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| Black-headed Ibis at Ranganatittu Bird Sanctuary |
Our South India trip was a college excursion back in my undergrad days. It was meant to be an architectural tour particularly to study south Indian temple architecture. Our plan was to take a train to Calicut from Hyderabad and then hire a bus to our other destinations which included the cities of Kochi, Trivandrum, Kanyakumari, Rameshwaram, Madurai, and Bangalore. The train journey from Hyderabad to Calicut was almost a day long. I am excluding the first day and last day of the journey from/to Hyderabad. I usually prefer taking the road instead of the train in India, but in the company of 30-odd friends, it turned out no less than a party.
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| Trip Destinations covered mainly the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu |
Day 1
Kerala, God's own country
Kerala gets its name from coconut which is called kera and alam which means land in the local language, Malayalam. Some historians suggest it gets its name from the Chera Dynasty which ruled this region between the 9th and 12th Centuries. Chera, in turn, was derived either from cher (sand) or cheral (slope of a mountain) since the region was flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Arabian Sea on the West. This state was our first obvious choice for the trip because of its spectacular geographical terrain and rich historical heritage. The abundant spice market of Kerala attracted traders and explorers to this region from all across the globe including, Arabs, Jews, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Chinese, and the British among many others thus bringing along a multi-cultural heritage. The many historical edifices here are evidence of a fusion of Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu architecture. Also, The vast green cover here has given a home to almost 214 rare species of birds, animals, and marine life.
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| The prominent dynasties / Kingdoms that ruled Kerala and its political centers or capitals. (please note the color bubbles are not a scaled representation. They have been used to highlight the political center) |
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| Political map of Kerala |
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| National Parks (NP) and Wildlife Sanctuaries (WS) in Kerala |
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| Places of interest in Calicut / Kozhikode |
Our first stop in Kerala was Kozhikode, where we spent a day. Kozhikode or Calicut was the spice capital of ancient India and dubbed as the City of Spices. Famous explorer Vasco da Gama landed in Calicut in search of a trade route and spice. Calicut was the capital of the Zomorins, the Somoothiri Nair dynasty. They welcomed the middle eastern and Europeans for trade. Other than spice, Calico, a woven fine cotton fabric, that originated in Calicut and got its name from the City was a popular item for Western trade.
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| Thali Temple is one of the oldest temples in Kozhikode. It is the finest living structure of traditional temple architecture in the city |
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| Mishkal Mosque is one of the few surviving mosques built in the Kerala Style |
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| The Matri Dei Cathedral was built by Portuguese traders in the 16th century. Italian architects were employed to design this gothic-style church |
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| Places of interest close to Kochi / Cochin |
On the second day, we started early for Kochi. Matancherry, a part of Kochi was the capital of Perumpaddappu Swaroopam, the Kingdom of Cochin between the 12th and 16th centuries. It rose to prominence as a trading port after the raging waters of the Periyar River destroyed the Port of Muziris (Kodungallur). Like Calicut, Kochi received a flow of foreign traders from all across the globe which influenced its cultural heritage. During the fall of the ancient Israeli Kingdom, towards the end of King Solomon's reign, many Jews fled to the Malabar coast since they were familiar with the trade route and settled around Kochi. Kochi is among the few cities in India that has the last surviving Jewish communities who migrated to India.
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| Location of surviving Jewish Communities and Jewish Synagogues in India. The original migrant families are mostly in Mumbai and Kochi. A few remain in Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland have a converted population of Jews. |
We planned to stay in Kochi for at least 2 nights. Kochi has some of the oldest Kerala-style temples. Kochi also happens to be one of the few cities in India that has the largest number of Jewish Synagogues in India. The City also has Portuguese-styled Churches and the Malabar-styled Syrian Churches. Other than the architectural side, Kochi has beautiful backwaters and dolphin sightings.
While there is a lot to explore in Kochi, if short of time absolute musts could include:
1. Backwater Boatride: We went through the paddy fields along the Alleppey backwaters on narrow country boats called Vanji.
