This post talks about a trip that happened during the Durga Puja holidays – so yes, it is a long overdue one. But places don’t change that fast, or often, so my description may not be very far from the truth. 
I was home for a whole nine days, a welcome break and a well-deserved one, too. After losing three days uneventfully, I expressed my desperate need ‘to have as much fun as possible’ in the remaining 6 days. So my dad decided to humor me and suggested we go on a trip.
His idea of ‘a trip’ was one that could be wrapped up in one day. But I thought I should make the most of the opportunity, and asked him if we could go to a place that my dad has always talked about with nothing less than unadulterated awe – Rameswaram, the land that commands prime importance in the great Indian epic – Ramayana, and the once-prosperous-city of Dhanushkodi.
When we discussed about the idea on the evening of the 4th day of my vacation, he warned me about the shortage of time, since it would be a 4-day trip. But I was too excited about finally seeing the place that I have heard about for years together, now. So I said the tour-itinerary could be made a little more cramped and that we could make it a 3-day trip – I was too excited to let this idea slip, or take a rain check on it.
So then it was decided – the destination, the route we’d take and how the days would be spent. The idea was to drive from Kochi (via Muvatupuzha), through the tea estates of Munnar, to Madurai, spend the night there (visit places in Madurai during this time), start early the next day and drive to Rameswaram, reach there by mid-morning, see the places there, travel to Dhanushkodi and return to Rameswaram, where we’d spend the night, and yes, wake up early next day and travel at the speed of wind to get back home by nightfall – A three-day trip!
The drive up to Munnar was fine, but once in the hilly district, the car invariably jumped from one pothole to another. Of course, once we drive past the Tamil Nadu border, it gets better.
We reached Madurai by around 5p.m. and made quick plans to leave the hotel soon – I saw a poster that said there would be a ‘light and sound show in the Madurai palace.’ The show was by far the worst ‘light-and-sound-show’ I have ever seen! I mean, it was just ‘light’ and ‘sound’, to say the least. Unimaginative stories and pointless narratives; we left the show when there were 15 minutes more to go. Next stop was the Madurai Meenakshi temple. The temple did not look quite like what I had in mind – the famed stone carved temple and hallway was painted in what looked like ‘multi-colored-graffiti’! You don’t believe me? Take a look at the picture…
The temple might have lost the regal look of the ancient days of yore, but it was swarming with devotees and tourists, nonetheless. This could have been so perhaps because it was Durga Puja, or who knows, it may even be a daily phenomenon!
We were back in our hotel room by 10p.m., not quite satisfied with the sights of Madurai. We went to bed early that night with a humble prayer that Rameswaram was indeed everything we hoped it would be, and that this trip was worth the effort.
Final Destination – Rameswaram
It was early morning, the next day, and we were on our way to Rameswaram. We reached the town by mid-morning. The scorching sun made the trip a little tiring. But just the sight of the famed Pamban Bridge made my spirit soar – this is one of the many landmarks my dad has raved about!
“The Pamban Bridge is an engineer’s wonder – it is a railway bridge that could be opened by a single operator by using a lever, to allow ships to pass by. The mechanism is a bit of a puzzle, today.
This is one of the modern-day wonders. But what makes the place secure a mention in the annals of history is its significance in the Ramayana – this is from where Lord Rama launched his attack on the ten-headed demon king Ravana. The Ram Sethu (what is known as the Adam’s Bridge) was built by the Vanaras between Dhanushkodi and Sri Lanka. Dhanushkodi was an important city and a flourishing trade center till the recent past (the 1960s) but a cyclonic storm washed away the entire city and now what remains is barren land with the remains of a glorious past.”
That’s the gist of what he would tell me every time we talk about this place. And I would sit there, mesmerized, vivid imaginations playing in my head, painting a picture of a city that I had never seen but only heard about.
Once we reached Rameswaram, we realized soon that the temple town was not quite a traveler’s delight. It’s something like Guruvayoor in Kerala – people go there to pray and wash their sins off, or something on those lines; they don’t go there remembering episodes from Ramayana, and wonder what the significance of each place was in that great epic.
The Rameswaram temple is for avid devotees – there are around 18 wells, and it is said that the water in each of these wells tastes different. The custom is that one should take bath in the waters from each of these 18 wells before offering their prayers to the deity.
To travel to Dhanushkodi, one needs to hire a jeep or a mini lorry – it’s not easy for cars or bikes to go across the loose beach sand. The drive is exquisite – the place has a tranquility that is inexplicable. The white sand, the bright blue waters and the clear sky is all that one sees, but it’s without a doubt the most wonderful vista I have ever seen!
The jeep ride includes a stop at the ruins of the city of Dhanushkodi. We got back to Rameswaram by late evening and rested, or rather ‘prepared ourselves’ for the long ride back home.
On our way back, we stopped at a temple called the ‘Panchamukhi Hanuman temple’ – the temple claims to have some samples of the rocks that were used to make the Ram Sethu. They have a mini demonstration arranged there – the rocks they have float on water! Makes you wonder if the tales of yesteryear have more facts in it than fiction, doesn’t it!? 
Final verdict – The trip was exhausting, to say the least. But then again, it would have been rather boring if stretched beyond 3 days. And the cherry on the icing is the drive to Dhanushkodi – you shouldn’t miss that for the world! That’s the part that made the whole trip worth the time and effort for me.
Interesting…. You actually made me reconsider a trip to Dhanushkodi which I had given up on a year back…
Hey T3d! Glad this post made you reconsider…