in one of my previous travels by this [...]]]> had the distinct opportunity of traveling with my brother via the Rajadhani Express from hyderabad to bangalore. an overnight journey that is supposed to be a pleasant relaxing experience at a price that is comparable to flying. but here’s what we got. check out the photos in full view.

in one of my previous travels by this train, i have seen rats in the coaches, sometimes jumping on to sleeping people. it’s quite pitiful where railways is headed.

i’d say why bother. i know flying takes a ton of overhead time/money, but this is downright filthy experience.

sun was still lateral, so you could take some good looking pictures. more than that, the temple premises were still walkable. [...]]]> the only good time to visit brihadeeswara temple in thanjavur during this time of the year is at 8am. sooner, if possible. we showed up at the place before breakfast, and the timing was barely right.

sun was still lateral, so you could take some good looking pictures. more than that, the temple premises were still walkable. the stone-paved courtyard gets so hot you can barely put your foot on.

the temple itself is magnificent. the temple compound consists of a large ‘nandi’ and satellite temples of vinayaka, murugan, parvathi surrounding one massive gopuram housing a 25-foot shiva lingam. walking around the temple compound, you are left in awe of the vision of the kings and artists that made this thing happen. 1000 years ago. unbelievable.

we then had a large breakfast back at the hotel and caught up on the sleep. then went to the fort complex that houses some of the rarest manuscripts and artifacts collected by king sherfoji from the 17th century. very rare indeed – only thing is that they are placed in a very mundane place, where they probably don’t even have good electricity supply to keep them in good shape for years to come.

a general tour of the fort reveals a fantastic collection of statues from 10th to 17th century. most of the bronze and stone statues are simply fantastic. we were slightly disappointed to see no mention whatsoever of thyagaraya anywhere in thanjavur.

for that, we went 10 km outside town to Thiruvaiyaru. but very disappointed to see a shack of a place purporting to be the monument to the great poet — on the banks of a dry river bed. utter disregard to the original poet that is in the everyday lives of millions.

returning from the pitiful place, we headed for the 3-hr drive towards thiruchirapalli (locals tall it trichy). we drove stright to srirangam, a few km outside trichy. it’s another magnificent and very elaborate temple complex with 6 concentric boundary walls and one big temple housing sriranganatha – he’s the god that rama worships. his unique sleeping pose is very similar to the sarangapani in kumbakonam.

it only took 2 hrs and 1 gallon of sweat to score a up-close-and-personal darshanam with the god, all with the help of a great guide for Rs.200. by the time we got out it was 7pm, we bolted back to madurai, reaching by 11pm. the drive is longer than it seems.

here is my route map. View Central Tamil Nadu Temple Trip in a larger map

Early at 8 am, had the complimentary south indian [...]]]> touched down yesterday at 8pm at madurai airport. after a rickety 30 min ride in a cab (at Rs.300 in an Indica), we settled for the night at the Madurai Residency hotel, ordered room service.

here is my route map.

View Central Tamil Nadu Temple Trip in a larger map

Early at 8 am, had the complimentary south indian buffet breakfast, and set out towards thanjavur. on the way, coutesy driver, we stopped at pillayarpatti, which has a very nice temple with the vinayaka statue carved into a stone outcrop. its supposed to be only one of the two such statues which shows only two hands – other being in afghanistan!

along the way to thanjavur from there, you pass through magnificent temples and tanks that are totally abandoned. this land has a rich heritage of religious past, and sadly, all that’s left are the random shrubs growing on abandoned gopurams. and profoundly, we also pass through a mosque that is built with traditional kalasam on top of it.

then over to thanjavur (tanjore for firangs), we check into hotel gnanam. very very nice hotel, probably the best we’ve stayed in south india so far in under Rs.5000 per night. we checked out a handicraft place where they showed us how they make bronze statues. it was exactly the way we were taught in our foundry class in IIT Madras first semester.

then we travelled over to kumbakonam. this town has tons of temples, we checked out two of them – the kumbeswara temple, which is under total renovation and pretty much everything is falling apart. we summoned enough courage to take some pictures (on the sly of course). the other temle was sarangapani temple – and this one has some scandalous images on the gopuram. if you thought south indian temples are all about pious devotion, that myth was busted today.

