NH 45

NH 45 is a famous National Highway in Tamil Nadu that begins in Chennai and ends at Kumuli in Kerala. It is also called the GST (Grand Southern Trunk) Road or the Chennai-Trichy Highway, a vital road to connect the southern districts of Tamil Nadu and a highway that I have traveled a lot.

(Batlagundu bypass)

Since we travel to Kodaikanal frequently, NH 45 is the shortest and easiest route for us to take. It is a single-long stretch of road from Chennai and up to Batlagundu or Sempatty, where we turn left to drive up the mountains. This road has become familiar to us, and we also got bored seeing the same landscape, locations, and bare highway. However, NH 45 has the smoothest road compared to the Chennai-Bangalore highway, and the double lane from Dindigul to Kumuli is also fantastic.

(A scenic drive toward Cumbum valley, and this is one of my favorite spots)

Actually, Dindigul to Kumuli is my favorite route, and I enjoy traveling on it for scenic views at any time because the road travels along the western ghats and fertile lands and becomes generous as we enter the Cumbum valley with its three sides of mountains. During our nighttime travels on this road, we could see the lights of Kodaikanal blinking like a bunch of stars dumped in one place.

(Chennai-Trichy highway, during a winter foggy morning.)

I saw NH 45 signs on the same road, but Google Maps assigns different numbers to this road at various points. When I search Google Maps for NH 45 Tamil Nadu, it only shows a short stretch of road across Dindigul town and another across Madhya Pradesh state. And NH 44 denotes the road from Kanyakumari to Agra, which was earlier designated as NH 7. On Google Maps, there is a lot of variation and confusion with highway numbers that refer to early numbers. 

Whatever the number, this NH 45 is unavoidable and easier to access in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. 

A long trip after a long time! To Kodaikanal

After nearly three and a half years of "gap," or my first long vacation post-COVID, happened suddenly last week. We went to our customary destination, which, if you have guessed, is none other than Kodaikanal. We stayed at our uncle's woodhouse, Smokey Haven, in half of the hills of Kodaikanal named Thandikudi.

My brother had a few days off and wanted to go on a trip. I was not in the mood to travel and had no intentions of traveling during this bitterly cold winter in the highlands. He convinced or was coerced into convicting us of causing ourselves damage with cold. In real life, we suffered, but we managed to breathe through sunny, cold, rainy, and foggy days.

We left home at 7.30 a.m. and arrived at our destination only at 9 p.m., covering a distance of approximately 500 kilometers. It was January 26, Republic Day in India, with only one day off for the weekend; many seemed to take a day off to extend the holiday, hit the road either for tourism or a hometown drive, which contributed to delaying our trip, aside from a few stops to rest for the brother who drove the entire trip. 

The restaurant where we bought lunch

We usually have lunch in Trichy or would have crossed the same by the time, but this time we had our evening tea in Trichy and bought dinner in Dindugul to eat at the woodhouse because it would be demanding to make our own, and there cook was also out of town. It was quite dark when we started climbing the hills, and we are left blind if there is no car light and the guiding angel, the moon. 

Driving on a highway with a twilight sky

Thandikudi (the location of the uncle's wood house) has a separate route from going to Bathalagundu and following the main road to Kodaikanal; it has the slightest traffic. I usually have my mobile in hand when riding on this road to take photos, but this time I couldn't take shots beyond the scene above. The one below is a sunny day photo from the next morning with a refreshing sight of orange vines across the gateway of the woodhouse.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

December and My Trip to Kanyakumari (10-year completion)

December is a cold month in India, and post-monsoon, the earth is so wet, and the winter adds coldness to the season. December is my favorite month and season to take outdoor trips due to the coolness that prevails during this time and the following month of January is best to explore and experience places in light warm weather. 

Rather than saying December, it's the winter that makes things work for me and keeps me at a pace than lazily cuddled around, which many generally prefer during this time of cold.  The trips I had during this time were remarkable and memorable, and one such trip was my trip to Kanyakumari in 2011.  Ten years have passed, and December always reminds me of that travel, the longest one I ever had. 

We then fitted our SUV with new tires. We even serviced the vehicle - as we were going on a long trip - it started to wobble when we went for a 100 plus km and further driving up, we even decided to give up the trip or stay a night at Pondicherry and fix the problem, then continue the journey. Because the way the vehicle shook scared us. 

