This trip is the first trip of Team G Square in Tamil Nadu. Since most of our journeys were around Bengaluru and in karnataka , we decided to go on a long journey this time given the number of days available for vacation.This made way for another exciting chapter in the travel diary of our Team G Square, very rightfully named as " Enchanting Tamil Nadu " . The greatest attraction of Tamil Nadu lies in its magnificent temples, fine beaches , several hill stations, unspoilt forests , resorts and wildlife. But for us, it felt like it was the land of Idlies and Dosas, Pongal and Sambar!
Mission : Drive to The Cape.
On a Thursday morning , we had a very strange feeling of holidaying instead of following the normal work routine. Cruising along the NH7, watching the lovely countryside of Tamil Nadu, we crossed Hosur and reached Krishnagiri Toll, from where we could see the Krishnagiri Fort .
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| Suraj Chacha Jaage! |
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| View of Bala Raya Konda Durgam |
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| Krishnagiri Fort |
From Krishnagiri, we took the road towards Salem . We stopped for some delicious and colorful breakfast at A2B .
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| Very inviting Ghee Roast (Trust me it was yummy) |
Continuing the journey ,we crossed Salem and further. proceeded towards Namakal. As we crossed the town of Salem, we found an eye catching place called Oothumalai. We needed a break very badly since we'd been driving all along and hence thought of spending our little break quite wisely., of course by exploring this place. Believe us, it was worth the call made.
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| View of the Oothumalai Hill |
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| About the place (Sthalapuranam) |
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| Bird's eye view of Salem town |
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| God or Demon? |
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| Cave temple |
This place had lots of temples ,caves and statues of gods.The neighboring hill had very strange look . It had a very mysterious looking cave temple. We tried to gather information of what was really there, but in vain. Since language posed a problem for us, we could do nothing much except to move on. The only piece of information we got was from the Sthalapuranam in the temple, luckily it was put up in English. As the temperature was soaring (around 40 degree C), and we were already walked a lot around Oothumalai Hill, we had little strength left to explore this cave. After resting for sometime, we moved further towards our destiny, 'The CAPE '. We crossed Namakal and drove towards Madurai . About 60kms before reaching Madurai , we found a place called 'Dindigul '. From the highway ,we were able to see a nice imposing fort on the small hill and wanted to check out this place for sure.
About Dindigul, Hill Fort : It is believed to be built by the Madurai Nayaks in 1605. Later, it was occupied by the Wodeyars ,then by Tippu Sultan and ended with the reign of British. Currently, it is being maintained by the ASI . An entrance fee of Rs.5/- is charged for all Indian tourists. The Fort has a great history , according to our guide, Mr Karthe. The Fort has been maintained well, but its surroundings looked like a dump yard, which was very disappointing .
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| Dindigul Fort in the background is Sirimalai Hills |
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| The Outer wall |
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| Steps |
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| Yesteryear's Bazooka |
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| View of Dindigul Town |
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| Inside the Fort |
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| Temple atop |
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| The Temple |
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| View of Kodai Hills |
After exploring Dindigul, we raced towards Madurai. Somehow, we decided to skip Madurai for time being and headed towards Tenkashi . We checked in to a lodge and had a nice nap.
Total Kilometers traveled 611.3 kms.
Total Driving time: 9 hours .
To be capped .......................
Great trip.
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