Tree House, Udaygiri Fort Biosphere Park

Just a small Tree House but nevertheless quite sturdy and very high. Udaygiri Fort is not a Fort, they do not say that in the tourist booklets. It has got converted to a bio park- so if you are a local and have a girl friend you can go there to laze around in an afternoon. Otherwise do not waste your time there.

Flowers for the Hair- Tamil Ladies

Tamil Ladies know only two ornaments-- Gold and these flowers...

Come to think what else is left out??

South Indian Spice

Suitable for Mutton Dishes- Spicy.

Other Foods Post is here.

Kannyakumari India - Meeting Point of 3 seas

My Tamilnadu tour continued on 3rd day. Day-1 covered Chettinad houses.. Day-2 covered Mandappam, Kurusadai Islands and Dhanushkudi.

I started 4.30 am from Mandappam via NH-49 so that I can reach Ramnathapuram by 5.30 or by sunrise or so (45 kms from Mandappam). Thereafter to Madurai. and then NH-7 to Kannyakumari .. see map below and you can also download the PDF map from Mandappam to Kannykumari here.

Kannyakumari is the southernmost part of INDIA where the 3 oceans meet: Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Here you can see both sunrise and sunset. For more details see or download this booklet. Nearest town is Nagercoil which is connected by rail. Nearest Airport os Trivandrum or Thiruvanthapuram (new name!!!!!!) which is 80 kms.

I completed my Vivekananda Rock Visit, Wax Museum visit and Sunsets on 27th itself. Unfortunately it was cloudy and the sunset pictures were not clear. So I skipped the sunrise- no point! same clouds! The Vivekananda rock and ThiruValluvar Statue rock are twin rocks which inside the sea which has to be reached by a boat. In the first one Swami Vivekananda sat and meditated on Dec 26th 1892.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial is built on the legendary Vivekanad Rock that juts out of the convergence of the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. About 400 mts offshore the two rocky islands became the seat of enlightenment for Swami Vivekanand, an Indian philosopher and social reformer. It is believed that in the year 1892, Swami Vivekanand swam across the sea and meditated on this isolated rock island, imparting the spiritual charisma to him.

Kanyakumari is famous all across the world for Vivekanand rock that houses a memorial dedicated to Swami Vivekanand. The memorial has two structures in its precincts - Vivekananda Mandapam and Sripada Mandapam on two rocks facing each other. The smaller rock called 'Sripada Parai' is revered as a sacred spot where Goddess Kanya Kumari did meditation. The rock has an impression of a human footprint, which is revered to be that of Goddess Kanya Kumari.

Vivekananda Mandapam is thronged by tourists from across the world and all those who seek mystical enlightenment come to meditate here. It has a Meditation Hall called Dhyan Mandapam where one can meditate in peace. In the Assembly Hall or Sabha Mandapam there is a statue of Swami Vivekanand. The design of mandapam has different styles of temple architectures of India, instilling a complete Indian essence within itself.

Poet Thiryvalluvar's statue is 95 feet high and is placed on a 38 feet pedestal totalling 133 feet that signifies the 133 chapters of the 'Thirukkural" a Tamil book of wisdom

How to Reach Vivekanand Rock Memorial

Reaching Vivekanand Rock Memorial is quite easy. There are regular ferry services connecting the rock island to the mainland. You can reach Kanyakumari by air, rail and road, whichever mode of communication suits you. The nearest airport is at Trivandrum about 86kms from Kanyakumari. If trains are your choice then its good to know that Kanyakumari railway station on a broad gauge line that is situated about 1km from the port and connected to Trivandrum. An extensive road network and public, private transport operators ensure an easy travel connecting you to Kanyakumari from almost all the major cities of the South.

There are many hotels where you can stay including the hostels at Vivekananda Puram. I stayed at a resort because it was cheaper by standards simply because it is new and 30 kms away - Indien Hermitage Resorts. A small resort, but situated behind a hill and quite beautifully made. rooms are large and good, food is National. The photos of the resort are in the separate slides below.

This is the slide show of Indien Hermitage Resort... quite ok... you can stay...and I met Pashupathi Tamil Nadu.

Dhanushkudi, Ramanathapuram, Tamilnadu

On day-2 of my South Tamilnadu trip, I drove to Dhanushkudi also after my visit to Kurusadai Island since I had time and since I wanted to visit once more... but this time I just went to the point from where one usually takes those Jeeps or Matador Trucks which have 4-wheel drive to drive further few miles on the white sand to the farthest Point. Those photos/ slides are here. The photos that I took this time are here. Is it not a wonder that everytime you shoot the same place the results turn out different or you find that you missed something earlier?










After this visit I come back to my Govt Bungalow and rest.. nothing else to do..! I could have seen Chettinad houses and come to Mandappam same day evening and then after doing these visits I could have gone to Kannyakumari....this because I did not spend time to see Rameswaram temple... which I had seen earlier.

Next day I went to Kannyakumari.

