Sunset at Alappuzha beach

 Prasanna and me at Alappuzha beach

"I guess it will take another hour for the sun to set. Do you think we have enough time to witness the sunset?", I asked Venu. The passenger train that would take us to Kollam was scheduled to arrive in ten minutes.

"Don't worry Jam, passenger trains are always late. Moreover, its a single track route, so the train has to wait till the route is clear from the other direction", he assured.

I had seen the sunrise at Elliots beach on several occasions, but the fact that I was going to witness the sunset for the first time in my life excited me beyond measure.

"Is this like Mangalore beach?" I asked Prasanna the question, with the curiosity of a child. He graduated from NIT Suratkal.

"Beach is beach, Jam", he replied. After a momentary pause, he added "but this place is serene and neat. Mangalore beach is like the Elliots, full of people".

With not even a soul in sight, we sat on the sand facing the tides, contemplating on nothing, until our thoughts were interrupted by Venu suggesting "let us take some photos".

"My camera battery is down", I replied and gave him my mobile camera with instructions on how to take a shot.

While Venu was shooting the last picture of Prasanna and me with the setting sun background, I asked him "What is that train which was just crossing us?"

"Train? What train?", he gave me a quizzical look, looking towards the level crossing then. The last compartment made a slow crossing making the guard light visibleto us.

"Gosh!!! We should be on that train! Run!", he said. And then we ran like mad towards the train, as if a pack of wild dogs were chasing us.

The station is about half a kilometer away from the beach. We reached the level crossing, and ran on the track following the train which had already made a halt, dispersed the passengers and was taking in the ones commuting towards Kollam.

When we were about a hundred feet away from the train, I asked Venu what our plan B was, pointing towards my footwear which had lost its gripper. "Grab it in your hand and run barefoot", came the reply from him.

We reached the station, stopped a while to catch our breath. "I did not see any train running in the opposite direction, so the passenger will stop for some more time", Venu said. Taking his word, we walked towards the train, hastening all the while not taking a chance. By the time we got into the last compartment, the train pulled off from the station!

I uploaded the picture we took at the beach on facebook, joined Venu and Prasanna who had already found the seats for the three of us on an empty partition and hi5'd them for making it to the train. When I was about to lay down, I got a text from my cousin with a question "Where is the setting sun? :P"

Day2: To Chalakudy and South

"Take a sleeper class ticket at the ticket counter and get into any compartment", my friend who hails from Ernakulam advised me before we started our trip.

Remembering his advice, I demanded "two sleeper tickets to Mavelikkara please" at the Chalakudy station counter. A lady, about 50 years old, peered through her glasses and said "I can only issue general tickets to you. You may board in any compartment you want".

I understood what she meant only after I boarded the Venad express [*].

Meanwhile, Prasanna had called Venu, our common friend to fix a rendezvous at Mavelikkara. Having nothing much to do, I started to look at motion pictures outside the window.

An adamant kid refuse to give the rolling suitcase to her grandfather

and she won her way :)

picturesque scene outside the window

Day 2 of our trip ended here at Mavelikkara, with Prasanna and myself re-united with Venu. We took an auto to Venu's house, planned for more actions on Day 3 over dinner, and called it a day.

[*] If you are still wondering what the old lady at the ticket counter meant, Venad express is a day train!

Day2: Athirapalli falls

"You have just enough time to see the falls and race to Chalakudi station to catch the Venad express", Jijo was saying to me.

We were having our lunch at Hotel Saravana Bhavan near the Kalady shrine. "If you choose not to go to the falls, you have to kill about 2 hours in the station", he continued.

"What if we get caught in a traffic on the way to the station?", I asked him not wanting to take a risk of missing the train. "I would rather spend the remaining time in the station", I thought.

"Why are you hell-bent on catching the train?", my friend asked me. "Should we miss the train, we can catch a bus to Mavelikkara", he suggested. Jijo did a quick calculation in mind and said, "Don't worry. You wont miss the train". Saying this, he asked us to get into the cab in a jiffy and started to drive towards the falls.

