Our trip to Madurai and Trichy for Onam 2023

 Our Onam trip to Madurai and Trichy 2023

On 26th August morning at around 6:30 Am, we left by car 🚘driven as always by Kannan to Madurai via Tenkasi -Senkottai. We had our breakfast in Punalur in Aryaas and continued our journey and reached Madurai by 12:15 Am. We stayed at Hotel North Gate. Had our lunch in the restaurant of the same hotel and rested for some time. In the evening, we got ready by 5:30 pm and went by auto to visit the famous Madurai Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple. After a couple of hours of wait in the queue, we had a nice darshan of both deities. As we were coming out, some people were distributing tamarind rice prasadam. We were fortunate to get it and after going around a bit, we came back to our hotel by auto after light dosa dinner outside. 

The next morning 27 Aug, we left after the complimentary breakfast here by around 10 Am to Trichy. We reached our hotel Mayavaram Lodge by lunch time, had our South Indian lunch in the 369 canteen attached to the hotel and rested. In the evening, we visited the famous Malakottai pillaiyar temple which was only a 5 minute distance away. The climb of 220+ steps was a good exercise and we felt great to see the huge deity and the city of Trichy all around from the top of the hill. We also had darshan of the Shiva (Thayumanavar) and Parvathy deities little down on the hill. Got many bananas as prasadam that were being distributed by some devotees. We came back to our hotel for the night and had our dosa dinner in the same canteen. 

The next day, 28 Aug we just rested in the morning as the weather was very hot and about 3:30 pm, we left for Srirangam in our car. It was a 20 minute distance from our hotel. It was an important day being the pavitra utsavam day or poochandi sevai day, which is a once in a year ritual. The temple was therefore crowded. We had to wait about 1 hour in the queue and then we had a good darshan. We then went around our hotel and did a bit of shopping, mainly in the Khadi bhavan and then had chaat for dinner at BG Naidu sweets that was a stone's throw away from our hotel. 

The next day 29 Aug, Thiruonam day, we left early around 7:30 Am and visited the awesome Jambukeshwara temple. It is a beautiful huge shiva temple that also has a shrine for Goddess Akhilandeshwari. We had a very good darshan as it was not at all crowded. After our temple visit, we had our breakfast in a vegetarian hotel just outside the temple by name Mani vilas. It was tasty. From there, we went to another divya desam of Lord Vishnu by name Azhagiya Manavalan temple. The deities are Venkateshwara and Padmavathy onthe left with utsava moorthy at the front side. There is a separate shrine for Tiruppannan azhwar. 

We came back to our hotel for lunch and rested. In the evening, we went around the market area again and again had a chaat dinner in the same place as before. 

The last day 30 Aug we left Trichy early by 7:30 Am and reached a place called Melur that was 30 kms before Madurai. Here we had our breakfast at a newly opened vegetarian restaurant Susee Bhavan. It was good. 

We continued our journey to reach Rajapalayam for a simple lunch of curd rice/ sambar rice at our usual place Ashok Bhavan, which we saw to our dismay was faring poorly. 

We continued our journey to reach Srivilliputhur, where we visited the famous Vishnu- Andal temple at the avatara site of Andal. It is an awesome temple with a huge reclining Vishnu, brahma from his navel and Goddess Lakshmi at his feet. We also had darshan of the Andal shrine and a very beautiful Lakshmi Narasimha shrine here. Outside, we treated ourselves to some fresh paalkoa in the factory outlet. 

We came back to Kollam via Punalur after picking up our Omi from Sumiran Kennel and reached home by 6:40 pm. Had a light dinner of steamed sweet corn. 

My Solo Guruvayoor visit

 My solo trip to Guruvayur

This is my second visit to Guruvayur by myself. The first time I went, I only went alone one way and was later joined by my family and we returned together. 

But this time, I was all by myself for a day and half in the temple precincts. I immensely enjoyed both my temple visit and the journey by train to and fro. 

