Tiruchendur- kodaikanal-Pazhani - Part 1

Travelling with Asian families is a whole different experience which in my opinion, 

 everyone needs to go through. Especially if the ‘family’ is Indian. 

Travelling with Indian families will really help you know your survival skills and patience. Also, none of the family trips are complete without having at least one religious place in the ‘must visit’ list. In fact, religious places are the only trips most of us ever got to have as children and teenagers (even, as adults sometimes). 

As exaggerating and dramatic as it sounds, it’s still a memorable experience depending upon the perspective you see it from, especially if you are more into exploring the diverse culture of devotees, streets and history of the place rather than “oh! Ok now that I have fulfilled my religious duty , let’s keep moving.” Kind. 

And trust me, this happens; every time. 

So I am sharing a few of my throwback trips which I really got to enjoy and cherish. 

But the starting of this trip itself was an adventure on its own where we pulled all the “Mission Impossible” stunts and sprinting just to get through the security at the airport, and this is exactly where you lose your somewhat left out patience and sanity.

Thiruchendur

South India is mainly known for its architectural marvels, especially when it comes to religious places. Be it a Hindu temple, a Church or a Dargah. These structures not only tell you the story and legacy of different cultures, but also makes you wonder how strong and magnificent these structures are that it stood the test of time and other natural disasters and are still able to stand majestically through ages. 

Thiruchendur is a town located in Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu. This temple is considered one of the major six abodes of lord Murugan and is more than 1000 years old. From colonialists trying to invade and loot this place to Tsunami waves back in 2004, this temple has seen everything through the ages.

Despite however difficult or tiresome the journey is; thousands of people visit this place every day just to get a glimpse of the lord. There are also tickets available at different prices, like 50,100,250, 500 etc. to take a much closer look at the deity. Yes, that's right; seeing your gods/goddesses in a much closer distance will get you all the money and blessings!

After a long awaiting queue and constant pushing by the crowd into god knows anywhere; we finally caught a glimpse of the deity; yet didn’t even took 5 seconds to get pushed out. Even though the sculpture remains somewhat small, yet it looks so beautiful and serene that it radiates calmness. Maybe it’s that peace that people desperately search for that makes them travel from the farthest of places. Guess we will never know. Once you are done with your praying stuff, you don’t even need to walk or move, the crowd itself will push you to the exit. But the sigh of relief once we were out, as if we got out of a chest congestion was something else.

This place is also holds lot of weddings and other rituals, hence everyone and their grandmas  are covered in gold from head to toe.

 

We went straight to the sea shore which was a great relaxation after the chaos with the crowd. The sea shore is crowded with visitors and people selling stuff and yet still feels peaceful. You can just sit there and observe a thousand things happening around you. Elderly people venting out their family problems and gossips; Children playing kabaddi with the waves; adults becoming kids again and pushing their people into the water; cows mooing their way through the crowd in search of food; vendors and shopkeepers trying their best to make it through the day; So called astrologers spinning out whatever story makes people feel good about their unknown future (also contributing to further rift between their in-laws!). 

Pineapple and raw mango which sells out like crazy there. I devoured at least two three cups of it while watching all the chaos unfold around me. Sitting there covered in mud and the sun sets slowly and sky becomes pinkish is a treat to the eyes. You can see peacock in almost every rooftop in this place. Its impossible to go nearby as it tends to get defensive every time there is a human presence, but even from far away, it was a beauty to behold. No matter how many times we come across them in places or pictures, we always end up admiring their beauty as we are looking at it for the first time.

The best part about these places is the roadside tea shops. Something about these places make you feel like home. CCD or Starbucks would not even come close to the comfort or taste given by the ‘tea-kadai’. 

Do check out my tiruchendur vlog in youtube:

https://youtu.be/dqKBZzhm-LY

 

That's all the memories I am able to recollect in thiruchendur. See you until next part. Thank you :)