The month of August begins and the excitement mounts. I look forward to the line-up of events dedicated to Madras Day. Infact, it was only few years ago that I discovered Chennai was born on 22^nd August, 1639.

The Chariot in DakhinChitra

The Marina Beach

There are Photowalks to explore various hidden treasures in the lanes scatted around the city; and there are talks where we get to learn about the rich history, culture and art embed within.  The events are quite a treat for those who have been living here and others who are keen on learning more about this city.  A chance for us to enjoy the architecture from the years gone by, visit monuments, buildings, parks and galleries filled with information and pictures related to Chennai and of course to create our own memories..

The Santhome Church

Earlier, Chennai was where I spent my school holidays in, among family and friends, But now, it is my Home, where i know I belong! Even though I’ve been living here for over a decade, there are so many places I’ve not visited, explored or even heard of. Hmm, about time I rectified this, what say?!

The Ashtalakshmi Temple

I have been eyeing the Madras Day agenda almost daily, wondering what all I can be a part of and there are a few that have caught my attention, which have been jotted down in my Calendar.  I am definitely looking forward to the TALK: Lesser known temples of Chennai by Chitra Madhavan on 23^rd August evening [Tuesday] and the HERITAGE WALK : Meandering down Mint Street on 28^th August morning [Sunday] amongst the lot.  Oh gosh, how can I forget to mention the NATURE WALK inside the IIT Madras Campus on 27^th August morning [Saturday]?!

What are the events you are attending? Here is the link for The Madras Day Events

Let the celebrations begin!

At the Fort Museum, one can see maps and illustrations which documents the evolution of the fort and settlement over the centuries.

The Fort initially took about 14 years to build and was designed as a squarish structure with canons in the corners

Towns evolved around the fort – a white town within the town and the Indian or Black Town outside its walls

Some of the streets and monuments are seen even till date . The St Mary’s  Church for instance is one of the oldest structures in Fort St George that you can visit even today. It is said that Robert Clive got married in this church which houses several tombs and memorials

Today Fort St George is open to the public and on the occasion of Madras Day, there are several heritage walks held in the area. It is a pleasure to walk down the streets which still bear the original names and look around some of the structures that exist still date. For more details visit the official website of the Madras Day.

Her statement caught me by surprise and all I could come up with was -“What, where is this temple?” “It’s on ECR, and you must make a visit” was all she said. It was all the motivation I needed to get going on doing some research to find out the location and timings of this temple. Discovered it was an exact replica of the temple in Puri, and was managed by Oriya priests. I also exchanged messages with a friend on Twitter who had visited the temple, and obtained the Priest’s number to get further details. Spoke to the priest who mentioned the temple was open till 8pm all days.

The following Saturday afternoon, I ran the idea of visiting the temple to my grandmother and mom, and over coffee a plan was made. We decided to hop in the car and drive down to ECR, find Kuppam road in Kannathur and visit the temple.

Grandpa did try dissuading us from making the trip- It is too far off, there will be crazy traffic and it is late where his arguments. Alas, we dint bite the bait, but stuck to our plan.
At 5.30pm, three women got in the car, and were on our way to this hidden temple. Crossed the toll booth, and drove ahead till we reached the market. Keeping an eye out for a left turn, we saw only a narrow lane.

Apprehensively we turned into that road, to find a rugged path which soon led us to a road that had a board stating ‘Jagannath Temple”. Heaving a sigh of relief, we drove ahead and within a few yards spotted the temple on our right. The journey had taken us 45mins.

There was nothing but silence around, the temple stood tall and alone, with a few people here and there. We were lost in the beauty of this temple from the minute we stepped out of the car.

The first shrine we visited was that of Lord Ganesha. From there, we went on to say our prayers to Lord Shiva, Devi Vimala, Devi Gajalakshmi and the Navagraha. The main temple was situated on top of a staircase. A huge Dhwaja stamba stood majestically near the staircase, with a large tortoise at the base, the Dasavatharam carved around the pillar along with other Gods and Goddesses.

