Pondicherry-Mahabalipuram Trip

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Itinerary:
Bangalore>>Chennai>>Pondicherry>>Mahabalipuram>>Chennai>>Bangalore

About:

Pondicherry: Away from the hustle and bustle of big city, Pondicherry is a quiet little town on the southern coast. The unmistakable French connection, the tree lined boulevards, the quaint colonial heritage buildings, the spiritual scene, the endless stretches of un spoilt virgin beaches, backwater, a surprising choice of restaurants serving a mélange of cuisines, provide a heady mix that draw travelers from near and far. It is the perfect place to come, if you want to take the pace of life down a few notches.


Mahabalipuram: Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) also close to Chennai (Madras) is on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, along the eastern coast. Mamallapuram known for its rocks carvings and monolithic sculptures has the famous shore temple, the only one to have survived the ravages of nature. Also known as the Seven Pagodas (temples), six now lie submerged in the sea.

Time of Trip: March 7-9, 2008

Duration: 3 days

Hotels stayed at:

Park Guest House, Pondicherry (5/5) absolutely brilliant place

We caught a late night train from Bangalore to Chennai on 6th March; 2008.There is a direct Volvo bus from Bangalore to Pondicherry for people who don’t mind the long journey of 7 hours in a bus.
1) 7th March ,2008 -Friday

We reached Chennai by about 8 am. After a heavy breakfast at the Saravanna Bhavan at Chennai central we caught an auto to Koyambedu Local Bus terminus, popularly known as CMBT.

There are buses going every hour to Pondicherry. Be careful to take the bus taking the ECR route. The roads are better and more scenic.
The roads were very good. We caught glimpses of the ocean on one side. The scenic views are very soothing to the eye. In about 3 and half hours we had reached Pondicherry bus stand by about 1 pm.

A quick auto drive later we were deposited at the Park guest house.

I fell in love with Pondicherry and the Park guest house. It was the best place I had stayed in my life. The room was huge. But the best part was the views from the enormous balconies that every room had. The park guest house was located strategically on the beach, and my balcony overlooked the ocean. The sound of the waves splashing on the rocks could be heard continuously. I sat in the balcony, mesmerized, for a very long time.

Pic 1: View from the Park Guest House,Pondicherry

A note on the Park Guest house. It is run by the aurobindo Ashram and has some basic rules that need to be followed. Also it is always booked so you need to book the rooms about 1 month in advance .But it is worth every paisa of the 600 rupees per night we spent.


Soon we left for lunch to hotel Surguru, the most popular restaurant in the area for south Indian. After a sumptuous lunch we set off on our travels.

We had decided before hand that Aurobindo Ashram or auroville was not our kind of thing so we decided not to go there. We decided that it as primarily going to be a beach vacation exploring Pondicherry’s pristine beaches.

After negotiating with the Auto Driver we went to visit a couple of beaches.

First stop was Serenity beach which was very small and secluded and not really worth it. So we moved on to Auro beach which was the primary swimming beach of Pondicherry. Lots of people including foreigners could be seen on this beach. The beach was reasonably clean. We had lots of fun playing on the beach.

Pic 2 : Auroville Beach,Pondicherry

Pic 3: Kingfisher Calender,2008 at Auroville Beach,Pondicherry

Pic 4:The waves and I,Auroville Beach,Pondicherry

Soon we decided to leave before it became dark because we had heard that Pondicherry’s beaches are not safe after dark.

It was back to the hotel for freshening up before we ventured out again at about 7 pm.

We walked along Pondicherry’s Promenade beach. The beach is Rocky and cannot be used for swimming. It was beautiful.
We ate at one of the French Café’s dotting the streets of Pondicherry. We went to the Tourism Department to take Maps regarding the French walk of Pondicherry. Soon we were on our way by foot, exploring the quaint French section of the town. It was like we were suddenly transported out of India.
We ate at a very expensive place near our hotel before we went back .We enjoyed sitting on the balcony for some time before we decided to sleep. The last thing we heard before we slept was the sound of the waves gently crashing on the shore.


2) 8th March ,2008 -Saturday
This was meant to be a relaxing soothing vacation. So we got up around 9 am. Had a leisurely breakfast at the restaurant at the hotel which overlooked the sea. Food never tasted so good before.

We were off to our primary spot of the day, Paradise beach at the chunnambar backwaters resort.