Our SUV, Mahindra black Scorpio, parked aside the guest house in Kanyakumari overlooking the sea. We bought the vehicle the same year as a 3-year-old then.

But we managed to drive to Trichy, slowly at 80kmph because the wobbling starts, only when we cross 100kmph. Our actual plan was to halt a night at Trichy before heading to Kanyakumari as we took our grandfather along with us - who could not sit long. We have already booked rooms at Trichy, so we decided the fix the vehicle while staying there.

But still, we couldn't fix the problem, and the mechanics did some work, and it felt better, but the wobbling happens occasionally. Finally, in Madurai, we checked the wheel alignment and solved the problem. It was about 9.30 or 10pm when we reached Kanyakumari - the southern tip of India - traveling about 700kms; my cousin arranged two rooms in the government tourism house there, overlooking the confluence of three seas, the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, and Arabian sea. 

The guest house, and the elegant door of the same.

The morning was like never before, and waking up to see the sea was the first time in my life and was too special. Kanyakumari is renowned for its sunrise and sunset; since we traveled the previous day, we were too tired to get out to watch the sunrise. The next day, my mom and grandma went to the terrace of the building we stayed to watch the sunrise. But they were disappointed to see the cloud covering up the magnificent sight. 

Sunrise obstructed by the clouds. Mom captured the view from the terrace of the guesthouse overlooking the Thiruvalluvar statue and Vivekananda rock.

The guest house we stayed has located close to the beach - the convergence of three seas -  and despite the slope, since the landscape of Kanyakumari has slightly elevated from sea level, I easily accessed it in the wheelchair. Thankfully they had laid ramps till the pillared hall and the rocky shore that marks the southern edge of India.

At the convergent point of 3 seas along with dad, mom, and grandma.

I enjoyed watching the waves crashing the rocks - and some daring guys confronting the rushing waves against the forbid - and also the much-awaited view of the majestically standing Tiruvallurar statue on the rock offshore. At 133 feet height, the stone sculpture of the Tamil poet (the tallest statue of India, when erected on the millennium day of 1 January 2000) and author of the classic Tamil text Tirukkural stood facing the Indian subcontinent like a sentry of Tamil Nadu. 

On the rock beside the Vallurar statue is the Vivekananda Rock Memorial (the rock where Vivekananda meditated or have attained enlightenment). The monument has built (in 1970) in honor of Swami Vivekananda, who swam across the sea to reach rock against the threat of sharks to meditate for three days. 

We thought of trying the cruise ride to the Vivekananda Rock before getting down to the shore. But climbing the cruise boat doesn't seem a good idea for a wheelchair person; when it is a challenge to ordinary people. But my mom and grandmother took the boat ride to the rocks in the afternoon; while I went on exploring other places with my cousin, grandpa, and dad.

While being on the shore, I could not stop thinking of the 2004 Tsunami, a deep wave that wrapped the coast of South Asia, killing thousands of people, and the towering waves that rocked the Tiruvalluvar statue. The roaring of people (that time) echoed through the rocks with each crashing wave, and that being a December month - that tsunami shook the coast on Dec 26th - grief the heart further.

Sculpture built in memorial of victims of the tsunami, on the shore of Kanyakumari

That evening I visited another area in Kanyakumari that faced havoc with the tsunami, which I think of making another post along with other places in Kanyakumari. I like to stop here as the post grow bigger. 

Excavator

Something I never miss to check - the construction of an excavator on top of a building - when nearing Trichy on the national highway with Chennai. In the beginning, perhaps in 2006, when I first saw the excavator, I wondered how they lift that heavy machine to the top of the building without realizing that it was a concrete structure. 

The excavator is built west facing and comes on the highway's right side when driving from Chennai and a few hundred meters from Trichy SRM Medical College. I learned that the excavator (structure) and the entire building belong to the MIHM Heavy machinery driving school. A place that seemed to train people in handling heavy machines.

The images here were shot in 2016 when returning from Kodaikanal via Trichy.

Some Highway Skies

The national highways has never been my favourite to look forward to ride and it has anything cheerful to keep up the ride as most of the stretches goes bare and bore, only the skies comes to rescue. We get to see different skies and patterns as we kept moving esp. on the highways, the change was constant and the sky wasn’t same anywhere and here I share some sky shots that I took while riding on the highways for the family vacation to Kodaikanal.

