Incredible India Tour - 03 April 2009 (Friday)

Off to Thiruvannamalai, a pilgrimage town and municipality in Thiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu.

Thiruvannamalai is home to the Annamalaiyar Temple located at the foot of the Annamalai hill and amongst one of the great Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu. Thiruvannamalai has long been associated with many yogis and siddhars, and more recently the 20th century guru Ramana Maharshi.

The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was built between the 16th and the 17th centuries by the kings of the Vijayanagara empire. The temple is famous for its massive gopurams.
The 11 tiered East Rajagopuram towers to a height of 217 feet, while the fortified walls pierced with 4 gopura entrances offer a formidable look to this vast temple complex . The Pei Gopuram, Tirumanjana Gopuram and Ammanaiammal gopuram are the other three. The 1000 pillared hall and the temple tank were built by Krishna Deva Rayarar of Vijayanagar. Each of the prakarams has a huge Nandi and several towers such as the Vallala Maharaja Gopuram and Kili Gopuram.

We had lunch at Saravana Bhavan. Then....we went to see the Vellore Golden temple. Vellore, the 142-year old municipality was crowned as largest Corporation in Tamilnadu on August 2008.It is considered to be one of the oldest surviving cities in South India. The city lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort.The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati.

SriLakshmi Temple in Sripuram, popularly known as Golden Temple, is a newly built Spiritual Park / Temple in Thirumalaikodi, Vellore. The whole exterior of the temple is laid with gold sheets and plates. The construction of this temple is reported to have cost Rs.300 crores (Rs.3 billion). The temple is surrounded by a vast lush green landscaped area. The temple can only be accessed by going through a star shaped walkway.

No photograhs allowed in the temple.....so i got this from the net ;)

Incredible India Tour - 02 April 2009 (Thursday)

From Palani we were off to Trichy.

Tiruchirappalli commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy is Tamil Nadu's Fourth largest City after Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore with an estimated population of 1,067,915 (as of 2008). It is situated in the centre of the state, on the banks of the Cauvery River. Trichy is a Municipal Corporation and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirapalli District. Trichy city encompasses Srirangam, a Vaishnavite temple and the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world.

Srirangam is famous for its Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, a major pilgrimage destination and one of the largest temple complexes in India.The gopuram of the temple is called the Rajagopuram and is 236 feet (72 m) tall, the tallest in Asia. The temple is replete with excellent carvings and numerous shrines dedicated to various gods.We stayed at the Guru Hotel. The Khurrunji Restaurant was awesome !!! Both food & service ;) We were damn tired but had a nice time there ;)

Incredible India Tour - 02 April 2009 (Thursday)

After spending a nice time at Kodaikanal...our tour continued to Palani .Palani is a city and a municipality in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu. Palani is pronounced using the special 'L' used in Tamil and is also spelt as "Pazhani" in English. It is located about 60 km from the city of Dindigul. It is a famous pilgrimage town and every year more than 7 million devotees visit the Palani Murugan Temple and offer their prayers to the Lord Muruga. This temple draws the largest number of devotees in Tamil Nadu.

We stayed at The Royal Park Hotel.

Palani Murugan Temple is one of the most famous Murugan temples in India. It is located in the township of Palani, 100 km southeast of Coimbatore and a similar distance northwest of Madurai, and near the famous hill station Kodaikanal.It is one of the major Arupadaiveedu of Lord Muruga. The view

I also saw..

Incredible India Tour - 01 April 2009 (Wednesday)

After Bryant Park..we walked around the lake area...and had lunch at Rice & Spice.

Later...we went to The Green Valley.

The Green Valley View, (formerly called Suicide Point) 5.5 kilometers (3 mi) from the bus-stand and near the golf course, has an excellent panoramic view of the plains and a sheer drop of 1,500 meters (4,921 ft) overlooking the Vaigai Dam to the south. The stairway leading up to it is highly commercialized and lined with rows of shops to tempt tourists.

Pillar Rocks, 8 kilometers (5 mi) from the bus-stand, is a set of three giant rock pillars which stand 122 meters (400 ft) high. Managed by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, The viewpoint can be crowded but is not commercialized. There is an excellent public garden adjacent to the viewpoint.

Then...the shooting spot...a favourite among filmakers in India. Owh....i loveeeee horses very much ;)to be continued..

Incredible India Tour - 01 April 2009 (Wednesday)

Bryant Park in Kodaikanal This is a wonderfully maintained 20.5 acres botanical garden. The park was planned and built in 1908 by a forest officer from Madurai, H.D.Bryant, and named after him. With 325 species of trees, shrubs and cactuses, the park is a rainbow of stunning flowers during the peak season. A large section is dedicated to nearly 740 varieties of roses. There is a 1857 Eucalyptus tree and a Bodhi tree which adds a religious significance to the park. Ornamental plants are cultivated in a nursery for sale. The park organizes horticultural exhibits and flower shows every summer, to coincide with the peak season. Entrance fee to the park is nominal and it is open all year.