It's quite fascinating how technology affects our lives. Few years before I would have never imagined writing a blog without even touching a keypad and here I am clicking photos in a DSLR transferring it to my mobile wireless and writing my blog by voice command. But nothing replaces the joy and satisfaction of writing.. (switching to my keyboard) Writing has always been there for me. Be it a stupid diary or a travelogue. I ve always enjoyed every bit of it and I had made my mind to write one big travelogue, the one in a life time thing. I had a trip on the cards, a small one just about 8500 Kms covering almost the central India and the magical land, the biker's paradise- Ladakh. Everyone called me a lunatic. But I had my reasons to believe. But any how that didn't work. The daily chaos was eating up my head. The pressure was about to burst. But then came the plan. Thanks to aniyan for the monstrous bike and Vani for letting me do it inspite of her concerns. Before I knew I was back in the saddle doing my favorite task- riding..
On 23rd the MAD cousins had planned a mini get together at thrissur and cldnt afford to miss it coz I hadn't seen many of them for years together. Also Vani would get an opportunity to meet them. Had a nice evening there. The plan was set. Drop Vani by car on 23rd, attend the get together, head to kumbakonam on bike, temple visits and to chennai. Quite simple you know.
Photography and riding has always been my passion but left behind in the daily monotonous routine. It was time I regained them. Bought a camera again. It came to my mind the old ad featuring Ajay Devgan " khoob jamegi rang jab mil betenge teen yaar....aap me aur black piper club soda...." Me, bike and cam.
I had not biked for long except the daily office rides. So took it nice and slow. Started by 11. The moment I started it started pouring. At the petrol pump after feeding my gentle giant his tummy full I geared up with my rain coat and started. The perfect start for my perfect weekend.
Visiting kumbakonam was on the cards for some time. For the time to change in our favour we ve to please the gods and it was long due. So headed that way. The road was pretty bad till Palakkad and the pouring rain did little help. As I reached Palakkad- Coimbatore border, climate eased a little. The surroundings changed serene. The lush green paddy fields and the rain clouds kissing the western ghats etched a beautiful picture in my mind. The 650 CC machine eased at 150 Kms/ hr and munched miles in minutes. Though I was not in a hurry, the familiar roads and the barren highways took me to Salem pretty soon. A few Kms past Salem I took a deviation heading kumbakonam.The flora and fauna changed again. Large umbrella trees guarded both sides of the road. I could feel the warmth of the good old villages.. All were gazing at my gentle giant with amuse. Lights started to fade in the horizon and my eyes also felt dizzy. As usual to my practice I parked the bike on the roadside safely and started to size off on the bike itself. Oblivious of the surroundings I fell asleep fast. I was woke up by a man asking if he could help and even offered me a cup of coffee. I politely rejected him and thanked him. Upon asking, I told him my plan. Before I could finish he took his phone dialed someone and told..."hi.. My friend is coming there. Please do the needful." I was kind of surprised. I am a complete stranger to him , meeting him for the first time yet he calls me a friend. I felt good about it. There can be an angle of marketing or taking advantage of my situation in this as whosoever he called will obviously get paid. But I would like to see the sunny side of it coz before heading to the place I had made several calls to people who I claimed I know but they hardly bothered to help and here is a complete stranger calling me a friend. Isn't that what you call a helping hand from God?.
By 8.30 I reached kumbakonam and the guy who was on the other end of the phone picked me and arranged for my stay. His name is Shekar and I would like to call him Anna. He was a very humble person and promised me to take me to the list of temples I wanted to visit and a few other near by ones. Next day sharp 6 am I was ready and so was Anna. He was waiting for me downstairs. And without further delay we started the day tour.
There's long distance between me and temples and any knowledge related to it. So what all information I am about to share here is the bits and pieces I could learn from my conversation with Anna. The first temple in the list was Suryanar koil. But instead he took me to an another temple. It is customary to visit this temple before visiting suryanar koil he said. I was seriously impressed by this guy. For a normal autowala he gets paid for the kilometer he covers, but this guy took it as his responsibility to do it the proper way. He said that the temple is of Pranayeswarar and Mangalyam kakkum mangalambikai. Which means it gives long and happy married life. Well that's something everyone would wish for.
Then we headed to Suryanar koil. The hero of the temple was 'The Sun'. Less supporting role by Guru and casting the remaining 7 Grahas. It is believed that the position of these Grahas decide your journey of life. So it is good to clear any misunderstandings we have or infact they have for a happy life. The temple was crowded being a holiday. Waiting in the queue, I cld see a lot of people playing dummy gods. Panning my eyes past them i saw a machine with drums and plates and a motor. Why would such a thing be in a temple I wondered. Suddenly it started playing.. Its just that the temple orchestra is automated. Quite an invention I thought. Having spent long time in this temple we had to rush to our next destination. Anna had agreed to complete the list on the same day and we headed to our next destination. Unlike the TamilNadau I ve seen, Kumbakonam is all green and full of agricultural activities. But one thing I noticed was that all the ponds I saw were empty and dry. I didn't quite get it how agriculture was still thriving.
While I slipped in my thoughts, Anna took me to the next temple. He introduced the deity as Sukran- the Finance Minister he went on explaining, this guy is responsible for your financial well being. With wealth comes beauty. So he looks after your fashion also. Both together attracts a good partner. So he is responsible for a beautiful life partner and the pleasures associated with it. Well I cldnt ask for the last part as I already had that. But being financially well off is always a priority right.
