Eternal India Encyclopedia

ETERNAL

INDIA

encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

Vellore

: 130 kms from Madras. The fort on the River Pallar (and

th*e Jalakanteshwara Temple inside it) was built in the 16th cen-

tury. It was associated with the Revolt of 1857 . Also famous for

Christian Mission Hospital established in 1900 by American mis-

sionaries.

Gingee

: 13th century fort built by the Cholas and occupied by the

Vijayanagar kings, Nayakas, Marathas, French and British.

Chidambaram

: 9th century temple complex of Nataraja, dedi-

cated to Shiva in his aspect of the cosmic Dancer. Two of the

temple's gopurams are covered with sculptures illustrating the

108 positions of the Natya sastra, the science of dancing. The

sanctum has a statue of Shiva as Nataraja in an alloy of five

metals.

Tranquebar

: Old Danish port town from 1620 - 1840. It was then

sold to the British. Dansborg Castle, old fort, is well preserved.

Kumbakonam

: 68 kms from Chidambaram and 313 kms south of

Madras. One of the oldest cities of the south, on the banks of the

Cauvery River. There are four big temples here.

Thanjavur (Tanjore):

Capital of the Chola empire. The

Brihadeshwara Temple is the culminating glory of Chola temple

architecture. The dome is a single piece of granite weighing 81

tonnes. It was moved up by hauling it along a 6km long ramp.

There are 70 other temples.

Tiruchirappalli (Trichi)

: 310 kms from Madras on the banks of

the Cauvery. The Rock Fort Temple on top of a huge outcrop of

rock is reached by climbing 437 steps. The 11th century temple

carved out of the rock is a brilliant example of Pallava architecture.

Srirangam

: 7 kms north of Tiruchirappalli. The Sri Ranganatha

Swami Temple is the largest in India. It is surrounded by 7

concentric walls and has 21 gopurams. The Jambukeshava Temple

is dedicated to Shiva and has five concentric walls and seven

gopurams.

Madurai

: Second largest town in Tamil Nadu. Developed as a

centre of Dravidian culture under the Nayak Kings who ruled from

1565 to 1781. The 17th century Meenakshi Temple is the second

largest in South India. It has nine gopurams with sculptures of

Hindu gods and goddesses. Part of the temple complex houses a

museum — the Temple Art Gallery museum. There are several

other important temples in Madurai.

Tirumalai Nayak Palace

: This Indo-Saracenic Palace was built in

1636 by the ruler whose name it bears. There is a

sonet lumiere

English which tells the history of the city.

Gandhi Museum

: Contains Gandhi memorabilia.

Rameshwaram

: This is an island in the Gulf of Mannar which is

connected to the mainland at Mandapam by rail. A major pilgrim-

age centre. Ramanathaswamy Temple has magnificent corridors

lined with sculptured pillars. One corridor is 1220 m (4000ft), the

longest in the world.

Kanyakumari

: Land's End, the southernmost tip of India. This is

where the waters of the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of

Bengal meet. At full moon you can see the sunset and the moon-

rise over the ocean. The Kanyakumari Temple attracts pilgrims

from all over India who come to worship and to bathe.

The Vivekananda Memorial is on two rocky islands where

Swami Vivekananda sat meditating in 1892. There is an 8ft statue

of Vivekananda.

Courtallam

: A pleasant resort with a 300ft waterfall. Facilities

for bathing. There are seven sparkling waterfalls.

Kodaikanal

: 120 kms from Madurai. Charming hill station built

round the lake.

Ootacamund (Ooty):

The Queen of Hill stations. Now known

as Uthagamandalam, 605 kms from Madras. Coonoor and Ko-

tagiri are small hill stations close to Ooty.

Yercaud

: Quiet little hill station in Salem district.

Hogenakkal

: Waterfall on the Cauvery. 114 kms from Salem,

132 kms from Bangalore.

Mudumalai Game Sanctuary

: 73 kms from Ooty, 97 kms from

Bangalore. Tiger, elephants, deer, bison £tc.

TRIPURA

A former princely state, it became part of the Indian Union in

1949 and a separate state in 1972. A beautiful state with hills and

forests. There are 586 tea gardens in Tripura. Capital Agartala.

The Vijayanta Palace is in the heart of the town.

Sipahijala:

35kms from Agartala. Built over 4 sq.miles of land

donated by Maharajah Vir Vikram to a sipahi (soldier). Hence the

name. An artificial lake, zoological and botanical garden form a

delightful picnic spot. The zoo is in the middle of forest land.

Udaipur

: 45 kms from Agartala. Lake temples. Once called the

city of temples. Many of those that survive are in a ruined

condition.

Nirmahal:

39 kms from Udaipur. The Nirmahal or water palace

has been built in the Rudrasagar lake.

Dombur Falls:

110 kms from Agartala. Site of Tripura's first

hydel project. There is a dam on the Gomti River and an artificial

lake has been constructed with. 21 islands. A popular tourist at-

traction.

Jompui Hills

: 250 kms from Agartala, 3000 ft in altitude. The

Lushais, who are now Christians, live here. The colourful cos-

tumes of the Lushais match the beauty of nature.

Tourist can come from Agartala to Dharmanagar by bus. They

can travel by jeep to the Kanchanpur Forest Lodge for an over-

night stay and travel by jeep to the Jompui Hills. Dharmanagar is

connected by bus to Silchar in Assam.

Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, west, south

and part of the eastern border which leads to Assam. There is a

daily plane service from Calcutta which is only 45 minutes from

Agartala.

UTTAR PRADESH

Lucknow

: The most populous State in India. Has places which are

holy to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The capital city is