2. Dolphin Cruise: We also took a cruise to see dolphins near Cherai Beach.
3. Tour the Jewish town and explore the surviving synagogues built by the original migrants
4. Tour Fort Kochi area: This area has the Portuguese and Chinese remnants
5. Tour Matancherry Palace
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| Matancherry Palace was built in the 16th-century palace by the Portuguese traders as a gift for the King of Cochin |
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| Places of interest in the outer city of Kochi / Cochin |
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| Places of interest within Kochi / Cochin |
Day 4
On the fourth day, we headed for Thiruvananthapuram / Trivandrum. Thiruvananthapuram was the capital of the Princely state of Travancore in the 18th century. Post-independence in 1947, it was made the capital of Travancore-Cochin State. Later, it became the capital of Kerala after its formation in 1956. The City is home to the world's richest temple (or maybe one of the richest), the mystery-shrouded Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Thiruvananthapuram or the City of Anantha gets its name from Anantha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
The Legend of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Stories about the secret vaults of Padmanabhaswamy temple remind me of the Indiana Jones movies. Six underground vaults have been discovered in the temple (probably there are more). The vaults are not easy to access and the way in is through narrow underground tunnels like the pyramids. These vaults contain riches collected through donations from devotees or kings over thousands of years. The total value of the five opened vaults has been estimated at more than 22 billion. The 6th vault has not been opened in years and no one knows what lies behind the closed doors. Some say there are poisonous snakes guarding some invaluable treasure. Some say there is a tunnel that leads to the sea and if this door is opened the temple will get submerged underwater forever. The Travancore family who manage the Temple administration and funds sought an injunction from the Supreme Court forbidding the opening of this vault. The injunction holds good to date. Like the Pyramids, this temple has its curse too, most people involved in opening the vaults faced some kind of adversity.
The original temple was built in the 8th century in the Chera style by the Chera Dynasty. Later, the current structure was designed and developed in the 18th century by the Travancore Dynasty. The temple is one of the 108 holy sites known as Divya Desam (Divine Abode) of Lord Vishnu and his consort, Goddess Lakshmi. Lord Padmanabhaswamy is another avatar of Lord Vishnu. The 7-tier gopuram (monumental entrance gate) was built in the Pandya style in the 16th century. The gopuram faces the east direction and at every equinox, the setting sun is seen through each of its windows at 5-minute intervals. The rest of the year the setting sun gets blocked by the towering structure.
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| Padmanabhaswamy Temple |
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| Places of interest in Trivandrum / Thiruvananthapuram |
Day 6
On the sixth day, we left for Kanyakumari. On the way to Kanyakumari, we detoured to the Padmanabhapuram palace, an architectural marvel. Padmanabhapuram was the erstwhile capital of Travancore before shifting to Thiruvananthapuram. The palace was the abode of the royal family. It is one of the oldest and largest wooden palaces in the world. Built, in the Kerala style, the palace has intricate woodwork, large courtyards, high ceilings, and steep gable roofs with extended eaves, and is designed according to vastu shastra, thatchu shastra, and climatology principles. Even on the hottest day, the palace rooms are cool, and on a cold day, the rooms are warm. The palace is built such that there is abundant natural light in every nook and corner. Stuck by its beauty and engineering, we almost forgot, that we had to get to Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari, in Tamil Nadu state, is about an hour's drive from Padmanabhapuram.
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| Padmanabhapuram / Kalkulam Palace |
The southernmost state of Tamil Nadu is called the land of temples for obvious reasons. It is home to more than 40000 temples most of which are 5-6 hundred years old or earlier. Research has suggested that this region had the earliest or original settlers of the Indian Peninsula, the Dravidians. Several excavations revealed that the Dravidians may have been the original inhabitants of the Harappan Civilization who got pushed down south after the arrival of the Aryans. Various dynasties ruled over Tamil Nadu and their contribution to art and architecture is vividly displayed in the many temples still surviving in the state. The temples may have survived because Islamic rulers and invaders could not come that far to the south. Other than the rich historic heritage, Tamil Nadu also has a diverse variety of flora and fauna. Some endangered rare species found only in Tamil Nadu and its border states include the Sandalwood tree, Chincona tree, Nilgiri Tahr goat, and Lion-tailed Macaque monkey.
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| Political map of Tamil Nadu |
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| National Parks (NP), Wildlife Sanctuaries (WS), and Bird Sanctuaries (BS) in Tamil Nadu |
Kanyakumari was our first stop in Tamil Nadu. It was a short, half-a-day stay. So, we focussed on the main attractions. It forms the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula. The Cape at Kanyakumari gave it the name Cape Comorin. A Cape is a headland or high piece of land that juts into a waterbody more specifically into a sea or ocean. There is a point near the cape known as Triveni Sangam (confluence of three water bodies) where the water of the Bay of Bengal and the Laccadive Sea joins the Indian Ocean. The colors of the three water bodies are supposed to be slightly different, though I failed to notice it. Also, the waves approach from two different directions, thus demarcating the different water bodies, which I failed to notice as well 🤦. I lean towards disagreeing with the confluence theory because on paper it seems like only the Laccadive Sea borders the coast of Kanyakumari.
The Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the Statue of Thiruvalluvar are two of the most important landmarks here. It is said Swami Vivekananda meditated for three days and attained enlightenment on this rock (probably a myth cause Swami Vivekananda has not mentioned this story of his enlightenment in his writings).
