Thrivikramji on A Rameswaram Ramanasramam trip with Geetha

My wife Geetha is walking slowly toward the south tower gate-gopuram of Meenakshi Temple Madurai. It is after a late night sleep in the Railway dormitory or equivalent in the station that we started walking to the temple.

Closer view of the Meenakshi Temple gopuram

Meenakshi Temple gopuram plus the tall compound with vertical white cherry red stripes – In fact this decoration on the compound is unique to the temples of Tamil Nadu. It had been copies by others in t he neighbouring states also.

Meenakshi Temple gopuram gets painted like this quite regularly but periodically. I do not like this personally. Point is it is very difficult to fgure out the figures or figurines adorning the free exterior space of gopuram.

Geetha in Meenakshi Temple

Meenakshi Temple- another shot. There are two sets of compound walls and two sets of four gopurams each. Quite a bit of money was spend on those days to create this food-for-work like mission of wealthy led by the local ruler.

This pillayar -ganapthy- is the first stop inside the temple for the visitors but not the workers/staff.

This is what is called Ayiram kal-thousand pillar- mandapam with in the temple complex.

Geetha is taking a walk here in the mandapam.

Inside the temple complex in the museum

Outer walkway around the tall inner compound

Geetha posing for a picture

Now Thrivikramji got pictured

Now we are in Ramaeswaram

Closerup vieiw of Gopura vasal

Later in the same evening when the lights were switched on

The majestic and uniquely singular prakaram anywhere in t he world.

Another entrance to the temple

Geetha in the prakaram.

Geetha walks thru prakarm.

Look at the length and the formation of stone pillars lined up with out any engineering knowhow

Another view

Vibhishana Temple, Dhanushkodi, Rameswaram

Barren backshore, Dhanushkodi

Large H a helipad
On right background Vibishana temple

The westerly view from the Dhanushkodi spit {?}

U could hire the Minivan to the tip of the dhanushkodi, say 12 km, away.

Thrivikramji shot again with a lens

Lens captured Thrivikramji

Rameswaram Terminus
We took a trip from here to Thiruannamalai-part train and part road

Camera looking thru the window at the scenes on our way to Chennai from Rameswaram. I suppose train left Rameswaram aroound 5 O’clock in the evening

Look at the sand dues on the rail road side

Distal view of sand dunes

Geetha chose to take an early nap in the train

A view of The Pamban concrete bridge from the train over the thatched roof of storages.

Calm waters around Pamban.

A wider shot.

The solid objects projecting out of the sea water and along a line is the ruins of a road-cum-rail bridge washed away in a sea-storm in mid-Dec.1964. We as students were camping in Tadapatri (south AP) with Dr Raju Philip, read about it in News paper, on the following a day – a sunday

A closer view of the segmented or ruin of bridge pier

The New concrete pier of the modern road bridge. Delhi Metro Sreedharan was involved in the construction group. GSI did the marine survey for the alignment according C. Karunakaran, the DGGSI.

Looking at the bottom of the deck from thru train window

Another rudiment of old pier

Bridge ends at the Pamban end and train ready to stop at Pamban station

Notice the salt encrusted intertidal land

Our train in inland from the coast, and sure it was getting dark

A shot of Thiruannamalai

Geetha too liked the flower

Gopuram at Thiruannamalia

Closer up view. No one can stop EB putting up power lines and luminaries, often at the coast of the view of such historic and archaeologically important structures in our country.

MUbiquitous coconut palm

Another tower – another view. In fact there are two sets of compounds and four gopurams each in both.

MGetting a good shot of the gopuram is indeed a difficult task.

Even here I miss the street level floor of the gopuram

In deed a novel view of gopuram

Geetha takes the path in between the two compounds of the temple.

Gopurams lined along a line. View from the eastern entrance of temple

Ceiling painting was a favorite pastime of Michaelangelo.
Out yestercarafts men made the carvings and lifted the stone slabs up above to decorate.

I like this view of gopuram. Do You?

Thiruannamala is also known for a hermi- Ramana Maharshi
Geetha in the Ramanasram compound

This old man perhaps takes a break after the visit to the asramam. They serve three free meals a day to the visitors.
In fact we are in side the main entrance. On t he right side is inquiry/reception etc

A geologically interesting scene. A crystalline rock ridge is covered with rectangular boulders with the corners and edges unsharp. Dominantly a work of physical weathering. This is only one site in the ridge others follow. If you took a bus from Villipura to Thiruannamalai u will notice this on your right side more than half ways from Vilippuram.

A geologically interesting scene. A crystalline rock ridge is covered with rectangular boulders with the corners and edges unsharp. Dominantly a work of physical weathering. This is only one site in the ridge others follow. If you took a bus from Villipura to Thiruannamalai u will notice this on your right side more than half ways from Vilippuram.

Another view.

Another view.

I liked this frame

This circular interchange near Villipuram is a smart way of speeding the flow of traffic. Kerala engineers are yet to learn THESE BASICS of road building.

Another view

You cross this Bridge across a ephemeral river -Pennar (?)- on your trip to Chennai from Thiruannamalai.

We are in Chennai Egmore- in the last leg of the trip

Inside Chennai Egmore Train Station

Look at the steel fab work of the Chennai Egmore station