The sky wasn’t much interesting to shoot this time but was better with puffy clouds floating across the blue-sky only after riding more than 100km outskirt of Chennai. These were shot between Villupuram to Trichy highway and there are few more to share another day. 

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Bits on travel to Udumalpet

Though winter is here and the weather turns chill in the morning and foggy experienced at the outskirts of Chennai, my journey to Munnar began on the early hours of November 26 wasn’t much different due to the low pressure in bay, I experienced a feel on mountains. The travel between Thiruporur - Chengalpattu, in the outskirts of Chennai south, was blissful than ever while passing the countryside beside the hill and forest terrain. The picture below will give idea how the travel was and the glasses were scrolled down until touched the national highways.

But the entire journey wasn’t on NH, and we took a detour at Perambalur instead going down to Trichy to reach Musiri, a town on the north bank of Cauvery. Crossing the river, we hit the NH again before took turn to Dharapuram to go to stay at Udumalpet where we booked rooms at govt. guest house. On the road to Thuraiyur, from Perambalur I come across a beautiful temple tower which I had no idea until I browsed using the location marked at the iPhone image detail. I shot many photos using my iPhone SE, like ever with a mobile, and it was quick and easy than a P&S.

The temple was at a village called Kurumbalur, and the temple named as Panchanadeeswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the temple was built in 10^th century by King Veeratarajan. First time traveling on this road the weather was helping hand, aside the cool countryside and trees guarding roadsides. Again on NH, we encountered two big blades of windmill (pic below) transported in trucks.  Around Dharapuram and Udumalpet one could find number of windmills and this region is open to many windmill farms since it falls under the straight line of Palakkad gap, through which it receives Arabian Sea breeze.

Across Dharapuram, the state highway was really good and beautiful with all the curves and row of trees was inspiring to shoot. The drizzling weather was like ice on the cake and we couldn’t stop have tea from the roadside tea shop even before it turned 4pm. Being a Sunday Udumalpet was bare enough with almost shops closed, and the guest house on the Munnar road was easy to move out rather going into the town. They allotted two rooms for us, but the five of us decided to stay at the AC room, though we didn’t used the AC since the weather was cool enough. 

Collage on the scenic  state highway around  Dharapuram, towards Udumalpet

Lovely Sky Watch III

Traveling from Trichy to Dindigul on NH 45 is always my favourite route to sky watch and fluffy cumulus clouds are found a lot on this stretch. Being a bare landscape for almost, the sky is wide and vastly open and against the blue skies the floating clouds turned to be a magnificent vista. The fluffy white clouds turned grey and pinkish at some places where playing light and shadow throughout the journey. While nearing Dindigul and beyond the town more grey clouds arrived at the sky and started to drizzle slowly.  And further will be shared in future post.

Vast sky with fluffy clouds (all pics can be enlarged)

A beautiful Church on Trichy - Dindigul highway 

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Lovely Sky Watch II

Following my earlier post, I’m sharing another set of sky photos from the travel (to Kodai in July) further on the NH 45 passing Villupuram and Perambalur districts, the sky you watch here is above Trichy. These photos were shot while traveling on the bridges across Cauvery River and railway crossing and I find these spots apt to shoot as it kept away the building interrupting the scene. The sky came up with different shapes of fluffy cumulus clouds that keep inspiring to shoot and watch with interest. But it was the sky between the Trichy and Dindigul that fascinated me a lot and it could be my next sky watch post. 

 

 

 

The pictures were all shot through the windshield 

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

RGB Monday

Splash of colors

It seems sometime i did RGB monday post, and when i think what to post today, the led blinks. The photo was captured on the national highway 45, while coming from Trichy towards Chennai and I liked the design or stickering of colourful water splash on the boot of the bus. I cropped the picture just to highlight the splash of colors and the bus belong to Pondicherry seems to drive towards the state. 

Reforestation

A forest  is recreated near Trichy on the Chennai - Trichy National Highway. The 35 acres of the forest landscape (near MR Pallayam) is supposed to transform into Elephant Rescue centre, the project, first of its kind was initiated by the former government to provide medical care to sick elephants belonging to temples and the individuals. But it was not fully implemented by the following regime.

