A mid-week holiday (Wednesday) for Pongal/Sankranti, wasn't the ideal setting for traveling, but the decision (on Tuesday afternoon!) to take Thursday-Friday off and set out on a tour to Rameswaram, Madurai & Periyar wildlife sanctuary turned out to be a terrific one!
The ride was quite exciting and took me back to the days I used to ride horses close to my home in Bombay. (those 5 rs per trip thingies, who take u around for like 3 mins! =) ). Anyways, upon reaching Hotel Tamil Nadu, I learned two things : 1) The Governor of Tamil Nadu was scheduled to visit on that day (so no rooms available in that hotel due to security reasons) and 2) The Rameswaram police has a policy of not allowing single travellers to check into hotels.
The 'procedure' for visiting the temple is to start with a dip in the sea. Its a 2 min walk from the temple. After this, one directly proceeds to the temple and has a wash in each of the 22 wells that are there.
It supposedly washes away all the sins you have committed. While I don't necessarily subscribe to that view, I still wanted to do it just to get a better feel of the place. The dip in the sea, around 1130 am, was rather cold, but fun. With wet clothes, I proceeded right to the temple. There is an entry fee of some 20 bucks and for 50-100rs per head, a 'guide' will offer to take you around each of the 22 wells and ensure you get head washed from each of em! Walking around with naked wet feet on the warm temple floor (which is open to the sky) felt awesome. The architecture inside the temple is simply breathtaking. One could get lost in the maze of long corridoors and intricate designs. After rushing through bathing from water from the 22 wells, I finally had some time to explore and feel the energy of the temple. There are several areas within it which were nice and quiet and give me a sense of deep peace. The mind stays alert and the eyes are wide open in wonder and awe. The place gives a poignant sense of being at some other place, at some other time.
The temple visit was certainly a high point of my Rameswaram trip. But there was more to come, entirely different experiences and thouroughly enjoyable all the same.
At Sangam
This place is just mindblowingly beautiful. Sea on three sides, crystal clear water, cool breeze - if ever God wanted to give us people on Earth a feeler of Heaven, THIS was it.
Back at the bus stand
Ride back to Rameswaram 
The first leg of the tour, of course, was Rameswaram. This holy city, known as the "Kasi (Varanasi) of the South" get millions of visitors every year. And, it has been on my mind (& travel radar) for quite a while. So when the opportunity presented itself, I just had to go. Of course, it didn't help that I decided so late, coz I had no train or hotel bookings whatsoever. Nevertheless, since I was traveling alone, I thought I'd manage one way or the other.
The Ride
The first bit, was easy as pie. Getting to Chennai from Tirupati. A short 4hr bus ride and I was there. Somesh's home for the night, and Wednesday evening was my train from Chennai Egmore Station for Rameswaram (No tickets!).
The first bit, was easy as pie. Getting to Chennai from Tirupati. A short 4hr bus ride and I was there. Somesh's home for the night, and Wednesday evening was my train from Chennai Egmore Station for Rameswaram (No tickets!).
There are two trains from Chennai to Rameswaram (13 hrs), one at 5 in the evening and one at 8. You could take the 5 pm one if you want to be in time for the sunrise by the sea (might still not get you in time during summer I guess). The 8pm one will get you in a little later (9 am), but is sure to take you on the bridge across the sea in the early morning sun, and its sooo good, this itself makes the whole trip worth it.
Anyhow, I took the 8pm train. Got on with an unreserved ticket and thanks to the TC, got myself a seat in the 3tier AC compartment (no bribe!). This is not really a good thing to do for such a long ride. I was lucky to travel on a day when the crowd was less so could get a berth quite easily.
The train does not have a pantry car, so be sure you carry your own dinner or finish dinner before you start. I remember coz I had to make do with a couple of bananas and some juice!
I was up early in the morning so I could experience the ride across The Bridge. Rameswaram is actually an island off the east coast. 