The main deities of this temple are Lord Jagannath, Devi Subadra and Lord Balabadra. We managed to catch the evening puja. As we came around the shrine, we saw Lord Yoganarasimha sculpted on the exterior wall. Soaking it all in, we spent a few minutes before the security guard came over to inform us it was closing time. We watched the temple fade away in the background just as the sun had, and a smile on our faces.

Getting there – Drive on the ECR beyond the toll. The temple is situated on the sea shore of Kanaathur Reddykuppam, about 1 km from the Toll booth on East Coast Road, ahead of Mayaajal

We commissioned two guides as the locals offer their services and ventured into the Venkateswara reserve forest. We didn’t spot any sort of animals during the trek but there were several boards on the way with paintings of various animals and birds, with messages related to forest and wildlife conservation.

Pic : Shrinidhi

By around noon we reached the first waterfalls, named Etikoppaka falls after a break at a small stream which formed another waterfalls which we were going to see later in the day. The place is very scenic and not that crowded compared to the other falls . There is for instance the more approachable Gunjana Falls, which is very popular among tourists as it is reachable by road and there is a well laid walkaway. The Etikoppaka however is hidden,set much deeper in the forest and the trek is longer. The pond below the Etikoppaka falls is deep and has that classic blue colour one would see in movies.

After spending nearly a couple of hours at Etikoppaka falls we started for a place 30 mins away where we would stop and have lunch. During this walk we spotted a camera man recording our walk. We learnt that it was a local telugu devotional channel named SV Bhakti Channel owned by TTD (Tirupati Tirumala Devastanam) .They were doing a documentary on Talakona and wanted to feature our experiences here. It’s not every day that you get a chance to see yourself in a TV (never mind that channel is hitherto unheard of). The recording went on for about a minute and was okayed in the first shot. When we finally finished shooting, subsequent conversations and declared pack-up, rest of the team had finished their lunch and was waiting. We got our 15 minutes of fame and continued our jaunt.

Pic : Shrinidhi

As we were returning, a villager asked for some medicines, as someone is having high fever- we gave him two paracetamol tablets. He enquired us on the dosage and returned with a grateful eye. For a minute, I wondered how difficult life in the rural areas could be. A medical shop is probably something we would take for granted, but for these villagers, they would have to walk for miles before they could meet another human being-let alone basic facilities and luxuries.

We crossed a few green tracts and our guide told us that the vegetation here includes plants of medicinal value. We walked down the hill though using steps and soon landed at Gunjana Falls. This water fall forms out of the stream we had crossed in the morning uphill, and it abruptly gushes out of the rocky mountain to fall a lengthy, powerful eye catching fall. Walkways have been constructed in the middle of this falls so that tourists can walk in and take shower under the falls, Many trees had several pieces of cloths tied to them. Some religious belief or customary I assumed.

Pic : Shrinidhi

Our weekend getaway was not just a tryst with nature or soothing to the nerves, but an opportunity to connect with rustic villagers who seem far disconnected with the urban way of life. Or probably it is the other way around.

Accomodation.

The guest house here is operated by local people ,under the banner of their community and with guidance from Forest department and rates are pretty cheap. The Log hut costs around Rs 400 per day and the Dormitory costs Rs 1000 per day . It can comfortably accommodate a group of 10-15 people with extra beds. There are only 2 Log Huts and 2 dorms available, so better plan in advance. The guest house campus is very good- with a water stream flowing next to it-anytime one can go for a dip or a swim, they have a deer as a pet (named Raja), which is naturally reluctant to come close to strangers, but will shed its inhibitions and come near if food is offered.

Pic : Shrinidhi

There is a hanging bridge on which one can go for a walk anytime. Overcrowded population of monkeys is something you need to watch out for. Protect your belongings from being snatched away by them. The guest house people will provide for food and we can get lunch packed if we’re going out. Locals will also assist you as guides if you wish to venture into the forest.