The objective of creating the centre in the state is to provide complete medical treatment to sick elephants. The funds allotted in the first instalment from the government have been utilized… and the project is waiting for further funds from govt. One traveling between Perambalur and Trichy could come to see the plantation of trees and a damaged structure of an elephant’s statue marking the project.

Today is International Day of Forests, a day that was designated to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests. 

Travel to Palani

It was partially wonderful traveling from Thanjavur to Palani after our breakfast in Hotel Saravana Bhavan – popular for delicious taste across the state; we directed by our friendly caretaker in Thanjavur to reach Trichy. My only intention was to visit Thanjavur Big Temple on its 1000th year, so I missed many wonderful places within Thanjavur, including the Palace and Raja Raja Cholan memorial hall which we passed with an unease mind of just lookout structure.

On the way in the NH towards Trichy we find an interesting building in the name of Tamil University. Living in Tamil Nadu and speaking the language, I never know there is a university in name of Tamil dedicated to the classical language and to do advanced studies and research on its linguistics, literature, translation and art including conducting various programs regard to language, literature and sculpture. We stopped sometime to glance the building in a modern temple like structure with two tiger pounce statues on either side of compound.

The roads were partially good even under constructions and after crossing Trichy it was pleasant and calm but certain diversion between lanes disturb and a small mistake divert us on Madurai road instead of Dindigul to later take a U turn in a km. It was really an uncertain signboard with least different in showing the direction could confuse any unfamiliar in this route.

I liked the floating clouds in this route and its dark shadows falling on the hills are a very nice and the big Murugan statue that stands on this way is one of an attraction which I missed couple of times to capture before. This stretch of road just feels like so dry with lack of green fields and farms but the hills provide a good set of views. The huge pipes transported in two trucks cause a wonder and got to think what purpose these pipes except the thought of windmill poles.

The many hills come across want me to guess about certain hills that ponder in mind but they all take diversion from my way and at last took right to Palani from Dindigul - the fort seen far away. It was truly pleasure drive thought this stretch with the enormous sight of my favorite Western Ghats following aside and the foothills are surrounded by green fields and the breathtaking views and breeze carries me away…

I really enjoyed my stay in Palani and going around the places was an enchanting trail in the witness of Western Ghats that almost visible from everywhere and sometimes mist capped. We reached Palani in afternoon and stayed in the New Tirupur Lodge booked by my dad’s friend’s relatives there and had our lunch in Hotel Nalapakam, which is in the ground floor of the same building.

I must really need to say about the Hotel Nalapakam which treated us in a very kind manner that I never felt like ever. The servers there are very friendly and esp. towards me, their way of showing concern and care at my content feed is enhance and moved me enormous to feel like at home. They have separate places for breakfast and lunch, and being difficult for me to enter the lunch hall; they allowed having my lunch in breakfast hall, and one of the servers was pointed to take care of my need and an old man in grandpa age brought tub for me to wash hand.

I wonder how many restaurants treat people like this in a very kind and home alike attitude and care. I feel gratitude towards their attitude to make certain that we feed content and more or less the price comes only next and they don’t stretch bills and what we pay in fair to cashier is taken into account. This showcase their trust in there customers but as fair as we are such attitudes will continue and I sure there must be someone noticing us silently.

We took leisure sometime after our lunch in the room before proceed to Hill Temple. We stayed in the first floor of the lodge which has a lift facility to make certain comfort and pleasure comes for the balcony of the lodge which cause cool breeze and views of the Western Ghats and the lake opposite. Presented in the main road lead to the foothill of Palani, the street provides a good time pass in the presence of shops, horse carts and people and being unseasonal the place lacks crowd.

continues...

Kodai Kondattam (celebration)

These flowers were grown on the compound of our House were we stayed

Trichy Uchchi Pillaiyar Kovil (top ganesh temple), took when i was crossing Cauvery river