He drove us through the shortest possible route, reaching the falls in 40 minutes! "Try to make it quick. I will be waiting near the entrance", he said.

We paid money at the counter near entrance, bought the entry tickets for our camera and ourselves, and excused our way through to the falls.

pathway leading to the falls

We reached one of the view points from the top and had a good view of the water flowing towards the falls.

on its way to the falls

 Athirapally falls

"Move in this direction to get a better view of the falls" a sign board said. Not satisfied with the current view point, we started to walk towards the indicated direction, only to find that the other view point is at the bottom of the falls!

We rushed through the path taking short cuts to reach the bottom in shortest possible time, took a few snaps, ran up again and went back to where Jijo had parked the cab, panting heavily.

a view of the falls

"We saw the falls from both the view points in twenty minutes! I think its a record!", I said to my friend. As soon as we got into the cab, Jijo started to race towards Chalakudi railway station. Sitting on the passenger seat, I checked the running status of Venad express using the Indian rail android application. I could finally catch my breath when the Indian rail said "Venad express is delayed by twenty minutes".

Day2: Kaladi - Crocodile Ghat

A view of Periyar river from the Crocodile Ghat

"This is the place where Sankara's leg was bitten by a crocodile about a millennium ago, forcing Aryambal to permit Sankara to adopt sannyasa", explained a display board at the Kalady shrine. Since then, this place is named as the crocodile ghat. The ghat section is located on the banks of Periyar river flowing in front of the main shrine.

"A lamp post made of black stone near a place where Aryambal attained samadhi helped us to locate this spot with precision", explained another board in the shrine. The display boards are an effort by the Sringeri mutt to popularize the legends of the shrine.

I walked up to the sanctum sanctorum of the main deity, Goddess Saradamba, stood in front, closed my eyes and prayed for peace. After accepting the prasad, I reached Aryambal's samadhi, stood in awe looking at the black stone installed ages ago, believed to be by Sankara himself! Standing in front of Aryambal's samadhi, my mind went on contemplating 'enna thavam seidanai' song, written about the motherhood of Krishna.

After paying my due respect, I moved on to Sankara's deity. The age of this holy man is perhaps one of the most debated topics by the scholars from religious schools across India. Googling for "the age of sankara" says the best guess is about 1223 years (as of Oct 2011).

A sense of achievement overwhelmed me when I stood in front of Sankara's deity, for I had come to see the man who existed in flesh and blood centuries ago, whose name is pronounced by everyone's lips at least once praying for a better afterlife. For some inexplicable reason, I moved away from him, without making a prayer.

Day2: Kaladi - footprints (of Lord Krishna)

"Mother, I have prepared this herbal soup for you. It will make you feel much better", Sankara said, handing over the cup of soup to his mother Aryambal.

Aryambal looked at her son, smiled warmly and took the cup of soup. Sankara touched her forehead to note that her temperature had dropped and she would be out of fever in a couple of days.

"Would you like to go for a walk Mother?" Sankara asked her politely, recollecting his younger days when she would take him for a walk along the banks of river Periyar, and would tell him spiritual stories one after another till they reached a small temple shrine of Lord Shiva. As he grew up, her old age caught up with her and confined her indoors.

Sankara helped his mother to her feet, supported her arm around his shoulder and took her for a short walk outside their hut. Slowly they reached the banks of river Periyar which flowed close by. Sankara assisted his mother to sit on the banks of the river on an elevated platform, and sat next to her on the muddy ground.

A view of Periyar river flowing through Kalady

"My son, I have grown older and have become a burden on you" Aryambal said to her son in a regretful voice. "Mother, please! Do not say anything like that. Is it not my duty to serve you?", he asked.

"With each passing day, my end is getting near, my son. I am afraid of my death. I am worried about the fact that I still have not found the purpose of my life", she said. Sankara observed that his mother was struggling to talk continuously, and she panted after every few words.

The conversation with his mother put Sankara  in  a meditative mood, contemplating on the purpose of life. His eyes fixed gazing at the flow of Periyar river.

"Mother, look at this river!", Sankara pointed towards the flow of water, to distract her from disturbing thoughts about her end.