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| Aerial view of the rock memorial and the statue from Google Earth |
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| The Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the Statue of Thiruvalluvar. Pic credit: Ramanathan Kathiresan |
Thiruvalluvar is one of the most revered poets, philosophers, and saints of Tamil Nadu. His most notable work Thirukkural, the sacred verses, is a collection of 1330, seven-word aphoristic couplets (Thiru means sacred or honorable and Kural paattu means oral songs in Tamil). The collection is in 3 parts. The first part, chapters 1-38, 'The Book of Aram' or 'Arattuppal' is based on virtues (Aram means righteousness and pal means division in Tamil). The second part, chapters 39-108, 'The book of Porul' or 'Porutpal' is based on the meaning of life as per my definition though various websites say it's based on wealth and polity (Porul means meaning and pal means section). The third part, chapters 109-114, 'The book of Inbam' or 'Inbattuppal' or 'Kamattupal', is based on love (inbam or kama means pleasure, and pal means part).
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| Places of interest in Kanyakumari |
Day 7
Early, on the seventh day, we started for Rameshwaram. This town is considered one of the 4 holiest pilgrimage sites of Hindus. Adi Shankaracharya defined these four sites as the symbols of four epochs of a yuga cycle. According to ancient Hindu texts, the world goes through a repetitive cycle of four epochs. Each cycle lasts 4320,000 years. The first is the Kruta or Satya Yuga (The age of the truth) when Dharma symbolized by a bull stands on its four legs/pillars (austerity, cleanliness, truthfulness, and kindness). This age lasts about 1728,000 years. It is considered the most stable yuga in a cycle where righteousness is at its peak. Badrinath, in Uttarakhand, represents the first yuga. The second is Treta yuga (The age of the triads) when Dharma rests on three pillars. Austerity is lost. This age lasts 1296,000 years. Rameshwaram represents this yuga. The third is Dwapar Yuga (The age of two) when Dharma rests on two pillars. Austerity and cleanliness both are lost. This age lasts for 864,000 years. Dwarka in Gujrat represents this age. The last one is Kal Yuga (The age of darkness) when Dharma rests on only one pillar. This age is considered the most unstable. Austerity, Cleanliness, and truthfulness are lost. This age lasts for 432,000 years. Puri in Odisha represents this age. Currently, we are going through Kal Yuga. It began around 5124 years ago, roughly around the time of Egyptian, Civilization.
Rameshwaram is also famous for the Jyotirlinga temple (one of the 12 holiest Shiva temples) and the Ram Setu (Adam's bridge).
The Legend of Rameshwaram and Ram Setu
In very brief the legend of Ram Setu is a part of the Indian epic, the Ramayana. Prince Rama (Later King Rama deified to Lord Rama), was sent into exile for 14 years by his father King Dasarath of Ayodhya, under the manipulation of his second wife Kaikeyi, who wanted her Son Bharath on the throne of Ayodhya instead of the heir in line Rama. Rama's wife Sita and brother Lakshmana insisted on accompanying Rama during the period of exile to forest life. The trio set up a temporary shelter in Chitrakoot and lived there for almost 11.5 years. After Chitrakoot, they moved to the forest of Dandakarnya which extended all across the central plateau. As fate would have it, the Princess of Lanka, Surpanakha was also vacationing in the same forest. Accidentally, she chances upon the handsome Rama and Lakshmana in Panchavati. Enamored, she makes advances upon them for which she receives rejection. Raged, she attacks Sita. Lakshmana in trying to protect Sita slashes Surpanakha's long, sharp nose. Surpanakha approaches her brother, King Ravana of Lanka, to avenge her disrespect and mutilation. Ravana flies to Dandakarnya to battle Rama but gets smitten by the beautiful Sita. He seeks her hand in marriage. Upon rejection, he kidnaps her and keeps her in captivity in Ashok Vatika. Following his wife's kidnapping, Rama and Lakshman set forth towards Lanka to free Sita. On the way, he meets Sugreev and Hanuman at Kishkindha. Sugreev and Hanuman promise an alliance if, Rama defeats Sugreev's brother Bali for the throne of Kishkindha. Rama kills Bali and as promised, the Kishkindha's Monkey army, Hanuman, and Sugreev join him in his quest to save Sita. At Dhanushkodi, the army reaches a dead end. The vast stretch of the sea becomes an obstacle for the army to get across to Lanka. In despair, Rama performs a yagya to seek blessing from Lord Shiva. This is the place where the Rameshwaram's Jyotirling temple was built later. Rameshwaram means 'the abode of Ram's God' - Lord Shiva. Pleased by Ram's devotion, Lord Shiva blesses Ram and says, he should build a bridge that will help them reach their destination. Rama assigns Nala an engineer from Kishkindha, also, the son of Heaven's Architect Lord Vishwakarma, and Neel, chief of Kishkindha army, also the son of Lord Agni. Both successfully built a floating bridge in 5 days. The bridge was called Nala Setu in the Ramayana. It is said the floating stones found on that stretch today are the remnants of the Nala Setu. So, Rama's army crosses the sea. The Battle of Ramayana was then fought in Yudhaganawa. Rama kills Ravana at Dunivila by using the Brahmastra. Rama saves Sita, and they spend the last day in Vantharamulai before flying back to India.
