Namaskaram !
Welcome, Padharo ! I'm Mathini, a French woman who has been living in Rajasthan for 10 years. Despite being imbued with Indian culture from a young age it wasn't until 2014 that my Indian adventure really began. I left everything behind in France and set off on a 6-year journey through the land of Gandhi. These adventures are gathered in this blog which aspires, in an intentionally positive spirit, to bear witness to India's remarkably diverse and multifaceted cultural heritage. If this website sparks a desire to pack your bags and set off for an Indian adventure, it will have achieved its purpose. Subh Yatra on Magik India and beautiful explorations in the sacred land of Bharat...
Coimbatore (Kovai in Tamul) is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu and a major business centre. It has been called the “Manchester of the South” because of its textiles industry. Its main assets are its position close to Kerala and the hill stations of Nilgiri mountains. Aficionados of Hindu temples won’t be disappointed either.
Marudhamalai Temple (15km)
Marudhamalai is one of the must-go places for visitors to Coimbatore, not only for its temple to the Hindu god Muruga but also for its luxuriant vegetation and sweeping view of the city.
Marudhamalai temple is named after the hill on which it stands: Marudha Malai, which means “hill of vegetation” or “medicine hill”. Many medicinal herbs used in Ayurvedic medicine grow there.
Marudhamalai temple is very important for worshippers of Muruga. In order of importance it ranks just below the Arupadai Veedu, the six most sacred Muruga temples. Some people even say Marudhamalai is the seventh Arupadai Veedu.
From inscriptions found on the site, the temple is thought to be 1200 years old. It has recently been renovated and new parts added. The idol in the temple represents a particular form of Muruga called Dhandayudhapani. He is said to alleviate physical and mental afflictions.
The temple can be reached in pilgrim mode by climbing the hundreds of steps up the hill, with small temples to stop at along the way – or you can go up by car or bus.
I recommend being there for the “milk abishekam“. This ritual involves pouring litres of milk on the statue to the sound of chants and mantras, in an atmosphere dense with the smoke of sambrani (incense). It is a powerful, entrancing experience.
Coimbatore Perur Patteeswarar Temple
Perur Patteeswarar is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Coimbatore. It is more than a thousand years old.
King Karikala Chola is said to have built the first sanctuary here; later, the Kings Hoysala and Vijayanagar both enlarged it. It is dedicated to Shiva under the name of Patteeswarar, represented in the form of a Swayambu Lingam (self-manifested lingam).
Shiva presides with his consort Pachainayaki (Parvati). The temple boasts a unique collection of stone sculptures of deities, protected by rather ugly grilles.
Eachanari Vinayagar Temple (10km)
The main statue in this temple is a black Ganesha almost 2m tall.
It was originally supposed to be installed in Patteswarar temple in Perur, but the axel of the cart taking it from Madurai to Perur broke and the statue stayed here.
Here Ganesha is worshipped as god of all the universe, creator of the Vedas and flame of wisdom.
Thirumoorthy Hills (85km from Coimbatore)
The Thirumoorthy hills are a great place to stop on the way between Palani and Coimbatore. But it’s best to visit when there is water – after the monsoon, in other words.
Thirumoorthy dam
Thirumoorthy dham is located at the foot of the Thirumoorthy hills. There is nothing special about the dam itself, but the landscape is beautiful and you can hire a boat to go out on the lake.
Arulmigu Amanalingeswara Temple
Arulmigu Amanalingeswara Temple commonly called Thirumoorthy Temple, it stands at the foot of Thirumoorthy next to the dam of that name. It has been excavated from the rock and has idols of the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) in the same sanctuary. A stream flows close by.
Panchalingam falls
A path to the left of the temple takes you on a pleasant walk along the river for 2km, arriving at the Panchalingam falls. Your efforts are amply rewarded by a cool bath – especially appreciated in summer.
Originally there were five lingams (emblems of Shiva) here, but some have been carried away by the river after heavy rains. At religious festivals pilgrims take water from the falls to use in their rituals and prayers.
Ooty – Nilgiris Hills (85km)
Udhagamandalam, 80km north of Coimbatore, is better known by its English abbreviation: Ooty. It is a hill station 2500m above sea level. Its cool climate, famous tea gardens and dense forests fragrant with eucalyptus make it one of the most popular hill stations in the Nilgiri mountains…
KNOW MORE ABOUT ITPalani hill (110km)
Palani temple is one of the most important temples to the Hindu god Muruga or Kartik, being the third of his Six Holy Abodes (aarupadai veedu)…
Tirupati, in Andra Pradesh, is visited by nearly 40 million pilgrims per year making it one of the highest places of pilgrimage in India. This city is famous for the Venkateswara Swami temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu, commonly called Balaji. According to legend, Tirupati is the ‘Bhuloka Vaikuntam’, that is to say the abode of Lord Vishnu on earth.