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Reserve, Tamilnadu, India

2nd day continued from my post here ... but this visit was special. It is about Marine Life....
People usually visit Rameswaram and then Dhanushkudi - the farthest tip towards Sri Lanka where the Epic of Ramayana tell us that Hanumana built a Bridge (called Ramar Setu- Setu=bridge. Ram's Bridge) by dropping huge boulders so that Ram could cross to Sri Lanka to retrieve his Queen Sita from the clutches of Ravana. But there is another fantastic place to visit for those who love nature.

Kurusadai Island.
These islands are on the west of the Pamban Bridge and are about 20 kms from the Rameswaram railway Station. The chain of coral reefs surrounding this island make it an ideal research area for biologists and a beautiful place for tourists. The marine life includes algae, sea cucumbers, crabs, starfish, sponges, sea anemone etc.

Those who are interested in reading about Marine Life in Gulf of Mannar can download this booklet from the Forest deptt here.

You cross the Pamban Bridge towards Rameswaram and just after 2 kms or less you have to turn right. This turning will be before you reach the Forest Deptt offices on the left on this road. Unless someone takes you, you will miss it. Then the road goes through the village. Since it was raining before I came, the village was inundated with water and at some place I had to go through water.. but no problems.. Then I reached the sea shore where I took the forest deptt boat to the Island. This is the only island they allow us to go, all other islands are out of bounds.

Due to the windy weather the glass bottom boat which runs near the Pamban Bridge was not operating as the sea was not clear and the waters were murky. I had difficulty in photographing the corals and the sea anemone and the sea cucumber & sea grass, I saw under water on the island beach. But anyway.. the slide show is here below. We got down on one side of the island and walked one km to the other side.. -very narrow island..just long. that is all. The sea on the other side where the coral reefs were there unde the water was COMPLETELY CALM. NO WAVES!! Oh by the way the island is also full of medicinal plants and so on. Read about them in the booklet.

It takes one- two hours from waiting for the boat to going there (motor boat) to walking to the other side and then coming back. They do not give you much more time.. you cannot sit on the beach and spend a whole day. Tamil Language is a problem so I could not understand a single thing the forest official was saying.

Contact Wild Life Warden Office, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Mandappam Road, Dt Ramanathapuram- 623501 Phones- 04567 230079

Mandappam, Ramanathapuram, India

My South Tamilnadu Tour's 2nd day. I had reached Karaikuddi to see the Chettinad Houses that are a sight for people to see, on 25th Dec 08. Next day morning I woke up before 5 am got ready and got behind the wheels and just as the clock struck 6 am the sun rose and I started...and drove through NH-210 towards Devikottai then Tiruvadanai to just bypass Devipattinam (I went here last time when I visited Madurai- that is also a religious place with Hindu Mythological significance) to Ramanathapuram and then to Mandappam via NH-49 to halt there (135 kms total). The road map is shown at the end. It had rained the last night and so the day was cloudy. I really wonder how people get colourful pictures of cloudy days.. either my bad luck to have only dull scenes on a cloudy day or some do digital modification of the photos. In one way it is good that the photos are actually showing the original cloudy atmosphere..... but some days I do not feel happy! Simply not happy shooring such dull pictures.. ...

You can see how the rain in the night has flooded the farmlands by the roads. NH-49.

This is near the only petrol pump outlet in Mandappam. The photos below are behind the pump. This place is just 5-10 mts before the Pamban Bridge connecting Rameswaram with mainland....

Basically all fishermen at their various activities.

This is a StarFish, covered by sand.. I should have removed the sand.!! So I had to edit this photo to make the fish come out clearly.

Fish and Crabs!! Anyone??

And not to forget snails. !!!!

The detailed Chennai to Mandappam road map can be downloaded from here or from the sidebar link. Karaikudi to Ramanathapuram = 52 kms. Ramanathapuram to Mandappam= 35 kms. The Pambam Bridge to Rameswaram.

By the way Mandappam is just near Pamban Bridge. You can see that in my later post or the earlier one on Rameswaram. At Mandappam you will find no place to stay except a Govt Rest House available only through source.. I had so I got to stay there.. There are no eating places here.. Nearest ones will be at Rameswaram or 45 kms behind at Ramanathapuram.

Here you will also find a Tamil Refuge camp (Sri Lankan ones) and fishing community. The Govt Rest house is near that at the top of a hill.

In my next message I will talk about Kurusadai island & Gulf of Mannar) for which I had come here. Of course here people come to see Rameswaram Temple mainly. My earlier visit pictures are here for Rameswaram. And here is where I stayed- the only place at Mandapam besides a Coast Guard Mess probably - I am not sure but I did see coast guard. This is the Govt Bungalow. Old British Structure... not kep very well. But Surprise Surprise.. President Pratibha Patil was to visit this place (and did visit on 28th Dec 2009 to visit Rameswaram Temple) earlier and some 25 lacs was allocated to spruce up the bungalow.. Though her visit did not happen at that time due to cyclone and the money did not get used (she was not to stay here but just halt) JUST IMAGINE!! Poor People die without water and a complete meal in India.. and our Great Leaders waste taxpayer's money!!