Its the last bit of land, sandwiched between India and Sri Lanka. There's a bridge (abt 2km long, I think) connecting it to the mainland. As you can see in the pic, its simply awe-inspiring. The clean sea below and the cool morning breeze made this an unforgettable experience. Many of my friends who've been to Rameswaram when they were little kids remember this part of their journey very well. And twas easy to see why. (It kinda reminded me of the ride across the sea from Bombay to New Bombay, which I enjoy too. But the water there is hardly clean and the scenery is quite the opposite)
Its the last bit of land, sandwiched between India and Sri Lanka. There's a bridge (abt 2km long, I think) connecting it to the mainland. As you can see in the pic, its simply awe-inspiring. The clean sea below and the cool morning breeze made this an unforgettable experience. Many of my friends who've been to Rameswaram when they were little kids remember this part of their journey very well. And twas easy to see why. (It kinda reminded me of the ride across the sea from Bombay to New Bombay, which I enjoy too. But the water there is hardly clean and the scenery is quite the opposite)Getting around in Rameswaram, search for a room
I reached Rameswaram station at 9am and expectedly was swarmed by auto-rickshaw fellows. A ride to the temple costs about Rs25-30. But I decided to try something different and took a horse cart to a hotel suggested by the Lonely Planet guide (Hotel Tamil Nadu).
I reached Rameswaram station at 9am and expectedly was swarmed by auto-rickshaw fellows. A ride to the temple costs about Rs25-30. But I decided to try something different and took a horse cart to a hotel suggested by the Lonely Planet guide (Hotel Tamil Nadu).
The ride was quite exciting and took me back to the days I used to ride horses close to my home in Bombay. (those 5 rs per trip thingies, who take u around for like 3 mins! =) ). Anyways, upon reaching Hotel Tamil Nadu, I learned two things : 1) The Governor of Tamil Nadu was scheduled to visit on that day (so no rooms available in that hotel due to security reasons) and 2) The Rameswaram police has a policy of not allowing single travellers to check into hotels.Since I definitely wanted to stay the night, I headed for the police station to request for permission. The guys there helpful and decided to keep my driver's licence and my uncle's address in Chennai as 'security'. Then I went on and checked into a hotel called Island Star which is a 2 min walk from the temple. The rooms were spacious, but not very clean. At 400rs per 24hrs, it was a bit on the expensive side given the condition. (Some good hotels which were full at that time were Hotel Tamil Nadu & Rameswaram Guest house)
Snorkeling dreams
Once the room was done and dusted, I immediately headed for the (now erswhile) Children's Beach. I'd heard from friends who'd visited just over a year back that the fishermen folk there offer to take you out on a boat for some snorkeling! I was really looking forward to doing that myself. Upon reaching though, I was disappointed to learn that that had been stopped 8 months back because of an unfortunate accident where 2 lives were lost.
Once the room was done and dusted, I immediately headed for the (now erswhile) Children's Beach. I'd heard from friends who'd visited just over a year back that the fishermen folk there offer to take you out on a boat for some snorkeling! I was really looking forward to doing that myself. Upon reaching though, I was disappointed to learn that that had been stopped 8 months back because of an unfortunate accident where 2 lives were lost.
So I decided to pre-pone my plan of visiting the temple from the afternoon to the morning.
The Temple
The famous Ramanathaswamy temple is an imposing structure. The west facing side of the temple is the one that you first see while making your way from the station. Its quite a sight, especially with the sun in the background.
The east facing side (in the pic here), was undergoing some renovation and was patched up with dry leaves. It kinda looked like the place where you would indeed find monkeys (ref Lord Hanuman).
The famous Ramanathaswamy temple is an imposing structure. The west facing side of the temple is the one that you first see while making your way from the station. Its quite a sight, especially with the sun in the background.
The east facing side (in the pic here), was undergoing some renovation and was patched up with dry leaves. It kinda looked like the place where you would indeed find monkeys (ref Lord Hanuman). The 'procedure' for visiting the temple is to start with a dip in the sea. Its a 2 min walk from the temple. After this, one directly proceeds to the temple and has a wash in each of the 22 wells that are there.
