THE TRIP

Enchanting Tamil Nadu

is the slogan that should rev your quest for spiritual and delightful encounters ..so lets go on ..
**pictures click to enlarge low res**

the one day Mahabalipuram Kanchipuram round trip offered by the Tamilnadu tourism development corporation(ttdc) starts from central bus stop at 6 am and the next pick up is at triplicane tourist office complex at 6.15 am..
you can avail a non ac bus for 350 rupees and the ac bus trip for 500 rupees..also Volvo bus option is available on weekends..

I normally abstain from tours offered by any government tourism body.but i decided to tag along since my relatives were going.

The bus was supposed to leave the complex by 6.15 "sharp",but it pulled out at 7 am.We were greeted by the tourist official and we began the journey.He was describing the itinerary on the speakers,but the rear speakers didnt work.On complaining, his reply was "sorry, i cant do anything".so with the few decibels i looked around.

First on the list was Kanchipuram,the temple town stands as a remarkable epitome of architectural prowess of the earlier kings Pallavas.Many architectural modifications were done by Krishnadevraya,king of Vijayanagar empire.

ekambarnathar temple


temple entrance


TTDC restaurant kanchipuram

The tour covers
1.Ekambarnathar temple
2.Kanchi Kamatchi amman temple
3.Varadarajar temple.
Foreigners were not allowed at the kanchi kamatchi amman temple and also those who wear lungies.Ironically all the pandits were in lungies.
*avoid tour during festival times as you could run into long queues.also avoid in summer.
*cameras are not allowed kamatchi amman temple.for the rest pay rs 10.

Breakfast was provided by the TTDC kanchipuram restaurant ,south Indian breakfast which was complimentary.No other option was available at the restaurant.
Shopping for sarees was only at a single place,so dont expect much..


Then the bus headed for Mahabalipuram and by 2.30 pm we were at the TTDC mahabalipuram,which served us veg buffet.
The rock cut temples at the Mahabalipuram were absolutely outstanding.I could find myself at awe for those temples,even though i have seen the place like 4 times.Because of the time constraint we couldn't cover all the places in the historic town.

the rathas




the shore temple

The tour covers
1.Five Rathas
2.Shore Temple
(entrance fee was part of the package rs.10..for foreigners 5 USD or 250 rupees)




It was 4.45 pm and we were at Muttukadu,the boating club.The entry fee is included in the package.The boat ride was short and the water murky..

Mutttukadu Boat house



6.00 pm at the VGP golden beach.entry fee of Rs.50 to be paid.and its an amusement park.Dont expect great standards.we were asked to report back by 7pm.so there was just enough time to take a stroll and come back.Not a great deal,i could spend more time at mahabalipuram instead.And by 8.00 pm we were back at the central station chennai..


VGP golden beach


So i could make out these few facts about the tour
1.If you are short of time and like to cover all places
2.cannot plan properly,or you have language problem and cannot take nuances
3.apart from those few hitches,the TTdc officials were efficient and good guides in all those places.
4.overall quite a good package for one day tour and value for money.

Dos and donts
1.Take the air conditioned bus.it can make a lot of difference about how you enjoy the trip.
2.carry some food with you..
3.take packaged drinking water.
4.never take special tickets for darshan at the temple.the TTdc official will tell you when tickets are needed.
5.Better avoid shoes..
6.Bargain when you buy souvenirs.If you are a foreigner ask for 20 percent the price offered.

Enjoy you tours..