Although few foreign tourists come here, this peaceful village on the banks of the River Pampa is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus and is famous for its Krishna temple and the “snake-boat” race held every year during the Onam festival. Aranmula also has another unique claim to fame: sacred mirrors called kannadi are made there using a centuries-old technique whose secret is closely guarded.
Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple
The Parthasarathy temple, built in typical Keralan pagoda style, is one of the 108 revered Vishnuite divya desam temples and also one of Kerala’s Pancha Pandava temples. According to Hindu legend, these temples were each built by one of the five Pandava brothers.
Parthasarathy temple by night
The legend goes that after King Parikshit was crowned the Pandava brothers set off on a pilgrimage. They visited Kerala and each built a temple there. Yudishthira built one at Thrichittatt, Bhima at Puliyur, Arjuna at Aranmula, Nakula at Thiruvanvandoor and Sahadeva at Thrikodithanam.
It is said that Arjuna built the Parthasarathy temple at Nilakkal near Sabarimala, to atone for a sin. But Nilakkal was in dense forest, making it difficult to perform daily rituals there. The idol was therefore brought to Aranmula on a raft made of six bamboo poles – whence the name Aranmula, which means “six bamboo stems”.
Parthasarathy idol
Several “snake boats” or chundan vallams accompanied the procession across the River Pampa. The idol was installed in the temple on the day of Uthrattathi in the month of Chingam (August-September) according to the Malayalam calendar, Uthrattathi being Arjuna’s birthday. The village of Aranmula celebrates this event each year with a snake-boat regatta during the Onam festival.
The main idol in the temple is a statue of Lord Krishna as Parthasarathy, i.e. in his role as the charioteer who drove Arjuna into battle in the Kurukshetra war, as described in the Mahabharata epic.
Vallamkali, Snake-boat race
The Aranmula Uthrattathi Vallamkali or snake-boat race is one of the year’s biggest festivities in the village of Aranmula and one of the oldest traditional races in Kerala.
The snake boat of Aranmula
It is linked to the Parthasarathy temple and takes place every year on Uthrattathy day in the month of Chingam in the Malayalam calendar (August-September), four days after Thiruvonam (the Onam festival).
The snake boat race of Aranmula
People of all social classes and religions living in and around Aranmula get involved in the Vallamkali. It is organised by the Seva Sangam Palliyoda, an organisation made up of two members from each of the 48 villages or karas that possess a snake-boat.
=> READ MORE ABOUT THE SNAKE-BOAT RACE !
[ Watch my video of Aranmula race 2015 ]
Aranmula’s sacred kannadi mirrors
The precious and mysterious kannadis of Aranmula are metal mirrors of a unique kind. They are made only in this village and are exported throughout the world.
The story goes that a few generations ago, eight families from Tirunelveli who specialised in temple art came to Aranmula at King Pandalam’s command to work on the building of the Parthasarathy Temple.
While working on the temple idol’s bronze crown the craftsmen discovered the exceptional reflective qualities of a particular alloy of tin and copper. But they were unable to reproduce the alloy until Parvathi Amma, a widow in their community, received the exact composition of the alloy in a dream. That composition is kept secret to this day by the few artisan families still transmitting the craft from generation to generation.
Most mirrors consist of a sheet of glass with a silver or aluminium backing which reflects objects through the glass.
If you place a finger on an ordinary mirror, you will see a gap between the finger and its reflection. But if you place your finger on a kannadi mirror, there is no gap: the finger and its reflection meet, because there is no glass in between.
The kannadi of Aranmula have a distinct old-world charm. They are generally round or oval hand mirrors set in brass frames. These are stamped, as the mirrors are protected by an official Geographical Indication. They count among the eight auspicious objects or ashtamangalyam in a Kerala bride’s trousseau.
[ Meet Mr Murukan R. Aranmula, Kannadi’s master craftsmam ]
Halebid, or Halebidu, was the capital of the Hoysala empire in the 12th and 13th centuries. This dynasty has left a monument of unparalleled splendor, the temple of Hoysaleswara. The richness and finesse sculptural details are undoubtedly the most exquisite example of Hoysala architecture.
The first image that comes to mind when I think of Mysore is its incredible palace, sparkling with thousands of lights. But this city of Maharajas has far more to offer: its famous flower market, its Indo-Saracenic architecture (legacy of the British Raj) and its open-air Nandi sanctuary on Chamundi Hill. Together these have made it one of the most visited towns in Karnataka.
Grishneshwar is located near the Ellora caves, in a small village called Verul in the state of Maharashtra. There stands one of the 12 Jyotir Lingams or “Lingams of light”. It is believed to be the last Jyotir Lingam, where the pilgrimage round the Jyotir Lingams ends.
Puri, a major Hindu pilgrimage town, is the abode of residence of Jagannath, “lord of the universe”, one of the aspects of the god Vishnu or his avatar, Lord Krishna. The town is entirely dedicated to him. Puri is also one of the Char Dham, India’s four main pilgrimage centres. Devotion here reaches its peak at the Ratha Yatra (chariot festival).
