Visits to Kanchipuram and Pondichery

Back from a short hiatus. To be honest, I was enjoying the pampering by my parents at Chennai! They visited Chennai for the first time.

And yes!! Their visit gave me a chance to break free. The travel freak in me was awakened. The proceedings started with a short tour to Vivekananda House (Vivekanandar Illam) that overlooks the Marina Beach. The collection of photographs pertaining to Swami Vivekananda deserves the highest accolades. One can visualize the life of Swamiji through those photographs. ALL Bengalis visiting Chennai and EVERYONE idolizing Swami Vivekananda ought to visit this place.

I was most enchanted by the Meditation Hall. I can't say why, but I was charmed and attracted by the ambience of the place. With my parents and wife accompanying me, it was not possible to spend a substantial amount of time inside the Meditation Hall. But I bet, I am going to go back there. And soon!

We visited Kanchipuram and Pondichery in the next 2 days.

On the way to Kanchipuram is the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur, erected at exactly the place where the former Prime Minister was assassinated. We could not get down there, but I managed to take a snap of the Memorial.


Kanchipuram has temples in abundance, very similar to each other in architecture. But I found the Kailashnathar Temple to be most aesthetically pleasing. Surprisingly, this temple was the least crowded. Lack of Shaivites among the local people may be the reason, not very sure though! Among all the priests of the various temples, the priest in this one seemed to observe at least some penance. Elsewhere, they are busy collecting entry fee from camera holders. I must admit that they are tech-savvy indeed, otherwise why will the entry fee of a digicam be double that of a conventional film camera! Handloom shops, selling mostly Kanchipuram Silk, flourish in the entire town. The owners are Tamil, but surprise, surprise!! They talked to us in Bengali. A deeper inquisition from our part revealed that businessmen from West Bengal form a significant part of their customer base. Perhaps the major part.

The day we visited Pondichery was extremely hot - our entire energy was sapped by the time we returned home. There are 2 significant and 1 semi-significant areas worth mentioning. The Aurobindo Ashrama is a serene and calm place, ideal for meditation and introspection. The Auro-Ville has its own rustic charm. The Matri-Mandir inside Auro-Ville is an awe-inspiring structure. The guide from the place claimed that 20 KG of gold has been used to wrap the discs that form the structure. Quite possible! The semi significant aspect I mentioned earlier is the food at Jubilee Hotel - anyone wishing to try simple Bengali food - Machher jhol/jhal aar bhat - go straight to this place perched on a terrace. Just ask any localite for the direction.