Weekend Vacations | The perfect brew
Soak in the beauty of beaches, temples, forts and mangroves
The winter rain of February had long abated, and the skies were filled with cotton-candy clouds. The sea breeze wafted in and the sun was a bright blob as we set out on a road trip from Chennai. We were four women looking for adventure—my friend with her daughter and mother in tow, and me, their unofficial guide. The salt of the sea tickled our nostrils as we headed south on the East Coast Road at dawn.
The promise of plenty lay ahead—beaches, temples, forts, forests and rivers. Our itinerary was a perfect blend of nature and heritage. The youngest in the group, my friend’s daughter, was overjoyed at the thought of finally visiting a mangrove forest—“the second largest in the world,” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. Her grandmother was more interested in narrating legends about one of the oldest temples in the state. Our destinations were Pichavaram and Chidambaram, two towns just 13km apart.
Driving along the coast, catching glimpses of blue between groves of casuarina on sandy shores, we stopped for breakfast near Mamallapuram to feast on soft idlis and crispy dosai, washing them down with filter coffee. Closer to Puducherry, which was the next big town en route, I suggested a halt at the only stretch of backwaters, where the ruins of a 17th century fort beckoned us.
These towns were once colonies of European powers that fought bitter battles along the coast. The nawab joined hands with the French to defeat the British and gifted Alamparai to them, but the town was eventually wiped out in the wars.
We cruised past Puducherry and Cuddalore to see one of the grandest temples dedicated to Shiva—the Thillai Nataraja temple in Chidambaram. As we entered, our chattering coterie fell silent. The beautiful towers, pillars, halls, the temple tank, carvings and shimmering gold-plated roof left us speechless. One of the temple towers here has carvings of 108 Bharatanatyam mudras. It is believed that Shiva performed the cosmic dance, Ananda Tandava, here.
Another important facet of this shrine is the way the deity is represented in an abstract form. My friend’s mother took us to an empty shrine where Shiva is worshipped as “space”, one of the representations of the five classical elements of nature referred to as Pancha Bhoota. This form of the deity is also referred to as Chidambara rahasya, or secret.
Our next destination was the Pichavaram mangrove forest, just 13km from Chidambaram. But it was only in the morning that we were able to head to the mangroves that give the town its identity.
We hired a boat for the entire morning and cruised along, watching the play of light on the deep green water in canals that became progressively narrower. The channels were getting darker, and the roots of plants formed a dense network of patterns. We were told that 1,200 islets fragment the 11.33 sq. km of water.
Our boatman veered towards the spot where local fishermen were casting their nets. The narrow canals of the mangrove forest slowly gave way to wider backwaters. The boatman rowed us towards the shore, where a sandbar connected us to the backwaters. The fishermen were bringing in catch, and a group of children was playing at the edge of the water.
By now, it had started becoming a little warm, reminding us that it was time to head back. As we left the backwaters and dark, bewitching canals behind, we sat in silence, reliving the beauty of the sights we had just seen.
Weekend Vacations offers suggestions on getaways that allow for short breaks from metros.
Lakshmi Sharath tweets at @lakshmisharath
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
MoreLess
First Published:25 Feb 2016, 09:59 PM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High