This was the highlight of the entire trip. This beach is connected to land but it is primarily accessed by tourists only by water. This beach is not so well known so it was practically empty of tourists.

The motorboat was soon chugging away over the lovely backwaters of the Bay of Bengal.

Pic 6: The backwaters on the way to Paradise Beach

Soon we could spot the long stretch of beach we were heading for.

The beach truly lived up to its name. Picture this, on one side the brilliant blue waters of the Ocean with the foam topped waves crashing on the shore. On the other side the green waters of the backwaters with coconut trees lining the shore. A long pristine stretch of sand with the ocean on one side and backwaters on the other. It was beautiful.
We spent many hours there.

pic 7:Paradise Beach

pic 8: Paradise Beach=Heaven

Soon we headed off to our favorite lunch spot, hotel Surguru. It had grown really hot by this time so went back to our rooms in the afternoon to take a nap.

It had become cooler in the evening so we took a long walk along the promenade again.

pic 9: The rocky beach promenade,Pondicherry
After an early dinner we retired.
3) 8th March ,2008 –Saturday

We had a hectic day today. I got up early to watch the sunrise from our balcony.

Pic 9: Sunrise at Pondicherry from Park guest house

We were going to visit Mahabalipuram before we headed back to Bangalore.
After breakfast we reluctantly checked out of the Park Guest House. Something told me I would go back there again and again in my life.

We caught a bus to Mahabalipuram. Took around 2 hours to reach as it was en-route to Chennai itself.

We stopped off at a restaurant and had brilliant pancakes.Yummy…

Soon we engaged an Auto to give us a tour of all the important places in Mahablipuram.

First stop was the 5 rathas. Small hill sloping from south to north has been segmented into five divisions & converted into monolithic temples. Each monolithic temple shows different kind of sikhara. The five rathas are Dharmaraja Ratha, Bhima Ratha, (center huge structure), Arjuna Ratha (left of Bhima ratha), Draupadi Ratha (extreme left) and Nakul Sahadev Ratha (extreme right).

Pic 10:The 5 rathas,Mahabalipuram

Pic 11 : Me in front of the Dharmaraja Ratha,Mahabalipuram



Then we visited a couple of minor places including the lighthouse, Krishna’s Butter Ball , Arjuna’s Penance etc.

Pic 12:Me supporting the weight of Krishna's Butterball

Descent of Ganges. A prodigious rock wall (eight feet in length & thirty feet in height) carved by the Pallava artisans reflects in bright sunshine, the timeless story of the descent of the Ganges.

pic 13: The intricately carved rock wall,mahabalipuram

Final stop of the day was the shore Temple. It is a structural temple meaning using blocks of stones for constructing temples. Shore temple is a temple complex consisting of two Siva temples and a carving of Anantasayana Vishnu. The temple facing east is entered by a small gopura (smaller one). On plan, it consists of a small sanctum & a front mandapa & is a two-tired vimana. The sanctum is housing a linga. The temple facing west is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is large in plan comprising sanctum, mahamandapa, front mandapa, balipitha and dvajastamba. The carving on Lord Vishnu on a boulder in Anantasayana form is lying in between these two temples. It belongs to the period of Narasimhavarman I and thus earlier than the Siva temples.

Pic 14: Shore Temple,Mahabalipuram.

Pic 15: Me in front of the shore temple,Mahabalipuram

Soon we caught another bus to Chennai which took an hour and half. We caught the Shatabdi back to Bangalore.
Pondicherry is truly the place “To give Time a break”. A must see vacation.

The Golden Triangle Trip

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Itinerary: Bangalore>>Delhi>>Jaipur>>Kota>>Delhi>>Agra>>Delhi>>Bangalore

Note: Circuitous route to attend wedding of friend
This is a very clichéd route and I don’t as a rule like such touristy towns, but I had to see it once anyway in my lifetime.

About:

Jaipur: Jaipur is the first planned city of India, located in the desert lands of Rajasthan. The city that once had been the capital of the royalty, now serves as the capital city of Rajasthan. The very structure of Jaipur resembles the taste of the Rajputs and the Royal family. In the present date, Jaipur is the major business centre for the natives of Rajasthan with all requisites of a metropolitan city. The city of Jaipur, painted in pink, grasp the appreciation of every visitor. One can see that hoary charm still alive in the avenues of Jaipur. All theses features make Jaipur, one of the most sought after tourist destinations of Rajasthan, India.