It supposedly washes away all the sins you have committed. While I don't necessarily subscribe to that view, I still wanted to do it just to get a better feel of the place. The dip in the sea, around 1130 am, was rather cold, but fun. With wet clothes, I proceeded right to the temple. There is an entry fee of some 20 bucks and for 50-100rs per head, a 'guide' will offer to take you around each of the 22 wells and ensure you get head washed from each of em! Walking around with naked wet feet on the warm temple floor (which is open to the sky) felt awesome. The architecture inside the temple is simply breathtaking. One could get lost in the maze of long corridoors and intricate designs. After rushing through bathing from water from the 22 wells, I finally had some time to explore and feel the energy of the temple. There are several areas within it which were nice and quiet and give me a sense of deep peace. The mind stays alert and the eyes are wide open in wonder and awe. The place gives a poignant sense of being at some other place, at some other time.The temple visit was certainly a high point of my Rameswaram trip. But there was more to come, entirely different experiences and thouroughly enjoyable all the same.
Lunch
The stomach started churning asking for its due after the soul stirring morning. Rameswaram has all (Indian) varieties of food on the menu - Gujarati, Punjabi, Bombay chaat, Bengali and of course traditional South Indian fare. For me the choice was (of course) South Indian meals replete with sambhar, rasam, curd, rice, curries and papads - the works!
The stomach started churning asking for its due after the soul stirring morning. Rameswaram has all (Indian) varieties of food on the menu - Gujarati, Punjabi, Bombay chaat, Bengali and of course traditional South Indian fare. For me the choice was (of course) South Indian meals replete with sambhar, rasam, curd, rice, curries and papads - the works!
Then, around 2ish, I took off for Dhanushkodi, a fishing village which is essentially the last inhabited point in India, before the sea divide with Sri Lanka. Its about a 1 hr ride out by the local town bus (number 3) from Rameswaram. Auto drivers will offer to drive you there and back for about 300rs, but it greatly limits your time and also costs a bomb compared to the bus which costs like 5-10rs.
Ride to Dhanushkodi
The bus to Dhanushkodi finally arrived at around 3pm. Apparently, because of the Governor's visit, buses were held up at the bus station. But after the hour or so's wait, the ride was quite fun. The people on the bus were warm and friendly and gave me tips on what to do once I reach the last stop. They told me that the bus actually doesn't go upto Dhanushkodi; rather it stops about 3 km before that. After that, there is no road and one needs to walk it up or take this ride on a van which costs about 100rs to and fro per person. 1km further down (so a total of 4km from where the bus drops you), is Sangam (the meeting place of the oceans), the 'End of the World'!! The vans will take you there as well (and back).
The bus to Dhanushkodi finally arrived at around 3pm. Apparently, because of the Governor's visit, buses were held up at the bus station. But after the hour or so's wait, the ride was quite fun. The people on the bus were warm and friendly and gave me tips on what to do once I reach the last stop. They told me that the bus actually doesn't go upto Dhanushkodi; rather it stops about 3 km before that. After that, there is no road and one needs to walk it up or take this ride on a van which costs about 100rs to and fro per person. 1km further down (so a total of 4km from where the bus drops you), is Sangam (the meeting place of the oceans), the 'End of the World'!! The vans will take you there as well (and back).
I also met a German couple on the bus and was shocked to know that the guy was a POSTMAN back in Germany and the girl was unemployed! I wondered to myself how many postmen from India have gone visiting any other state, forget another country a million miles away! (I also learned that the Oktoberfest in Germany is not really a good time to visit there as its crazy expensive and too crowded!)
Dhanushkodi (bus stand) to Sangam
Once I reached the bus stand, I had to squeeze myself onto a van departing from there to go to the Sangam. I was on a van with some 15nuns from a nearby Church! I sat next to the driver and although I got a really good view, the fumes spewing out of the engine box (between the driver and me) were quite scary!
