Hi can chennai members plan a chidambaram trip? possibly june with the summer receding? chidambaram, thiruvengadu and nearabout places discussed in last week. 2 days- saturday morning to sunday evening should suffice.
I was just about to ask if I could join you for the 18th trip ;)
sure, am up for it - I suggest a two day trip, how about june 7 and 8? Spend really good amount of time at the chidambaram temple.
7th 6am - Leave chennai and visit thiruvengadu and xxx 7th 4pm - arrive at chidambaram and check in to a hotel, refresh and have coffee 7th 6pm - go around the temple in its evening glory 7th 9pm - dinner and bonfire 8th 8am to 4 pm - temple and discussions 8th 4pm - checkout and leave for chennai
would be nice if we can see the arudhra darisanam, also if members know of some special pooja days, we can try to move the dates to suit the same.
17th 18th is my college re union. i was planning to spend 19th in the temple, but june 7 and 8 is fine.
people who have recently visited govindaraja temple would remember to have noticed in the prakaram a pillar stands right in the middle of the pathway.where they have the ramar patham. this is rare. and devotees have to go around it . i just want to know if that pillar is in line with the rest of the pillars (and similar in carvings) in the main hall which would prove that the hall preceded the govindaraja shrine. the hall can of course be dated.
-Hi arudra is in december. the crowd is phenomenal. you should see natraja in all his glory on his charriot the preceding day then. but chidambaram is not an ideal place to visit during functions. and there are enough ceremonies everyday to compensate
every morning at 10.30 we have the palm sized translucent jade natraja- rathna sabapathy having an abhisekham we should catch that on the first day itself. we can go round the temple from then and in the evening. thiruvengadu is about an hour from chidambaram. we need to see thiruvengadu the next day morning. see kaveri's confluence. we could start from thiruvengadu straight to chennai by ecr. after lunch. even spend the evening at mahabalipuram sea shore and makee it home by the night. any bachelors around , of course we can visit thiruvidanthai also.
SPS used to say that history is like a 'kallu kadai'. I would say this group is a 'kallu kadai'. 'thanni thelichi vita' case kelvi paturukeengala.... sometime our family does that to us so that we manage to go out a couple of days. :)
As R.Venkatesh said, we used to meet quite often earlier. I think it came down in 2007 and gradually stopped.
But there are people who travel every week. you can find SPS in Kumbakonam or tiruchy or tanjavur during weekends and can never see him in Chennai during a saturday or sunday. Kamal of our group used to call him 'weekend vishnu' because during weekends you can find him anywhere.... morning he will be in kumbakonam, afternoon you can see him in mahabs, evening may be in beach meeting the next morning in tanjai and so on :)
Even the varalaaru team, when they were all in chennai used to travel every weekend.
Being bachelor is an additional previlege but that is not a criteria.
leave chennai at six breakfast at mamalla or midway hotel.
straight to cdm for rathna sabapathy 2 hours at temple. evening fully at the temple 5-9 sunday morning leave to thirvengadu leave back to madras at around 1.
Yes, I prefer a rented cab if we have the numbers (currently we are 4, 1 unconfirmed), otherwise we can drive down, provided we have alternate drivers among us.
actually, with the current numbers one car would do.... how long is it? three hours? I can offer my car - if somebody can drive in the night - I have a night-glare problem, so just in case, I cant drive, somebody should be able to take over.