My Kodai Kondattam (enjoy) started on 26th Friday 6.pm. We took a Toyota Quails for out travel; luckily I sit in the front seat for sight scenes. It takes at least 12 to 13 hours to reach Kodaikanal. This was the long distance I traveled in last seven years. The highway road was very nice up to Dhindivanam, after that the road was shorter as 2-way lane. I really feel that traveling in highways is risk. The Driver Raja was driving well without any sudden break or Sound Horne (only in some unavoidable turns). The climate was very cool when we start our travel. The sight scenes are very beautiful, the Cauvery River, the small villages, fields, hills ect.. The road form Dindigul to Kodai road was beautiful with 2 sides’ hills, coconut grove, banana grove and sunflower fields. When we cross the Thiruchi 3 Quails was overtake us, in that the Pondicherry Chief Minister R.Rangasamy was traveling, we can’t hope that a chief minister was traveling before us. He was very simple; with only 2 police vehicles are following him. We were following him, they also traveling in Quails, they were very fast, our driver was chasing them, it was very easy to for us, the opposite vehicles leave way for us, every one thought our vehicle was also Chief Minister. It was very funny, people on the road are seeing our vehicle and taking some thing, my cousin brother was showing hands for them. I think he was going for Palani Murugar temple, so he went on another way. We thanked him, to, clear our way and help the travel easy.

Kodaikanal with Mist

Every place was very green, the road form Kodai Road to Kodaikanal was wonder, I enjoyed it, the bends and the horn sound was remember traveling in Thirupathi hills. When we travel higher the wind was cool, the moneys are welcoming us with their kids, the drizzle are very nice. When we reach the top we cant see nothing down, because of mist, everywhere was mist. Very very cool, my two eyes are not enough for seeing that. WOW

Continue….

The Assembly Election to Tamil Nadu in May. end.

Last Post. Continue…

Whether he stays in the coalition or leaves it, Vaiko is bound to lose. A split in the party is imminent if Vaiko decides to remain with the DMK. While one section wants him to stay on, another wants him to opt out. Whatever decision he takes would lead to a split. Seat sharing, as always, is a prickly problem for the alliance. It is reliably learnt that while the PMK has demanded 40 seats the Congress has asked for 40, the Left Parties 25 each, and the MDMK, 30. Informed sources in the DMK, how ever, said the party would concede 35 seats to the Congress, 24 each to the PMK and the DMK, and 7 each to the Left parties. That would leave the DMK with 135 seats to contest and hope to win 118 of them for a simple majority on its own. Clearly, not many parties are going to accept this arithmetic. We are determined not to settle for anything less than 10. It is time the Left parties asserted themselves, said a senior CPI leaders. The PMK is also determined to get more seats since it feels it has positioned itself strongly in the northern districts.

DMK’s Karunanidhi has plans to announce the seat allotment at his party’s state conference in Trichy on March 3rd.DMK said we are sure that the problem would be sorted out by then. We would impress upon the alliance partners the need to stay together even if it means making sacrifices. Karunanidhi would definitely hold the alliance together. Given his age and health, this could be Karunanidhi’s last election as a contestant, and this is sure to give him some mileage. The DMK is also confident that the Left parties and the PMK would have no choice but it hand on. The AIADMK doors are already closed. The third front has proved to be a failed experiment in Tamil Nadu. (-It would be in their own interest to be in the DMK-led front.)-

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has adopted a different strategy to attract the masses. And, film personalities, including actors Vijayakumar, Murali and Senthil and director-actor Manobala are making a beeline for the AIADMK office. (On Jayalaithaa’s 58th birthday the Actors pulled Temple Cart). Some actors are expected to get tickets, too, But I think the party use them only for propaganda. The chief minister has also announced a slew of Public welfare measures. She allotted 9 seats for The Dalit Party, Freedom leopard by Thol. Thumavalavan, she is also likely to align actor Vijayakanth’s party, but Vijayakanth announced to contest on his own all 248 assembly. The Actor Karthick who has joined in the Forward block is ready to alliance with the two main party, if they dint call him, he decided party contest in its own. Even so, she would have a tough time combating the seven-party alliance led by the DMK.

From January the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announcing new projects and schemes for people. She has giving back some concession to Government servants and teachers, which she toke form them 3 years back, and introducing concession for Farmers, this is all in the mark of coming elections. The chief Minister Jayalaithaa hope on its 5 year rule and announcing good schemes for people. The DMK is hope of its alliance and the DMK minister in central doing some useful things for Tamil Nadu, like digging Sethusamutharam shipping canal, which is going to give a good future for Thuthukodi Harbor, but I hate this project, because they are destroying the nature and some special sea life by digging canal. All media and papers are announcing flurry news about the election and the parties’ alliance. If the old politicians and old people give way for youth, and encourage them to participate in election, we can see a good future for Tamil Nadu.