Tamilnadu Temples Road Trip from Bangalore

This is a travelogue on my recent road trip to Tamilnadu covering 7 cities/towns and more than 15 places in a span of 5 days and 4 nights. In this post, you can expect the tour plan, road map, road conditions, a brief overview of the places, and Do's and Dont's.

Till now, my longest journey in my car was a trip to Madurai and Kodaikanal covering 1047 kms. I wanted to go to the next level. And this is where the idea came up to cover remaining tourist places in Tamilnadu.

This trip is my longest solo drive so far clocking 1564 kms.

INR 10: Return from South Africa - Centenary Commemoration

Numismatics or Coins collection is not only about keeping coins. Through the coins, we can also learn about history, events, people, and the nation. Sometimes, a coin describes a story through a picture.

I'm starting a series wherein I'll cover one coin per post to share about fascinating stories behind these coins. I'll start this series with the Indian Coin.

Today's coin is about 10 Rupee Indian coin which was released to mark 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi's return from South Africa.

This coin was released on 8th Jan 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is very common to see Gandhi's picture in currency notes. However, this coin has two pictures of Gandhi: young Gandhi and the aged Gandhi.

Gandhi was 24 years old when he arrived in South Africa in 1893. He spent 21 years in South Africa and returned to India in 1915. By then, he was referred as Mahatma.

This coin reminds us the struggle and rise of Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa. Next time you get this 10 Rupee coin do observe the pictures. It's beautiful.

Footwear not allowed inside ATM!

Spotted this ATM center in Bhuvanagiri, TamilNadu where footwear is not allowed inside! Surprised!

Bhuvanagiri - Birthplace of Sri Raghavendra Swamy

Mantralaya is one of the holy places in India and many people visit this place every year. Mantralaya is the place where Madwa Saint Sri Raghavendra Swamy entered the brindavana.

However many people do not know about the birthplace of Sri Raghavendra Swamy. When I was searching for that info, I got to know that Bhuvanagiri is the place where rayaru was born. Upon further researching, I got to know that this place is situated in Tamilnadu state near Chidambaram.

When I recently did Tamilnadu tour, I visited this place as well and this post is to share some info about this sacred place.

Bhuvanagiri is situated around 10kms from Chidambaram.


The house where rayaru was born still exist and the mruttika brindavana is constructed here where daily pooja happens.

House

Inside House

Surprisingly, a certificate is issued validating the birth place of rayaru based on the records found and the same information is inscribed on a stone inside the house.

Certificate

How to reach and where to stay:

It is easily accessible from Chidambaram. Chidambaram has plenty of options for stay and food. It does not take more than 30mins to reach this place from Chidambaram.

New Year Greetings!

When I look at 2015 from the blogging perspective, I have not made any improvement compared to 2014. Though I posted very few posts, majority of them were related to the travel. Of course, I got a very good feedback on the posts as it helped fellow travelers to plan ahead.

However, I am optimistic about 2016. I'll be more active and would share useful information. Recently I did my longest drive ever covering more than 1500kms around Tamilnadu. Perhaps, I'll begin 2016 year with a few posts of that trip.

Wishing you all a very happy, prosperous and successful New Year!!!

Pearl Valley - picnic spot near Bangalore

Pearl Valley (Muthyalamaduvu) is a picnic spot near Bangalore. It is approximately 42 kms from Bangalore. A small stream of water descends on the slope making it a water fall.

How to reach:
From Bangalore you have to reach Anekal. In Anekal, at Tilak circle take right. When you spot a petrol bunk, take right and that road leads to Pearl Valley.

En route Pearl Valley

Pearl Valley:
You have to descend good number of steps to reach the water fall.

En route water fall

The place is surrounded by greenery. It looks very serene.

Greenery

Water fall is formed by a small stream of water.

Water Fall

Do note these points before you decide to go to this place:

• There are quite a number of steps. This place is not for elders and people who have leg pains.
• No food is available at Pearl Valley. You need to carry food and water.
• However, there are plenty of monkeys who are not only scary but also fearlessly snatch food from people. Opening a food packet at Pearl Valley is not advisable unless you know how to tackle these monkeys.
• This place is good if you are looking for a long drive and to spend a couple of hours away from Bangalore traffic.
• Petrol bunk is available at Anekal which is approximately 5 kms from Pearl Valley

Bangalore features in Top 15 IoT Cities in the world

Another feather in cap for Bangalore City. It is listed in Top 15 Internet of Things (IoT) cities in the world! It is the only Indian city to be listed. And Wipro is also named in this article. Check this article for more details.