Tamil Nadu – Exploring South India Part 1

Tamil Nadu is the neighbouring state to Kerala and a continuation of our exploration of the south of India. After our relative success with the overnight buses, we decided to use the sleeper bus again for the 7-hour journey to reach Madurai. Our bus had the same level of comfort as the previous experience, fully flatbeds and curtains for privacy. Leaving at 10 pm we settled down intending to sleep for most of the journey. All was working out well until we discovered that our neighbouring traveller in the bed directly opposite us snored like a chainsaw – accompanied by intermittent belches and escapes of other gases. All luck of the draw I guess. Thankfully I always travel with earplugs and once we hit the highways the engine noise masked out some of the purring from him, and it would appear that Bryan was not bothered by it so at least one of us managed to sleep.

We had one bathroom stop during the journey. A relief until I saw that these bathrooms did not even have the squat toilets that we have become accustomed to. The ones available this time had no toilet as such, squat or western, but simply a drain in one corner of the tiled floor and a tap on one side. Trying hard not to think too much about what I must now be standing in, to be fair the floor was wet but otherwise looked relatively clean, I did what I needed to do before heading outside to wash my shoes off and find Bryan ready and waiting with the hand sanitizer that we use everywhere we go. Thankfully there was nowhere to buy a drink and a no-liquids rule seemed to be appropriate for the rest of the journey.

Madurai did not create a good first impression. Its streets are unkempt and dirty and by day are busy and noisy. It did grow on me during our few days there however with the streets so full of life and it gave us a chance to see yet another side of India. The Meenakshi Temple was well worth visiting. This is a huge temple complex that is open to non-Hindus, apart from one inner sanctum. There are four main entrances adorned by spectacular tower gates. No shoes, mobile phones or cameras are allowed in the temple. We walked for miles inside the temple so ended up with sore and filthy feet, but spent several hours wandering through the complex missing with pilgrims and tourists. The scale and architecture were stunning, with numerous shrines throughout. Many pilgrims pray for miracles by making a sacrifice and along with many carrying trays of fruits and flowers, some make even sacrifice their hair – both men and women, and we saw many shaven-headed pilgrims. Just opposite the temple was the Tailors Market. Rows of fabric stalls with tailors waiting to make up clothing, bags etc on request.

It is in Madurai that Gandhi decided that, forevermore, he would wear the dhoti (Indian loincloth) and shawl. The Gandhi museum in Madurai contains the blood-splattered loincloth that he was killed in. The museum gives a startling depiction of the British history in India up to Independence in 1947. It depicts the British as ruthless oppressors who did little more than drive India into desperate poverty, heightened caste segregation and were desperate to rid India of the superstitious behaviours that form a major part of the Hindu faith. Reality dawned that my UK education had not included British colonial history – a shocking realisation that I really had very knowledge about the British in India. I recall history lessons on the Vikings, Tudors and Elizabethans, but nothing on our colonial past. To address this, I have needed to resort to Google searches to fill in the gaps and I am currently reading Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor. All of which has been both eye-opening and eye-watering and has bought a different level of respect and understanding of what has been achieved by India since independence.

With no pre-booking options for our train to Rameswaram, we got our first experience in the general seating for our 4-hour journey. Arriving early ensured we at least got a seat. Public transport in India is pretty basic but generally runs on time and is a pretty efficient system. Our ticket cost less than a dollar each, which more than makes up for a numb butt. What we were not expecting was to travel across the dramatic Pamban Bridge. A 2-mile long railway bridge that connects mainland India to the island of Pamban where Rameswaram is located. Opened in 1917, the bridge is a phenomenal feat of engineering and a breathtaking experience to travel across, not least due to 12-meter drop to the sea from either side of the train as you cross. We went back to see the bridge from the nearby road bridge the following day to get a view from above.

To further our ambition of trying out as many modes of transport as India has to offer, we hired a Royal Enfield for a day to explore the abandoned village of Dhanushkodi which is 20km from Rameswaram. This ride out of town was on roads that are quieter than the usual Indian streets. Our request for helmets for both driver and pillion was met with amusement. Though, by law, helmets are meant to be worn on motorbikes they seldom are. We have witnessed many drivers wearing helmets with their passengers, wives and young children, wearing none. Quite how this is logical to them I am not sure.

Dhanushkodi was destroyed by a cyclone in 1964. With winds of 280 kilometres per hour and waves of 7 metres, 1800 died, including 115 passengers on board the Pamban-Dhanushkodi passenger train – on the railway track we had travelled across the day before. Dhanushkodi as been uninhabited ever since, with the exception of small fishing colonies, souvenir stalls and roadside cafes. Ruins of parts of the town still remain and it is possible to see parts of the old church, temple and railway station.
At the most southern point of Dhansukodi is the chain of limestone shoals know as Adam’s Bridge. The closest point to Sri Lanka that lies just 30 km away. Though not a bridge in the true sense of the word, it is claimed that it was once above the water.

Visiting the Sri Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple the following day we saw some of the floating stones that it is claimed much of Adam’s bridge was built from. Most of what I have read about these is a clash between Hindu mythology and science. Though there is still some scientific belief that Adam’s Bridge could have been man-made and that these stones do have the unusual characteristic of being less dense than water. They have been disproven to be coral or pumice. Even NASA has become involved in the debate. It turns out that coral’s chemical composition is too dense to float on water, and pumice only floats for a while and would need a nearby volcanic activity to be in existence in the area, which there is not. All very curious and quite fascinating. Thank goodness for good value 4g data in India to enable us to feed our curiosity with copious amounts of Internet searching for the history and facts of the places we have visited.

Read more about our travels in Tamil Nadu with Pondicherry, Auroville, Mahabalipuram and Chennai in Part 2.

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