Tiruchirappalli, Deep south in Tamil Nadu

 

Tamil Nadu is a large province located in the south of India. The province is near Pondicherry, and contains India's 4th largest city Chennai, know in the past as Madras. Tamil Nadu is a very Tamil - traditional region, and contains some of India's oldest and most holy temples in Thanjavur and Madurai. We decided to go there to visit during a long weekend in Singapore, but just a word of advice, avoid going from April to august as heat can be extreme with temperatures easily reaching 40C!

We decided to stay in Tiruchirapalli and do day trips to Thanjavur (by train) and Madurai (by bus).

Day 1: Train (1h30) to Tanjavur to see one of India's Oldest Temple: Brihadishwara Temple, stroll in the old city's streets and markets, and visit Tanjavur Palace & Saraswathi Mahal Library

Day 2: Bus (2h) To Madurai to see the very active Meenakshi Temple, visit Thirumalai Nayak Palace and the large town's narrow and buzzling streets.

Day 3: Visit of Trichy town center, the Impressive Rock Fort overlooking the whole city, old streets & bazaar and of course, The huge Sri Ranganathaswamy temple.

Here are some pictures of the trip, starting with a train ride trip to Thanjavur to visit the UNESCO-listed temple of Brihadishwara. The temple complex is very large, and has many courtyards amongst the clay-colored monuments and statues. The temple is still very holy, and all the other visitors we met were Indian worshippers, often making the trip with all the family! Shoes have to be removed for the visit, but beware, even in the morning, the ground is just burning hot!

Other thing to see in Thanjavur, is the Tanjavur Palace and Saraswathi Mahal Library, with beautiful colored arcades and lots, and lots of gods!

Traveling by train was just fantastic! We met a lot of really friendly people, who were very keen on conversing!

After a great dinner of Chicken Tikka and Butter Chicken and a good night's sleep in Trichy, we took the bus, going through beautiful country side to go to Tamil Nadu's most famous town: Madurai.

The bus ride was quite enjoyable and took 2:30. Its OK to drink the masala tea (if your stomach is generally OK with spices) however, do avoid cold water, ice (which can mean torture when you endure 40C!) and most importantly, Lassis, which generally carry their load of bacteria which can clearly destroy you!

Madurai's Meenakshi Temple is impressive both for its complex architecture and for its liveliness! Expect thousands of devotees occupying the temples' many rooms and courtyards and worshipping gods you would never imagine! Thirumalai Nayak Palace is also worth the visit with many rooms and statues. The temple is right in the center of town, and you can't miss strolling in the busy bazaars!

Back in Trichy, we spent the last day visiting the old streets and bazaar in the town center, the Rock Fort which is on top of a hill and overlooks the whole city, and of course, the huge Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. The long winding stairs that lead to the top of the rock fort is filled with different temples and statues, were locals stop and pray. More randomly, a holy elephant is kept in the middle of the temple!! An amazing sight!

 

Some Recommendations:

1) Avoid Any kind of Lassi drinks, even to sooth spicy dishes!

2) Get info for the VISA in Advance. For French passports, the VISA costs 100SGD (from Rangoon Road VFS_Global Company. Passports to be deposited before 8PM, and retrieved between 8-10PM. At least 5 working days are necessary (And take note of Indian public holidays, during which the VISA service is not working.

3) Excellent Hotel in Trichy: Hotel High Point. Great Rooms, quiet, really nice & friendly staff, and a bar very conveniently placed!!