Moving on .. the next in line was Kathiramangalam- Vanadurgai. A small durga temple with a serene atmosphere.We generally believe that someone's bad eye has affected us or someone's jealousy has brought us down. She is said to cure such conditions.
Anna, being a man born and brought up at Kumbakonam, had all things sorted. He knew all the places in out and took me to the next temple in a jiffy. The Raghu & Kethu Temple. The Naganatha Swami Raghu sthalam had a story behind it. At the time of extraction the holly amruthu, devas got the opportunity to taste the amruthu first. An asura disguised as a deva, got hold of the same. But Lord Vishnu being the referee caught him red handed and spanked his head with a spoon. The asura split into two, one with snakes head and human body named Raghu and other with snakes body and human head - the Kethu. and eventually they were unable to taste the amruth. The idol of Raghu at the temple had a specialty, at the time of abhishekam the milk turns blue while poured on the idol. The temple was quite big and a testimony of ancient architecture. We were getting late as the first half of the day was coming to an end and we had two more temples to cover.
The next was Ayyavadi. The main prathishta was a goddess also called a Prthigadevi. Anna explains that the goddess is in roudra bhavam and has a fearsome bird's face. In order to keep her calm, the temple hall and places near the statue is adorned with rudraksha chains. And hence there is no offering of light or sound. It is believed that she wards off black magic and keeps us safe. Coming out of the temple the atmosphere was serene and offered great peace of mind. There saw a tree with five different types of leaves. as if someone grafted them together when it was small, but anna clarified that the tree is like that. Sometimes natures marvels are none less than magic.
Rushing to the next temple, the Uppiliappan temple, also known as Thennal Thirupathi, the elder brother of Thirupathi Venkatesa. The temple is known for keeping family relationship stronger and happier and that's why may be I saw a couple heading out in their traditional wedding outfit after the wedding rituals. At heart wished them the best for an eventful life ahead. In Kerala, elephants are an integral part of temples. But there I didnt come across one so far but here. The elephant was trained to bless people and collect their tokens of appreciation in cash and kind. The cash part would go the mascot and the kind part- the eatables will find its way down her throat. With a cheerful note our first half of the day came to an end and Anna left me at the hotel for a power nap. By 4 PM we set out to finish our second leg of the day and reached a small temple with main prathishta of Siva. But the star of the place was Sani Bhagavan. Among the navagrahas Sani has an important place. He can take us to the pinnacle of success and in a jiffy turn the tables around. He can show us both ends of life. Generally sani prathishta is seen as single and adorned in black clothes. Here he is with whole family of two wives Maha Devi and Sreshta Devi and their sons Kulikai and Mandi. Since he is with family, here alone the idol is adorned in blue clothes. Family always brings colour to our lives and even for gods there are no exception. Here also I saw the automated drums and understood that its part of their age old customs.
After visiting one more Vishnu temple near by we headed for the Pattiswarar temple. The journey was a bit long one but it was the best part of the day. Anna took me through a short cut which covered the greenery of the village in full. This part of the village had sufficient water and hence cultivation also. Saw a man sitting near a fully ploughed field resting after a full day's toil, a cow farm and so on. I was actually jealous for the fact that while we get all the adulterated foods and polluted air and water these people get all so fresh. The route kept amusing me as I came across an ancient mosque in the land filled with temples in all size and shapes. I closed my eyes recollecting my day well spent as anna glided through the nature's hairpin bends.
Pattiswarar again a Siva temple also known as Thenpuriswarar, had typical gopuras and the site of sparrows flying into them in the backdrop of setting sun's golden light was quite a spectacle. The next and last of the list was Thirusakthimutram yet again a siva temple but with a specialty. Here, goddess Parvathy is seen hugging the Siva idol/lingam. The temple priest explained the history of the temple and he believes the temple is more than 2000 years old and it substantiated the weak and old look of the structure. The story behind the idol goes something like Parvathy and Sivan were separated some how and Parvathy did penance and the power of her penance made Siva to appear before her but his power was even stronger and he appeared as a hot glowing light. Afraid of the sight or by the pleasure of seeing him, she hugged him tight there by calming him down. 
The day was coming to an end.Sun left the scene leaving his masterpiece painting in the cloud clad sky. In the backdrop of the temple and the setting sun, anna explained the stories of the temples we visited. All along the day anna accompanied to all the temples, stood in queue to buy tickets , carried deepams and instructed when and where to light them. More than a driver he sincerely meant to help me I thought. As time had come for us to part ways I sincerely thanked him and paid more than I promised. As I emotionally expressed my happiness of all his good gestures throughout the day, his reply left me in splits. He said " Its nothing Sir, hadn't I come, you would wander here and there not knowing where to get what and where to keep them thereby wasting time. I had to finish the trip by evening".... I was totally speechless.
The whole thing about the temple visits was simple belief. Its not that I am a die hard devotee or something. An opportunity to ride bike, travel and the belief that these temple visits would bring happiness and good fortune were good enough reasons and I believe, that the stronger the belief , more likely that it turns out true. I started my journey home bound the next day thanking all the people I came across the trip who selflessly helped me. This again is the best part about travelling. A complete stranger can sometimes offer a better warmth of a relationship than your closest of closest friends/relatives. Meeting new people and knowing their part of the world gives a very different insight about life. In few minutes time I reached the highways and my destination in a few hours as the speed battle continued. Along the way I came across some really tempting signage, and trust me if I had a slight opportunity I would have cashed in but alas, I was just a couple of kilometers from home. Every beautiful journey has to come to an end and this was no exception. The sun bid farewell with my eyes on the horizon, looking out in the expectation of hitting the tarmac soon . 