I took my first train at 6:55 Am in kollam station and reached Trissur at 10:55 Am. From there I took the passenger train to Guruvayur which left at 11:30 Am and reached by 12 pm. I took an auto to the temple from the station as I didn't know how far it was. My hotel room was within the temple precincts. After I checked in and freshened up, I went to check on the queue and had the shock of my life. It was a serpentine queue starting at one end and ending at another direction with people still joining in. So I decided to have my lunch. When I came back at 1 pm, I found that the queue had closed for the 2:30 pm darshan and I was told that I could join the queue but would get only the 4:30 pm darshan. Still I decided to join the queue. 

A bachelor guy from Malappuram was sitting beside me and he asked me if I would like partaking the paal payasam he had booked in advance as he didn't have anyone to take it home to, his mom being a diabetic.  Would anybody in the right frame of mind (and health) say No to that? 

 Being by myself, I wouldn't have known to get the payasam ticket before I joined the queue. This was in the noon. 

I learnt many other procedures about the temple from the same person and saw many wonderful sights that will be ingrained in my memory for a long time. Both times I wanted to see the Lord, I had to wait in queue for 3.5 hours. But since We were the first lot after the 2:30pm group of people, we had darshan almost immediately after 4:30 pm. 

Whatever few sorrows I had taken to share with the Lord seemed suddenly so petty and trivial after listening and observing random people and families (what else would one do for 3.5 hours) and when I finally stood in front of Him and looked at his enchanting smile in the form of a bow wielding little Lord Rama, I stood there mesmerized and smiling too, unaware of myself. What a wonderful experience! And when I was told to move on, I realized I was filled with joy. And then came the three glassfuls of paal payasam prasadam, which I never expected to get.  I felt doubly blessed. 

The next darshan I had was the same night when I joined the queue at 11:30 pm for the Nirmalyam darshan at 3 Am the next morning. Both darshans were equally awesome. But I especially loved the feel of actually waking the Lord because we were right in front of the still closed Main temple door and were chanting the holy name and sharp at 3 Am the doors were thrown open and we were the first and only 40 or so people to be fortunate enough to get the Nirmalyam darshan.(this is the Lord as he slept and is awoken in the previous day's alankaram). The queue was closed again and the next set of people could see the Vagacharthu darshan, which was after the Lord was decorated. 

Also the Camaderie between us people waiting to see the Lord was so much present especially because of the absence of mobile phones with us. If we have humans becoming only e-social these days, in the absence of our phones, we again become social beings.  I could feel how that in itself was a 'feel good' factor. I also got to know so much about the lives of the fisherfolk family from Cherai near Ernakulam, whose young daughter was sitting beside me. She narrated how they had to shift to a school camp for a week during the floods a couple of years ago after their home had flooded and also talked about their day to day lives. This was in the night. The crowd of people for the Nirmalyam would confuse you as to the time of the day or night. 

Only some people dozing off and on would remind one of the dead of night time that it was. I realized how fortunate and blessed a life I have been given on listening to these stories of people from different strata of society. People had mixed reactions when I told I was there by myself. Most said I was brave, but a few looked on with suspicion. It didn't matter because I was here to see the Lord and nobody's opinion mattered. 

After Nirmalyam darshan,i went to my hotel room and rested for 4 hours. By 8:30 Am, I was back in the temple and was in the inner sanctum (not the innermost where we see the Lord, but the outer circle within the sanctum, which didn't require you to stand in queue,but you wouldn't be able to see the Lord unless there was no crowd) . I did 3 pradakshinams, chanted the Vishnu Sahasranaam and just sat there till 11:30. By 12 I was back in the room and after half an hour I was again back at Guruvayur station to take the train to Trissur and from there, my return journey by Venad to Kollam. Reached home at 9 pm after an eventful, fruitful, maiden solo tour. So on the whole, I felt greatly blessed and I now look forward to my next solo trip.