The Great
Konkan Run – Day 21: Thrissur, Vadakkumnathan Temple, Lourdes Cathedral, Palakkad Fort, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, Bangalore
This is your last day in
Kerala. First you will have a look around Thrissur, founded by Parashuram, and probably
the oldest town in Kerala. Then you will move eastbound dropping in at Palakkad
before making your way towards Coimbatore and onwards to Bangalore. Yes,
Thrissur does turn out to be interesting and you would love to come back here
to visit the temples and churches and the Archaeological Museum at leisure.
 |
| The beautiful Vadakkumnathan Temple, Thrissur, Kerala |
 |
| The pretty Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral in Thrissur |
Thrissur city looks
interesting. In the centre of the city, there is a hillock called Thekkinkadu
Maidan in which the Vadakkumnathan Temple is built. Just like the C-Hexagon of
New Delhi which runs around the India Gate, here in Thrissur, the Swaraj Round
runs around the Maidan with the temple in the centre and that's where you are going in circles.
 |
| The 12th Century Shiv Vadakkumnathan Temple, Thrissur, Kerala |
The Vadakkumnathan Temple is
the prettiest temple and the most atmospheric you have seen so far in the
northern Kerala. The main entrance is through the western gateway which is a
majestic four-tiered pagoda like gopuram. The devotees are few, unlike
Guruvayoor which was swamped with people. Women look pretty in their off-white
traditional sarees with the golden border and flowers in the hair. The saree
and the flower combo does something to your pulse.
You will do something that
you have never done before in public; no, not even at beaches and you have
never swum or taken a dip - you are going to take your shirt off in public. The
temple instructions do not prescribe mandatory dhoti. The three-fourths will
let you in but you have to take that shirt off. You have been on the road for
twenty days now. You have a scraggy beard and even with a shirt on, you look
like a scrawny mongrel. Now the risk is that the temple people will see you in
this famine-struck, Robinson Crusoe condition and might sequester you in the temple kitchen
until they see some flesh on the bones.
 |
| Thrissur: Vadakkumnathan Temple - probably the south gate |
 |
| The western gateway - Vadakkumnathan Temple in Thrissur |
Vadakkumnathan is what
temples should be like. Sprawling campus, spread out shrines, no sign of
concrete, all traditional and all stone and wood. You have never seen a living
temple this quiet and serene and so spotless. There is hushed silence across
the hillock just like what you experience at Buddhist sites. Even the few
devotees seem to whisper to each other. All you can hear is the breeze through
these magnificent teak trees. It seems like you are in a wooded park and the
temples have just appeared amidst all this.
The 12th century
Shiv Temple complex is enclosed by a rectangular colonnade with gateways in
each direction. Inside there are several shrines, with the biggest one
dedicated to Shiv, while the other have deities of Ram and Harihar – a perfect
blend of Shiv and Vishnu. The north-west has a pyramidal roofed Kuttambalam, a
closed temple theatre for staging Kerala’s ritualistic ancient art forms. The
shrines have some incredible wooden work and beautiful murals. No wonder the
temple has received award from UNESCO for conservation work here.
 |
| The sprawling tree lined Thekkinkadu Maidan in Thrissur |
Everything from the
setting, to the pretty girls in sarees with flowers in their hair, the murals,
the wooden sculpted brackets to the circular shrine with conical roof is divine.
On your final day in Kerala, you find a beautiful temple, which is open, and
where you actually wanted to come inside and feel like being in a temple. You
don’t mind that they don’t allow photography inside.
British Online Library
MacMPen-and-ink and water-colour drawing of the plan of the
Hindu temple at Trichur, by John Gould, dated 11 June 1816. Inscribed on front
in ink: 'Plan of the Hindoo Temple of Trichoore in Kerala & of its
Environs. From the Section of the Survey of Travancore. J. Gould 11th June,
1816.'
