GO FOR TRICHY. Review on Tiruchirappalli

Dear Friends,

The Cauvery river is its majestic best, when it flows through Trichy…It creates an island called Srirangam .. with its magnificent temples … towering into the sky ..and beguiling , the foreign tourists with its myriad gods and goddesses, painted in all the colors of the rainbow…

….I liked the river ..when the Karnataka govt applies brakes on its flow ..by shutting down shutters ..upstream….

..then I could take my son ..to the river bed ..and play in the knee deep water ..splashing..diving.. and kicking…

…more than hundreds of years back.. .. Maharaja Karikalan ..of Chola dynasty .. made an …Anai kettu(dam)….YEAR 1600… got the the water distributed in canals ..to various corners of Thanjore district and beyond… making it , the rice bowl of India..

… It humbles you to see this masterpiece still standing and serving the people of Tamil nadu…The Britishers ..got it strengthened .. . from time to time.. as long as they were in India..

… The Rock fort temple in city centre ..also amazes you ..as you walk up the hundreds of steps ..bare feet..stepping up ..your feet ..turn by turn.. to escape from frying it ..in the scorching heat … like the lizards ..in Namibian desert ..

..just a one hour drive to Tanjavur.. will make you witness .. a world heritage temple ..the Brihadeeswara Temple… the kilo metre long slope on which the stones were moved up by elephants ..on rolling wooden logs .. is still there , thousands of years later.. time stands still.. in Tanjore..

….do your shopping in the Burma Bazzaar , below..Rock fort temple .. for any thing under the sun ..mostly electronic goods..the SONY tv ..the Panasonic Microwave..and the Kenwood music system…I bought more than twenty years ago ..threatens to outlive me ..my son ..and his progeny..

…When the temperature .. hovers above 40 degrees .. you just pack your bags.. get on the highway to Dindigul.. Vettilakundu.. and to Kodaikanal…. And you are desperately bargaining with the shop keepers around the lake for … warm woollens….temperature a shivering 10 degrees at night…

…get back to Trichy for the best .. oothappams ..with a dollop of white butter …as garnish… and wild pigeon meat that ..you can chew through , along with bones…

…The Britishers under Clive … and the French under Dupleix..fought tooth and nail ..for control of this fabulous city…

… For Christians ..it is the gateway to Velankanni church ..near Nagapattinam.. for nature lovers .. huge bird sanctuary Vedaranyam… nearby..

.. children take their studies ..seriously here.. after all … President Abdul Kalam studied his Physics in the St Joseph’s College here…. And, he didn’t do badly in life…

.. with its, fine , friendly people.. steeped in religion and culture… I would …...Go for Trichy……anyday..

Experiencing India

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