Agra: Perhaps no other historical monument has evoked as much awareness and admiration from tourists and travelers alike, as the magnificent Taj Mahal - fondly called by people as the ultimate requiem of love, from a great Mughal Emperor to his beloved.So overwhelming is the exquisite beauty and presence of this marble mausoleum that centuries later today, even the very land where it has been located - Agra - has been immortalized as the City of the Taj. Yet, it doesn’t take much for the roving eye to discover that there's more to Agra than just the fabled Taj Mahal. The city is a virtual gateway to a world of discovery… a freeze-frame from a resplendant era that's long since gone by.


Kota: Along the eastern bank of the Chambal River lies Kota - an amazing example of majestic medieval age and modern industrialization. Kota is located on a high sloping tableland forming a part of the Malwa Plateau. The Mokandarra hills run from southeast to northwest of the town. Once the part of the erstwhile Rajput kingdom of Bundi, Kota became a separate princely state in the 17th century. Today, besides being Rajasthan's industrial centre, Kota also serves as army headquarters. Its wealth of impressive forts, opulent palaces and splendid temples of past centuries retain their former glory. Its present-day edifices and heavy industries have made it the industrial heartland of Rajasthan. Summers in Kota are quite hot. The city experiences scant rainfall between June and August. Winters are cool and are the best times to visit the city.
Time of Trip: January 25-29, 2008

Duration: 5 days

Hotels stayed at:

Jaipur: Hotel Arya Niwas (4/5)

Agra: Hotel Taj Plaza (3/5)

1) January 25, 2008- Friday

I caught an early morning (5.50 am, Deccan) flight to Delhi after spending the night at a school friends place.

Reached Delhi and put up at a friends house. Delhi was freezing cold (About 5 C)

Spent the afternoon wandering around CP. Delhi winters are amazing. I ate Chinese food for lunch. We watched Roger Federer go down in the semifinals of the Australian open sitting in café coffee day.

Retired early to bed. Long day ahead.
2) January 26,2008-Saturday

We got up at 3.30 am. Crazy, but it was republic day today and the security threat meant that we had to leave early to account for unforeseen stoppages. We caught the Ajmer Shatabdi to Jaipur at 6 am. Really comfortable Journey. Landed in Jaipur by about 10.30. Checked in at the Arya Niwas. Really nice place. A double room cost us Rs 1000/- per night. A note about the restaurant here .It was absolutely brilliant. A quick lunch was followed by haggling with the auto driver to take us to various places.

Jaipur was an incredibly dirty touristy city. The pink city is not really pink after all. But is part of the experience, one of the USP’s of India as a travel destination.

Pic 1: The Pink? City from a moving auto

Our first stop of the day was the Majestic AMBER fort (shown in the movie Jodha Akbar). The Amber Fort looks stunning, all-built in white marble and red sandstone. The outer appearance of the Fort, being rough and craggy is totally different from its core. The interior of the Fort provides a soothing and warm ambience, which is least expected from its outer appearance. The marvelous decoration of the Amer Fort is influenced by both, the Hindu and Muslim manner of ornamentation. Exquisite paintings of hunting scenes on the walls depict the temperament of the Rajputs, who were adventurous, revolutionary and self-indulgent. The intricate carvings on the walls and ceilings simply astonish the visitors.
There is also another fort called Jaigarh which we did not find worth considering.

Pic 2 : Amber Fort,Jaipur

Pic 3: The hill opposite Amber Fort

The second stop of the day was the Jal Mahal. The first four floors of this building is under water, only the top floor remains outside.
Built in 1799, the palace is now abandoned, but reasonably well preserved. In the monsoons, it looks particularly startling with its red sandstone set against the water hyacinth filled lake. The late looked slightly dirty to be honest.

Pic 4: The Jal Mahal, Jaipur

It was late evening by then, so we decided to end the day with some shopping. Picked up a famous Kota sari for my mom and some gifts for the friend who was getting married. Ended the day with a nice meal at the Arya Niwas.

3) January 27,2008-Sunday

We continued sightseeing in Jaipur.