Disclaimer: Well, the Ramayana is a complex epic, and it's not as simple as I have tried to summarise above:)
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| The route taken by Rama through the exile period to Srilanka |
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| Adam's Bridge or Ram Setu connects Dhanushkodi, India with Ist Island, Sri Lanka |
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| Satellite image of the floating stones between Dhanushkodi and 1st Island which are assumed to be the remnants of the Ram Setu |
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| Places of interest in Rameshwaram |
Day 8
The next destination after Rameshwaram was Madurai. This city is considered the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and is one of the most historically prominent cities in Southern India. The City was the Capital of various dynasties and was the main political, financial, and cultural center of this region for several decades. It was the capital of the Pandyas, the Nayakas, and the Kalabhras for a brief period.
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| The prominent dynasties that ruled Tamil Nadu and its political centers or capitals. (please note the color bubbles are not a scaled representation. They have been used to highlight the political center) |
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| The City of Madurai was built around the Meenakshi Amman temple. Roads were built in concentric circles around the temple to provide circumambulatory path around it. |
Madurai was built by the First Pandya King Kulashekhara Pandya of the early Pandya Dynasty probably earlier than 200 century BC (not sure about timelines but definitely years before Christ). Legend has it, that Kulashekhara Pandya built a Shiva temple where a farmer found a Swayambhu Shivalinga (A Shivalinga that appears on its own). Later the city started growing around it. This king's son, Malayadhwaja, had a daughter, Thathagai who went on to succeed as the next ruler of Madurai and perhaps the only female regnant of the Pandya Dynasty. Thathagai was considered the incarnation / human form of Goddess Meenakshi, the wife of Lord Shiva. The Shiva temple originally built by Kulashekhara Pandya became the Meenakshi temple. However, the current structure of Meenakshi temple took its form much later in the 12th century. King Sadayavarman Kulashekharan I has been credited with building parts of the oldest surviving structure, the three-storeyed gopurams in the Sundareshwara shrine and the Meenakshi shrine. His successors added to the temple but in the 14th century, Muslim invader Malik Khafur plundered the wealth of the temple and destroyed the city of Madurai along with its temples among many others. The Vijayanagara Empire rulers and the Nayaka rulers rebuilt the city and the temples to their present glory. Vishwanath Nayak (16th century Vijayanagar empire ruler) and Tirumala Nayak (17th Century Nayak dynasty ruler) were two prominent rulers who renovated the City and the temple. The famous Hall of Thousand Pillars was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar, Vishwanath Nayak's general.
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| Aerial view of the Meenakshi temple complex from Google Earth |
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| Top View of the Meenakshi Temple. Picture Source: Wikipedia |
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| Places of interest in Madurai |
Madurai has many temples and each is a work of art. A day probably is not enough. For those into art and architecture, they might want to stay here a lot longer. Other than the temples, one can visit the Chettinad towns about a couple hour's distance away to see the grand Chettinad residential palaces and homes.
Day 9
On the ninth day, we left for Bangalore. It was a long road journey and we reached towards evening. Bangalore / Bengaluru is the capital of the state of Karnataka. While there is a lot to see in and around Bangalore we had only a day, so we decided to focus on Mysore and Bangalore only.
Karnataka, one state many worlds
Karnataka is the largest of the southern states of India. This state is as rich in cultural heritage and wildlife as Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Karnataka gets its name from Karunadu meaning elevated land. This state enjoys one of the best moderate climates in India, particularly Bangalore. Karnataka was ruled by many dynasties starting with the Satavahanas from as early as the 3rd century BCE. Before the Satavahanas, Karnataka was a part of the Mauryan empire with its political center in Pataliputra, current day Patna. The plethora of art and architectural edifices of varied styles left by these dynasties is spread all across the state. While a lot had been destroyed by the Muslim invaders, what survived is nothing less than historic treasure.
About 45% of the western ghats (the largest percentage) lie in Karnataka. The remaining is spread across the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujrat. This region is a UNESCO heritage site due to its rich biodiversity that supports many rare species. UNESCO has recognized it as one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. The state has over 25 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 national parks.
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| The prominent dynasties that ruled Karnataka and its political centers or capitals. (please note the color bubbles are not a scaled representation. They have been used to highlight the political center) |
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| Political map of Karnataka |
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| Places of interest in Bangalore |
Day 10
On the tenth day, we toured a few important landmarks within Bangalore and Mysore. It turned out pretty hectic since Mysore is about 2 1/2 hours away. We started for Hyderabad the same night.
