A Karthik

Thursday, March 3, 2016

How to plan a trip to the mystic mountains Tiruvannamalai from Chennai (Part 2 of 2)

(See Part 1 for How to get to Tiruvannamalai and where to stay)
In this section, we cover What to do , shop and eat

3.What to do and Places to see

These things can be organised around 2~3 days depending on how aggressively or lazily you want to travel

a.Temple - About 2 hrs to see the temple - best time is evenings as it is less hot (early mornings is a tall order for me and family during vacations)

Tiruvannamalai temple and town - From route to Skandashramam

Tiruvannamalai temple gopuram at Dusk

b. Ramanashram - anytime when they are open. There are peacocks and monkeys. Children will enjoy the visit. They also have a beautiful book shop - I loved their note pads

Peacocks dancing freely at the Ashramam

c. Skandashramam - trekking is the one fun part of this trip and is entirely worth it. Carry water if you want. We were not much of a trekking family, but what started as a small climb to the ashram proved to be a very interesting climb. We went up with shoes and were glad we carried it across the Ramanashramam - there were several who went up bare feet too. The best times to trek up are mornings - check the timings at the Ashramam. They close at 6 pm I think and we just made it in the nick of time. Theres a beautiful place to meditate and some caves further down.

Skandasramam - Trek path

Skandasramam - Meditation rooms

d. Gingee fort (Raja Kottai and Rani Kottai) -will take you almost half a day from Tiruvannamalai. The place looks a little desolate from the outside but is actually very well maintained by ASI (Archeological Survey of India) . They collect a small fee but entirely worth it. It is also reasonably crowded so you feel safe once you enter it. (Obviously go during day time 10 am + and return before 4 PM - avoid Noon time climbs) The monkeys are a riot and someone should do something about it - they are a little unruly and sometimes snatch your camera or food packets - Take care

View from the top of the garden - ASI does a great job

Army Gymnasium

Stables

Raja Kottai - From the base

e. Girivalam - Not recommended if you cannot walk about 14 kms on concrete road around the temple/mountain.(Mt Arunachal) Usually people plan this in the evening/night. I did not do this round except by car to get a feel for the route, so I don't know how it feels

The Mystic mountain - Grows in reverence on you

4. Shopping and eating out

a. Shopping area for local handicrafts - Shanthimalai is a local handicrafts shop in the main road outside Ramanashramam. It was started by Dr. Hugo Maier. The shops nice for an evening out shopping.

b. Food at Ramanashramam/Sparsa

We ate mostly at Sparsa. Their restaurant is good but several people have told us that Ramanashramam is a great place to eat and you can donate whatever you feel like against stay and food.

d. Lonely planet gives a lot of eateries - will probably try them on the next trip

Post 1: 1. How to get there and 2.Where to stay
Post 2: 3. What to see 4. Where to shop and eat

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

How to plan a trip to the mystic mountains Tiruvannamalai from Chennai (Part 1 of 2)

This is not a trip that requires a lot of planning - especially from Chennai. Its a whole lot of fun especially for a place that not covered well as a vacation spot (mostly covered as a pilgrimage centre).

The best time of the year is between End-Sep and Early-Mar (Please try to avoid this place in Summer as it can be burning hot - In fact it is Shivasthalam for Agni too - Arunachal). Try to avoid the time of Karthigai Deepam (Sometime in Dec Jan)

I cover it in 2 posts
Post 1(This): 1. How to get there and 2.Where to stay
Post 2: 3. What to see 4. Where to shop and eat

1.How to get there:

Chennai Tiruvannamalai Trip Vacation Route map Stay Things to do Places

Chennai to Tiruvannamalai route options for car

Its about 5 hrs if you drive like me (i.e. slow and enjoying the ride as much as you enjoy the destination) and 3.5 to 4 hrs if you drive fast

The Chennai Tindivanam Gingee route has bad roads between Tindivanam to Gingee. They have been laying the 6 lane road forever. The Arani Polur road is good and you reach decent speeds - even though it is a 2 lane for most parts (BTW there will be a lot of visitors from Bangalore too as this place is kind of equi-distant)

2. Where to stay:

If you are planning a vacation (and not a pilgrimage) Sparsa is a very good place. It has a resort atmosphere and boasts many amenities
1. Cottages 2. Pool 3. Pottery making for kids 4. Milking a cow 5. Spa and a nice garden to walk
You can get a view of the "the mountain" from the resort

Actually if you plan 2 trips, you can spend a whole day doing "nothing" at the resort - we spent a few days at Tiruvannamalai and hence had time to combine lazing around with the ashram/gingee fort etc
(See Part 2 for What to do at Thiruvannamalai - Places to see)