Agasthiyar Falls.. Tirunelveli

There I was in the train, lying on the Side Lower berth, unable to sleep [well cos the 6 foot me wouldn't fit into that small berth and cos it was lovely and cold, I had left one window open] thinking about how its been ages since I was back in Tirunelveli & Kallidaikurichi... I was travelling with 10 others, including the bride & groom. This was a wedding we had all been looking forward to forever and was kicked that it was finally happening. 

The wedding was set for Friday morning, we reached Tirunelveli from where we made the hour long journey to Kallidaikurichi on Thursday morning. Sitting in a mini bus of sorts with all but the bride [ she had been whisked away home by her mom], we were in for a day of sight seeing. The first stop was Agasthiyar Falls ...  The last time I had been here was during a trip from dad's office [must be a good two decades or so ago]

A bit of trivia about the place - Agasthiyar Falls (also called Papanasam Falls) is located quite close to Papanasam in Tirunelveli district. Infact, what makes it so awesome is that it is on the Western Ghats and story goes that this is the place where sage Agasthya got a view of Shiva in his wedding attire [Agasthiyar could not attend Shiva Parvathy's wedding in Kailasam and so requested the God to grant him  a view of the event.. pleased with his prayers, Shiva appeared in front of him.] And that is how the place earned its name. 

When driving towards the parking lot, you will cross the power plant that helps generate power for the towns around [from the Papanasam Dam]. It is also known to be a place where people have sighted tigers and leopards [ not a surprise considering it is quite close to Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve] .. 

We had reached the parking lot, the vans were halted, we got out and began making the short walk to the falls. I could hear the water at a distance and wondered how heavy it was this time around. Along the way, we walked across little streams formed by the other smaller falls coming down the smaller mountains. The place is teeming with monkeys, and they make a go for anything that looks like food. So best to keep your belongings close to you, and avoid carrying food items. Heck, don't even carry your phones in your hand, they just might mistake it for food. 

Since it was off season, there wasn't a mad rush. One thing I noticed instantly was the wall at the foot of the falls- diving the male and female visitor section. Interesting.... And then ofcoruse the sight of people happily lathering themselves with soap and shampoo, letting it all wash off and float down the river.. kinda wish people wouldn't do that and pollute the water.. 

Guess the destination

Well, it has been quite a while since I travelled.. And so I have decided to take a short holiday, and this time am travelling with a dear friend.

Where am I headed? Well, that is for me to know and for you to guess.. And if you guess right, a small something awaits you :)

So, leave your guess in the comment and wait for me to update!!

Clues-

There are beaches

There are mountains and Hills

There are elephants and then there are people

There are temples 

There are tea plantations and 

There are interesting dishes... 

Where am I headed to ?

Oh yes, if you are among the few who know where I am headed, shh, stay away and you shall get a small something.. lol..

See you all soon~!!

Skywatch Friday-Durgiana Mandir, Amritsar

We had just landed in Amritsar and plans were being made for the days to follow. We learnt there was a temple near the hotel we stayed at which is a beautiful one. So that was marked as the 1st place to visit, followed by the other sites. We hailed a cab since we were 5 of us and I kinda convinced all that it made sense to travel together rather than in two autos.. :-) 

As the vehicle pulled into the parking lot, I looked around to see if the temple or the gopuram was in site. I did see a tall gopuram but was told that belonged to another temple. We had to walk down the road to see this temple. The temple is called Durgiana Mandir [ named after Goddess Durga] and some also refere to it as the Lakshmi Narayan Temple. It is situated near the Lohgarh Gate. Leaving our footwear in the car, we made our way down the road [well, it was just a path with nothing but stones and rubble] . A huge gate guarded the temple, near which was a small shrine for Vaishno devi. 

The temple was built by Harsai Mal Kapoor  back in 1908  and has been constructed very alike the Golden Temple. Only prominent difference are the silver doors which has led to it being referred to as the Silver Temple. You walk down a long passage with water on either side, and a fountain that was spouting water to quite a height. There was a carpet laid out and the entire place was just clean [not a speck of dirt or trash to be seen anywhere]. All the pillars and light fittings were in Gold colour adding to the grandeur. After the darshan of Goddess Durga, we also went around to see the other shrines located around. There were quite a few,

Sitla Mata Mandir

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

Bada Hanuman Mandir

Tulsi Das Mandir and the

Sat Narayan Mandir

As we made our way out, I noticed on top of the inner gate the names of all those who were responsible for erecting the temple. The names ran a mile long.. 

[ To know more about this temple, do visit this site]

It was such a visual treat and I was already excited to visit the Golden temple... Which was set aside for later in the day!! 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Day 8- Up Up and Away

The joy of being up above the clouds

Watching the city down below disappear under fluffly masses

Feasting on the beautiful sun rising/setting

Wanting to reach out the window and grab some of the white cotton like cloud

I love the clouds and can spend hours staring at them, wondering how they glide across the sky so gracefully... At times, they form shapes, and other times are of different shades of grey, especially before rains

Though i prefer taking the train to my destination, there were times when i chose to fly [mostly to save time].. and staring out the window, i lose myself in the beauty...