everything that we saw was about a 1,000 years old built in Raja Raja Chola time. makes you a bit more proud that these architectural accomplishments were only matched a few centuries later elsewhere in the world.

will post pictures once i get back home.

pillayarpatti : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpaka_Vinayakar_Temple
kumbakonam : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbakonam

and the way they collect payment at the every entry to every theme ride is kind of annoying to say the least. the food service is helter-skelter. there are several [...]]]> this theme park (some 30 miles from bangalore city center) is somewhat like the Gilroy Gardens, only a major bit unfinished, overcrowded and unappealing for kids/adults alike.

and the way they collect payment at the every entry to every theme ride is kind of annoying to say the least. the food service is helter-skelter. there are several food stands, but the whole system is over-run by people. so much so that it’s no longer a leisurely stroll, it’s a mad dash from one place to place. the hot sun makes it a bit more difficult, but the first thing they need to fix is scarcity of quite areas in the park, where you can breath some fresh air and take in some relaxation with your family.one good thing? my kids and their cousin sister had fun playing with the sand.

in comparison the Wonder La park is a lot more organized and has stuff for everyone – kids and adults alike. now only if the people got used to getting in the pool in their saris, it would be wonderful.
here is a video from Innovative Film City

Train just left bangalore junction. Nice fruity fragrance and clean bathroom with well stocked paper towels. Damn this ain’t yo papa’s train. 07:58 AM [...]]]> here’s some tweets during my recent train ride from bangalore (the undisputed center of gravity of india’s software services, a la silicon valley) to hyderabad (a very viable alternative, a la silicon alley).

Train just left bangalore junction. Nice fruity fragrance and clean bathroom with well stocked paper towels. Damn this ain’t yo papa’s train. 07:58 AM May 08, 2008 from web

With two other people in our cabin/coupe. Mom and a (quiet) 6-yr old. 08:11 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Power outlet, and boys watching ‘max and ruby’ on my laptop. 08:12 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Rs.2,350 ticket price for First Class AC from Bangalore to Hyderabad. Think of it as our own Nerd Bird. Or Techie Train. 08:25 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Probably at 40 km/hr till it gets out of the metro area. 08:41 AM May 08, 2008 from web

3 course dinner served by on-train attendant. Soup done. 08:42 AM May 08, 2008 from web

The boy in my coupe/cabin has ‘baseball playoffs 2005′ on his t-shirt. He doesn’t know what baseball is. 09:36 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Lights out. Me and a boy on one berth, missus and a boy on the other. 09:54 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Railways considers 5 and lower as infants – they ride free, and doesn’t allow you to buy them their own berths – even if you wanna. Idiots. 09:55 AM May 08, 2008 from web

In the train station, going to hyderabad with kids. Rajadhani express plastered with airtel advertising. Pics later. 07:29 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Train is haulin’ ass now. 09:57 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Btw the dinner is included in the train fare. Rice, chapati, aloo gobi sabzi, paneer masala, dal, salad, yogurt. Vanilla ice cream dessert. 10:00 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Ice cream was half melted. And I hit a couple of tiny stones in the dal – crushed the little buggers and polished off the meal. 10:14 AM May 08, 2008 from web

My twitterberry is at the mercy of my vodafone gprs. Going into quiet zone while the train passes through the-middle-of-nowhere next few hrs 10:44 AM May 08, 2008 from web

At a town called “Sri Satya Sai Prashanti Nilayam” – a town built around the ashram of a very powerful god-man. 10:56 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Dark territory from here on. Going to bed. 10:57 AM May 08, 2008 from web

Tea and coffee served. Beautiful country morning outside. Train is 45 min late into secunderabad. 06:24 PM May 08, 2008 from web

Passing through the town I was born at. Cooool! 07:27 PM May 08, 2008 from web

Rolling into secunderabad – the engine is honking continuously to avoid inadvertent bystanders. 07:53 PM May 08, 2008 from web

Painfully slow into the last few miles. 07:53 PM May 08, 2008 from web

Arrived. Its hot! 08:02 PM May 08, 2008 from web

Catching up on lost sleep. At home with parents. 10:06 PM May 08, 2008 from web