Travancore,
one of the three princely states of Kerala, consists of three natural
divisions, a coastal area dotted with lagoons to the west, a midland in the
centre and mountain peaks as high as 9,000 feet on the east. One of the most
important Hindu complex of Kerala is the Vadakkunatha Temple at Trichur,
founded in the 12th century and later reconstructed in the 19th century. The
temple houses three shrines (srikovils)
facing west, aligned in a single row in a rectangular court surrounded by a
colonnnade. The northern one is a circular temple known as Vadakkunnatha,
dedicated to Shiva. That at the south is dedicated to Rama. The central of the
three temples is dedicated to Shankara Narayana (Hari-Hara), the combined form
of Shiva and Vishnu and has a double-roofed circular srikovil. The conical
timber roofs are covered with metal and crowned with pot finials. To the west
of each shrine is an open pavilion. In the north-west corner of the outer court
there is a hall for theatrical performances called kuttambalam, with an
impressive overhanging pyramidal roof. The temple has preserved fine wood
carvings and mural paintings.
 |
| Vadakkumnathan Temple - The elephant enclosure towards the north of the temple. And this is the Elephantmobile. Yes the truck carries elephants. Notice the water tank on top of driver's cabin in case the elephant gets thirsty cruising the streets |
 |
Beti tum toh raj karogi, raj. I can see a bangla, a
big car, three kids, a loving husband who will buy jewellery for you every
month and a mother-in-law who will bring you tea in bed every morning.
What will I do all day – just throw attitude around like a
Princess
|
 |
| The breakfast of newspaper - of course Kerala is the most literate state |
You come out of the western
gate and walk north to the elephant enclosures. The elephants are the stars of the annual
festival of Pooram celebrated in April and May when the caparisoned elephants from
neighbouring temples march in a procession to take part in the colourful extravaganza
celebrated in the Thekkinkadu Maidan with the entire area converging to witness
the celebrations.
On the Thrissur-Palghat
road that will take you to Palakkad, you stop over to look at this magnificent
church. The soaring Gothic spire seems to have transported you to one of the
plazas in Europe.
The interiors blow your
mind away. The altar and apse are decorated with pleasing pastel colour paintings.
The dome again done with understated colours will make you fall in love with this
church. Paintings and stained glasses adorning the dome, the beautiful arched
transepts, the brackets holding the fans, the glinting marble floors; the colour scheme is classy and tastefully done and the overall image is of total
awe. On its side, with the entrance from the graveyard, there is an underground
crypt like shrine apparently with beautiful paintings that you missed seeing.
 |
| The graveyard with people coming to pray to their loved ones |
About 65 kms to the east
you will stop over briefly at the Palakkad Fort. Just like the other forts here,
Kerala ASI lovingly maintains this fort too. However, this fort for the first
time is inland and therefore has the protection of a moat that runs around this
rhombus shaped laterite fort with nine bastions. A single causeway on the eastern
side leads you inside the fort, the entrance protected by twin bastions.
 |
| And Kerala ASI keeps surprising you - one more immaculate fort - Palakkad Fort |
 |
| View of the causeway on the east from the ramparts - Palakkad Fort |
 |
| Never seen a moat this clean - Palakkad Fort |
Kerala ASI
These folks are the best in the world. How many times have you
heard them tom-tomming their knowledge? How many so-called historians do you
know of from Kerala holding seminars and lectures? How many Kerala
archaeologists have you heard of going around the country digging up the
countryside even as their own backyards are full of ruined monuments?
This is because Kerala people talk less and do more. They let
their wonderful work speak.
You thought Bekal Fort was an aberration but then every monument,
fort, temple, mosque, church keeps surprising you throughout the trip. And it
is not just the ASI people doing their job. When Kerala tops every people
parameter then you realise what enlightened people can do. You have never seen
forts this clean and this lovingly maintained. There is not a speck of grime
and no litter that usually constitutes the biggest part of forts elsewhere in
the country. Everything is curatedly beautiful. It is as if the people, the
community owns these places and they treat them as if it is their own home. No
wonder the places are as clean as our drawing rooms. You can never imagine the
lovely Kerala folks to ever vandalise or litter their monuments. And
expectedly, you never got into any verbal exchanges with anyone when visiting.
 |
| Palakkad Fort Map |
 |
| The Hanuman Temple on the right - Palakkad Fort |
 |
| Entering the interior of the fort |
 |
| The Archaeology Museum - Palakkad Museum |
 |
| Interesting Dolmen like structures - Logan's book 'Malabar' has some sketches |
 |
| A beautiful baoli in the Palakkad Fort |
 |
| The moat has an integrated stepwell |
The fort was reportedly rebuilt in late 18th century by Hyder Ali as he looked to spread his
influence in Malabar and later to Travancore through this Palghar Gap. The fort would later be in
possession of Tipu Sultan and the British. A Hanuman Temple is built at the entrance.