Once I reached the bus stand, I had to squeeze myself onto a van departing from there to go to the Sangam. I was on a van with some 15nuns from a nearby Church! I sat next to the driver and although I got a really good view, the fumes spewing out of the engine box (between the driver and me) were quite scary!
At Sangam
This place is just mindblowingly beautiful. Sea on three sides, crystal clear water, cool breeze - if ever God wanted to give us people on Earth a feeler of Heaven, THIS was it.
Some of the birds I saw there reminded me of the ones I'd seen in Australia, with curved beaks et al. The whole experience was just surreal. Of course, I couldn't resist the urge to go for a swim in the water and headed straight in for a nice time in the sea. The water felt cool and combined with the sun shining in the horizon, the feeling was outta this world!!
Sangam to Dhanushkodi (the actual remnants of the village)
Once done, we headed back towards the bus stand before stopping on the remnants of the old village of Dhanushkodi. It was ravaged by a cyclone in '64 and has been uninhabited since. There're a couple of stalls selling beads, shells and the like, but all the stuff, Saravana Kumar, my friendly van-driver assister, tells me, is from Rameswaram. The trip back will remain in my mind for a long long time to come. After the scary seat next to the driver, I decided to be on TOP of the van for the return ride. It was absolutely unbelievable!! As the van snaked through the sandy beach and skirted over the water, I held on for dear life while watching the Sun set and ensuring I didn't get blown away by the breeze :-P
Once done, we headed back towards the bus stand before stopping on the remnants of the old village of Dhanushkodi. It was ravaged by a cyclone in '64 and has been uninhabited since. There're a couple of stalls selling beads, shells and the like, but all the stuff, Saravana Kumar, my friendly van-driver assister, tells me, is from Rameswaram. The trip back will remain in my mind for a long long time to come. After the scary seat next to the driver, I decided to be on TOP of the van for the return ride. It was absolutely unbelievable!! As the van snaked through the sandy beach and skirted over the water, I held on for dear life while watching the Sun set and ensuring I didn't get blown away by the breeze :-P
If you ever happen to go there, please DO make this ride on top of the van... It will be worth way waayyy more than the 100 bucks you'll pay for it!!
Back at the bus stand
On getting back, right on time for the sunset, I discovered a small canteen right on the beach selling parathas and omelet (11rs for one of each!). Sprinkled with some salt from the sea, it was the perfect end to the perfect day in Rameswaram.
As I waited for the bus (back to Rameswarm) to arrive, Saravana Kumar, the van-driver-assister told me a couple of things more about Dhanushkodi. He said the best time was to visit on a Monday, as it was always the least crowded on that day. He also got a bit philosophical as he was drawing water from a well, when he added "This is the life, sir... I like it... I'm so happy"
Ride back to Rameswaram
After the goodbyes to Saravana Kumar and the nuns, I boarded the bus back to Rameswaram which was choc-a-bloc full with locals headed back to 'the city'. The ride was peaceful all the same and I made it back to Rameswaram in time for dinner.
Next morning - sunrise
After a good night's sleep I was up early to catch the rising Sun. It is a must-have experience when you're in Rameswaram. A small crowd is gathered at the shore close to the temple to witness this daily event. For me, the experience was special. There was a calm about in the air and an anticipation and air of optimism and positiveness. You know you're going to be there, and you know you're going to witness something regular as well as special - made special by the place and the praying people around you.
And that, my friends, was Rameswaram, which now has a special place in my heart.
Dear Arjun,
ReplyDeletei felt like i was with you. it is really good sharing of your experience
Dear Arjun,
ReplyDeleteI am planning to make a visit to Rameswaram on 1st week of June. Will 2 days be sufficient?(i.e. reaching 9 AM and leaving 5 PM next day). I am planning to visit Temples, Dhanuskodi and a Glass Boat ride near Pamban. I didn't find any mention on Glass boat ride in your blog.
Dear Arjun,
ReplyDeleteI felt good sharing your experience.Today(7/5/10) i will be going to rameshwaram to experience the new feel.