Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, IndiaPONDICHERRY to KUMBAKONAM via CHIDAMBARAM - 150km
Hotel Raya's 1440Rp ($23) incl taxes & airco, no wifi, no breakfast
Day's Highlight Temples:
- In Chidambaram, the Nataraja Temple (78 km south of Pondy)
- In Thirubuvam, the Kampaheswarar Temple with pyramid
Our goal was to leave around 9 am and Dave's phone was completely on the fritz. But Dave had not been able to bite the bullet last night and purchase the replacement smartphone. We knew we needed a new one so we can use Google Maps and GPS to guide us and this was as good as place as any to get one. But he wanted to do more research. This waiting till the last minute and then start doing endless research sometimes drives me batty. .
The Phone Store was due to open at 9:00 and Dave ran over to get one before we left Pondy. Then nine o'clock became ten o'clock as I enjoyed watching the front desk guy do his flower petals decorations on the surface of the large square bowls filled with water. Then 10 o'clock came and went with no sign of Dave. I read the headlines in the newspaper: "The percentage of people to rise out of poverty in India is the same as in the US". It doesn't surprise me but the sheer numbers of poverty stricken families living here in makeshift boxes and tents on the streets in every major town is disturbing. What is the solution? We were happy to see the children in even the smallest fishing villages going to school and hopefully they'll have better prospects than their parents did.
Finally at eleven o'clock, armed with a great new Samsung smartphone, we got on our way. After receiving last minute instructions on the best way out of town, we were waved off by the front desk boys at the hotel.
The little pillow I bought here for added padding on my seat was 80Rs well spent.
Mud Huts and Palm Frond Roofs
On the map, the first part of the route looks closer to the coast than it really is. The road winds past rice paddies where woman stand up to their ankles in water, planting. Small houses with palm frond roofs, sometimes with walls of stucco, but more often woven bamboo matting or mud/dung, are a common sights.
...In the Heart of the City
Our guidebook says ...
The one reason to visit Chidambaram is the great temple complex of Nataraja, Shiva as the Dancer of the Universe, a Dravidian architectural highlight...
The 40 acre temple complex in the center of Chidambaram was easy to find. We rolled up to the north gate at 10 minutes to noon. The temple closes from noon to 4:30PM. They hesitated at letting pass inside but we emphasized that it wasn't quite 12:00 yet. They waved us in for a quick walk through and told us to hurry.
Our guidebook again...
... typical Tamil Nadu temples have tall stepped entrance towers called gopurams, encrusted with colorfully painted sculptures of gods and demons, halls of carved columns called mandapa, an inner sanctum and a sacred water tank. First free standing Tamil temples started in the 8th century with the first gopurams appearing in the 12th century.
We passed under the north gopuram and along a long plaza where we turned east past the sacred water tank to the main gate. The place was empty save for a few shirtless pilgrims with dhoti cloths wrapped around their waists.
We were shooed along when we paused too long taking pictures of the gods and demons clinging to the step-terrace roof of the gopuram (gate). Unfortunately, we were not able to go inside any of the temples but we were not interested in staying around until the grounds reopened at 4:30PM.
Having left our luggage laden motorcycle unattended by the north gate, we were in a hurry to get back to it. We passed a large wooden chariot where we paused for a few pictures. Our belongings were untouched and as we left them. We weaved our way on the city streets around the temple complex hoping to find a restaurant with 'international' food options. But Chidambaram looked like a very traditional town. It is geared to pilgrims, not tourists.
Coconut Stop
We needed to get of the motorbike and let the blood flow into our rear ends. We stopped at a lady selling coconuts as much for a chance to interact as to sample.. She expertly whacked off the top with large curved machete exposing the flesh and handed it to us with a straw poked through it. The milk was mildly sweet. We handed it back to her after we were done drinking. She gave it a good whack with her machete, splitting it in half. Then she scooped the gel-like flesh into one of the coconut halves and handed it back to us to finish. This is a different variety of coconut than we most often buy, where the flesh is firmer. In any case, it refreshed us.
Small Villages
We continued past many small villages lining the road, farmers riding ox cars, and rattan workshops. A number of temples and churches were tucked in here and there. It is not the exclusive domain of the Hundu.
Kampaheswarar Temple
As we drove along the main road, we spotted a high tower of Gods a half kilometer into a village. We followed our noses and found Kampaheswarar. Kampaheswarar is another Dravidian style temple. Scholars date this one to 1176. It is smaller and more compact than Chidambaram. Having the tall tower in the middle of the complex makes this one unique from other Dravidian style temples. We were able to peak into the inner sanctum. We liked this one a lot.
We made into the relatively large town of Kumbakonam, as the sun was going down. We were hot, tired, grumpy, and hungry. We stumbled upon Hotel Le Garden, a large modern hotel that promised Chinese food in an air conditioned restaurant. Our choices were overpriced and bland. But the staff was nice and the place was cool and comfortable. It was a much needed rest before making the last few kilometers into the center of town among other sacred tanks and temple. We went into Hotel Raya's. We found out they have three Hotel Raya's in town; good, better and best. The budget one was basic and had air conditioning. We weren't really interested in comparing it to the other options. This one was good enough for one night.
2025-05-23