Inside, there is a small beautifully curated archaeology museum. A magnificent
mango tree grows in the fort. You will spend some time walking around the
bastions, marvelling how well Kerala treats its monuments and peering down at the
deep moat that does not dry even in summers. The moat it seemed served as a stepwell
too for the occupants of the fort.
Kerala trip comes to an end
here in Palakkad. It is now going to be a non-stop drive of about 400 kms to
Bangalore. You would have loved to stop in Coimbatore to meet a friend but you will come back.
 |
| Social Distancing - No Kissing |
 |
| Tamil Nadu Roadways Bus |
You will stay in Bangalore
for the night and leave for Delhi tomorrow.
The journeys will continue.
Missing
Kerala
 |
| You managed to see most of what you had planned |
You will miss the funky
painted technicolor buses of Kannur. You will miss sitting on the bench as
River Periyar murmurs by whispering glorious stories of Muziris. You will miss
the smell of the flowers of this godblessedly strikingly beautiful woman who
had come to light candles at her father’s grave with her mother even as you
shamelessly hit upon her. You will miss seeing the men in their dhotis – and when
they sportingly raised their dhotis knee high so you could click them! You will
miss the lovebirds in their dhoti and flowers in hair combo. You will miss
seeing the unending billboards for gold jewellery and sarees. You will miss the
unbelievable vibe of Fort Kochi and the rendering of Uriah Heep’s ‘Suicidal Man’
by a Navy fellow on India’s Independence Day celebrations on the promenade. You
will miss the frustrating conversations trying to ask for directions, with you
in Hindi and the nice Kerala folks talking in Malayalam. You will miss the duo
on motorcycle who will direct you to the right way for 5 kms. You will miss the
beaches and their quiet on an evening. You will miss the fishermen tirelessly working
their Chinese fishing nets on Periyar. You will miss the conversation with
Connell of Portuguese and English ancestory on the Chinese Net in Kochi as he
reminisced about the good old days as they travelled from Kochi to Bangalore
carrying hashish which they would sell to foreigners and lamenting that the
buggers will just sniff it out if he tried it now. You will miss the waves
lashing the rocks below the ramparts of Bekal Fort even as the burqa clad woman
makes her appearance. You will miss the treacherous single lane highway with
vehicles overtaking in death defying manoeuvres. You will miss the endless
attractions in every city, town and village – each place will need a week to
take in all the heritage, history, sights, nature, spices and people. You will
miss the temples, churches, mosques, beaches, backwaters, boats, palms, those
perfect picture postcards sights whichever way you turn.
Did you say you will miss
the beautiful women in white sarees with golden borders and flowers in hair.
The Progress Today:
 |
| Thrissur to Palakkad and then to Bangalore |
The
Kerala Run:
You drove a total of 1550
kms over a period of seven days over this almost circular circuit covering
Northern Kerala.
Ideas
for Some Future South Trips:
- Mysore area including the
palace and the Hoysala wonder Somnathpura
- The Vijaynagar circuit from
Gingee to Lepakshi and Tadipatri, Belum Caves, Penukonda, Hemavathy, Gandikota,
Gooty, Guntakal and then crossing over into Hampi and spending a week with
Tungabhadra and Anegundi
- Kochi to Rameshwaram via
Travancore, Trivandrum and Kanyakumari
- Twenty days extensive tripping
in Tamil Nadu
References
Lourdes
Cathedral
The
Kerala ASI site is as beautiful as its heritage sites
Palakkad Fort
The Great Konkan Run
If you liked the blogpost then
No comments:
Post a Comment