First stop today was the Hawa Mahal. Hawa Mahal is a major landmark and famous tourist attractions of Jaipur.I think it is a highly overrated monument. Hawa Mahal is a pyramid-shaped facade with five stories. It has 953 small windows decorated with tiny lattice work. These pink sandstone windows commonly known as "Jharokhas" are constructed in such a style, that it looks like a giant honeycomb. The air circulation through windows represents the marvelous touch of Mughal designing, which keeps the Palace always cool. The small screened balconies and arched roofs with hanging cornices enhance the beauty of the Palace. The Pyramidal outline and replication of pattern makes it more attractive in appearance.

Pic 5: The facade of the Hawa Mahal,Jaipur

Next we went on to the Jantar Mantar. Between 1727 and 1734 Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five astronomical observatories in west central India. The observatories, or "Jantar Mantars" as they are commonly known, incorporate multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. These structures with their striking combinations of geometric forms at large scale have captivated the attention of architects, artists, and art historians world wide, yet remain largely unknown to the general public. This was really fascinating. To think that these kings had so much scientific and mathematical instinct in those times is truly astounding.

Pic 6: The Jantar Mantar,Jaipur

Pic 7: One of the many astronomical instruments of wonder in Jantar Mantar,Jaipur.

We quickly went to the city palace next because it was getting late for my train. City Palace forms one of the most famous tourist attractions and a major landmark in Jaipur. The beautiful palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh during his reign. Among the various forts and palaces of Jaipur, City Palace stands apart, with its outstanding art and architecture. City Palace complex covers a huge area, which is divided into a series of gardens, courtyards and buildings. Initially, Raja Jai Singh built the outer wall occupying a huge area. The additional grand buildings were constructed later by the succeeding rulers.

Pic 8: The city Palace,Jaipur.

Pic 9: The city palace,Jaipur

We then ran back to our hotels, had lunch and left for the railway station.

We caught a train to Kota(2.45 pm,3 hrs) .We had to attend the marriage of one of my good friends in B school, Puneet Sharma.

We reached Kota around 6 pm. We were surprised by what a big city it was .It was much cleaner than jaipur.
We reached the guesthouse and met up some other B school friends of mine who had come for the wedding.
Soon we were off to the wedding hall. It was my first Rajasthani wedding. We had a lot of fun in the barat. We danced to the craziest Hindi film music. Sadly I couldn’t spend long there and had to leave by about 10.30 pm to catch the train back to Delhi for the next leg of the tour.

Pic 10: The Rajasthani Couple, puneet and poonam at the wedding in Kota,Rajasthan.

Pic 11: IMT Ghaziabad get together at Kota,Rajasthan

We caught the train to Delhi which departed at 12 am. The train journey was one of the coldest of my life. I froze to death that night because I had grossly underestimated Delhi’s winter.

4) January 28,2008-Monday

The train reached Nizammudin station around 7 am. We immediately caught another train to Agra at 9.30 am which reached around 12.30 pm in Agra.

We set off to our hotel. Our room was upgraded from normal rooms to Taj facing rooms. The view from the window was amazing and we got our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal. We are not the first who have raved about the Taj and neither will we be the last. It was amazing.

We quickly freshened up, had our lunch and set out.

First stop of the day was the Agra fort. This great monument of red sandstone dominating a bend in the river Yamuna, 2km northwest of Taj Mahal was constructed by the Mughals during 1565-1571. It was Emperor Akbar who laid the foundation of this majestic citadel in 1565. The fort was ready by 1571 period of Shahjahan, Akbar's grandson. The fort is crescent shaped, flattened on the east with a long, nearly straight wall facing the river. Fort's colossal double walls rise 69 ft in height and measure 2.5 km in circumference encircled by a moat and contain a maze of buildings which form a small city within a city. The fort contains splendid mosques and palaces in red sandstone and white marble built by two generations of creative builders during the time of Akbar and later Jehangir and Shahjahan. .It was amazing.We could see the Taj mahal from various places in the fort.

Pic 12: Standing in front of rather a crowded but still majestic red fort,agra

Pic 13: The lawns of the Agra Fort

Soon we were off to the big one. The monument of Love. The most beautiful building in the world. The Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal of India - "the epitome of love", "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. The very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance leaves one mesmerized. We spent many hours by this place.

Pic 14: The Taj Mahal,Agra..need I say more?

Reluctantly we set off. We spent the evenings roaming the bazaars of Agra.Settled down for the night in our hotel.


5) January 29,2008-Tuesday

Caught an early morning train back to delhi.

Caught an evening flight back to Bangalore

Thus my “Golden Triangle Trip” came to an end. Good fun….