6 hours), visit Pondicherry and the Chidambaram Nataraja temple on the way (Other places to add to the itinerary: Tranquebar)

Day 5: Visit Kumbakonam temples (30 mins one way) (Kumbeshwarar and Mahamaham Tank) and Chola Brihadeshwar temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram (60 mins one way)

Day 6: Visit Brihadeshwar Temple and Thanjavur Maratha Palace in Thanjavur

Day 7: Drive to Madurai via Rameswaram (7-8 hours); visit Ramanathaswamy temple and Dhanushkodi beach

Day 8: Visit Meenakshi Amman Temple and saree shopping in Madurai

Day 9: Fly back to Delhi


In the end we visited about 9 temples on this trip, while one other was closed by the time we reached. Ekambareshwarar Temple, Kailasanathar Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple (closed) in Kanchipuram; Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, Chidambaram temple in Chidambaram, Kumbeshwarar temple in Kumbakonam, Brihadeshwar temple in Cholapuram, Brihadeshwar temple in Thanjavur, Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. If someone wants, they can visit hundreds more, they just need to plan their days better as most of the temples close in the afternoon.

Other than these, there is no dearth of ancient ruins and regions to visit in Tamil Nadu. One can also visit the Chettinad region (near Karaikudi) for its heritage, haveli architecture and cuisine, Kanyakumari and Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum, and so on. If we just had the time.


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