Wednesday, 6 July 2011

Rameshwaram and Trichy – 2 Holy Places of Tamilnadu

About Rameshwaram

The name Rameshwaram echoes with a lot of purity as it is named after Lord Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana. The place has a b bond with mythological Ramayana. This island was the place where Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva in order to cleanse away the sins after he killed the Ravana, king of Lanka and also built the bridge across the sea to bring his consort, Sita back from Ravana. This place is sacred to the devotees of both Vishnu and Shiva. Rameshwaram is also one of the most visited pilgrimage place in India. The sacred island of Rameshwaram is about 173 km. from Madurai and only 80 kms. Away from Sri Lanka. Rameshwaram is an acclaimed Parihara Sthala, where it is believed all sins get absolved. Devotees take holy dips at Sethu Theerthas, Agni Theerthas and other sacred waters, offer pujas to get progeny. Sri Rameshwaram Temple and Anna Indira Gandhi Road Bridge are the must- visit spots in the sacred town of the Hindus. Rameshwaram is a happening holiday spot too. The island has an area of 61.8 square kilometers.

Places to see:

Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple: At a stone throw away from the Ramanatha Swamy Temple is Agnitriham. The sacredness of the place makes it a popular bathing spot with the pilgrims.

The Five-faced Hanuman Temple: Five faceted Hanuman temples is the most renowned temple in Rameshwaram. It has mythological evidence where Hanuman showed his profile with five faces.

Nambu Nayagiamman Temple: The temple is simple and open with beautiful gardens surrounding the place. There are huge and giant bells in the temple and is situated on the way to Dhanushkodi.

Agnitheertham: There are about 22 wells in this place and it is one amongst the 12 jyotirlings of India. The water of all the 22 wells has different taste.

About Tiruchirappalli:

Tiruchirappalli, situated on the banks of the river Cauvery is the fourth largest city in Tamil Nadu. Trichy is a fine blend of tradition and modernity built around the Rock Fort. The Pallavas, Pandyas and Cholas chose this city for their feudal wars. The city is known for its temple architecture. The world famous landmark in Trichy is the 85m tall Rock Fortright in the middle of the City, which used to be a military fort during the Pre-British era. This city has given great Tamil scholars whose contributions to the Tamil literature have been very significant. Trichy can be said to be a land of festivals as there are a number of spectacular festivals that are unique in their conception and stand out among the rest of the Indian festivals such as Mohini Alangaram, Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Garuda Seva, Flower Festival and the Car Festival. Though it is an industrial city, tradition, culture and religion flows through the veins of the city.



Places to see :

Rockfort: The rock cut into 437 steps, leads to the temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vinayaka (the mythical half-man, half-bird Garuda who is Vishnu's Vehicle, famous in the Epic Mahabharata).

Srirangam : This temple was built by various dynasties including the cheras, Pandyas, Cholas, Hoysala and the Vijayanagar Empire between 13th and 18th centuries.

Jambukeshwara Temple : This temple is situated about 2.5 km east of the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. It has an interior with a large central court, an excellent example of the Dravidian architecture of A D 1600.

Hazrath Nathervali : It is ancient Durga more than 1000 years old. It is marvelous architecture; the doom is made up of shining marbles giving a great look to the Durga.

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Kanchipuram and Chidambaram – Two Temple cities of Tamilnadu

Kanchipuram district is situated on the north-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, adjacent to the Bay of Bengal and Chennai city. Kancheepuram is popular for its renowned crafted world famous silk sarees, a traditional home industry. Kancheepuram is also known for its culture and civilization. ??Kanchipuram is a city of thousand temples. It was under the Pallavas from 6th to 8th century A.D and later became the citadel of Cholas, Vijayanagar Kings, the Muslim and the British. It has been a centre of Tamil learning, cultural and religious background for centuries. Kanchipuram is one of the seven sacred cities of India. Temples in Kanchipuram are torchbearers of the glorious heritage of the Kanchipuram District and are repositories of the magnificent art forms that evolved over several centuries.

Places to see:

Kamakshi Amman Temple: This temple was built in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 14th century.

Vedanthangal: It is one of the major Water Bird Sanctuaries in India. of 48 Kms from Kanchipuram . The best season time is between October and March, when a large number of migratory birds visit. The birds can be viewed from the bank or from the watch tower.

Muttukadu: This is a large lake formed out of the backwaters, with boating and wind surfing facilities. The Backwaters of Muttukadu have been developed by the Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation to serve as a picnic spot and a centre for water sports.

Covelong-The Beach: This is a small fishing village 40 kms from Chennai on the Mahabalipuram road. There are the remains of a fort which now functions as a luxury beach resort. Facilities for windsurfing and swimming are available here.

Dakshin Chitra: It has relocated 18th, 19th and early 20th century houses and re-created village streets and work places providing authentic insights into the domestic architecture, spatial organization, life-styles and character of the essential Tamilian or Keralite or Andhrite or Kannadiga.

About Chidambaram:

Chidambaram is located 250 km south of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Chidambaram is a marvelous cultural, traditional & pilgrimage centre that greets one with its beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Maharaja. It is one of the renowned ‘Pancha Bootham stalas’ for Lord Shiva where he is represented as each of the five elements. In Chidambaram, he is represented as space. Besides the massive temple of Lord Shiva, Chidambaram also boasts of a lovely mangrove forest with interesting boat rides to entertain tourists. The place is also referred to as ‘Thillai’ as it was covered with dense growth of Thillai – a mangrove species tree. There was once a small shrine on the banks of a tank. The saints Vyagrapada and Patanjali are said to have worshipped at this shrine, now called Thirumoolanathar. It is believed that their penance attained fruition with the revelation of Shiva's cosmic dance by Lord Maharaja on the auspicious ‘Thai Poosam’ day.

Places to see:

The Maharaja Temple: The temple located in the centre of the town covers an area of 40 acres. It is one of the ancient temples of Tamil Nadu. The roof of the sanctum sanctorum is covered with gold plates.

Thillaikaliamman Temple: The Thillaikaliamman temple is on the northern end of the town. It was built by Kopperunjingan, who ruled between 1229 AD and 1278 AD.

Vaitheeswaran Koil: The Vaitheeswaran Koil is famous for the Siva temple dedicated to the healer of all diseases, Vidyanatheeswarar and his consort Thaiyalnayaki. It is located around 24 kms away from Chidambaram. A bath in the holy waters of the Siddhamirtham tank within the temple complex is believed to be therapeutic.

Pichavaram: Pichavaram is situated 16 kms. East of Chidambaram. It is among the most eye-pleasing destinations with abundant and varied tourism resources.

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