"We do not know where the water originates from, nor do we know where it ends up. But have a look at the water mother! Doesn't it look so happy to be a  part of the big thing called the 'journey of a river'?", he asked.

Reciting a sloka from Bhagavad Gita, Sankara continued, "my mother, Sri Krishna says the true purpose of one's life is to enjoy the journey called 'life' without worrying much about our destination. My mother, is it not true that, to attain salvation one should follow the footprints of Sri Krishna?".
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Legend is that Aryambal was growing old, and found it difficult to go to the banks of the river for her daily chores. Seeing his mother's difficulty, Sankara prayed to Sri Krishna. Krishna appeared before Sankara and promised him a solution.

Krishna asked Sankara to lead him to his place. As both of them started walking, the river took a new course. Following their footprints, it flowed through Sankara's garden, and went on to join the mainstream ahead after a distance. 

Day 2: Kodanad Elephant Kraal

"Did you go to Thekkady?", a guy from Kollam whom I friended yesterday at Indiblogger meet, asked me when I said to him that I visited Kerala about a couple of weeks ago.

"No", I replied.

"Munnar?"

"No!"

I could almost hear him asking "where the hell did you go then?", when I told him the places we (Winnie and myself) visited. He gave a surprised grin, of the same kind which Jijo, the cab driver, expressed when we said "take us to some interesting place nearby" after coming out of Kallil Bhagawati temple.

The best part about going on a trip without having any plans ahead is that you get to talk to local people and find about many places that are interesting, but usually do not find any mention on the web, or through word of mouth. After all, for both of us, since journey is more important than the destination, we were enjoying every moment we spent in and around Ernakulam, with no intention to boast "I too went there"!

It must have been a different kind of an experience for Jijo as well, because he was always called to drive a cab, and (I think) never before was he called to guide a trip! "Have you been to Elephant Kraal?", he asked with an enthusiasm reflecting the feeling you are my guest now and its my duty to show you around!

When we asked him to tell us more about the Kraal, we quickly recognized that that was where we wanted to go. We drove out of the Pulavazhi Kallil Road to reach the elephant kraal in less than 15 minutes. "The Kraal is the only place in Kerala where they rescue and train adult and baby elephants, captured from forest", he said while driving.

a cute baby elephant taking its mid-day nap

The elephant kraal is also famous for the elephant safari, which we could not go to since we did not get any elephant to take us on a ride. There is a mini zoo just outside the kraal, maintained by the Department of Forest, perhaps not to disappoint you if you are not able to see any elephants.

 caged beauty

deers lunching

meditating crocodile (can you see a small 'human' face in its neck?)

the lone adult elephant that we spotted at Kraal

exterior of the mini zoo at Kodanad

Day 2: Kallil Bhagawati temple

"Will you show us around Ernakulam tomorrow?", I asked the cab driver while returning from the Marine Drive.

"Where do you want to go Sir?", he asked in reply to know if I have made any specific plans.

"Take us to Kallil Baghawati temple, Kaladi and Chalakudi", I answered. Kallil temple?, he gave us a surprised look, perhaps because its not a popular spot. "Ok Sir. But first, you please talk to our cab owner to book the cab for tomorrow", he said handing out his business card.

We returned to our guest house, had dinner (thanks to the groom's mom), placed the call to the cab owner and fixed the car to pick us up at 8.00AM next day, and retired to bed.

We got up at 6.30AM, took bath, packed and got ready by 7.30AM. While depositing the key at the reception, we enquired to find that breakfast is ready. We went to the restaurant and placed orders for aappam with kadalai curry and a cup of tea, for each.

Me and Winnie with the YMCA guest house manager.

By the time we finished having our breakfast, Jijo, the cab driver arrived with the cab that we booked the previous night. We thanked the guest house manager for his kind hospitality, kept our bags in the luggage compartment and got in to the car ready to head towards our first place, Kallil Baghawati temple.

Winnie, myself and Jijo (cab driver cum guide)

Kallil koil in local language means the temple made of rock. As the name implies, the Bhagawati (Devi) temple was carved in rocks during 8th or 9th century by Jain monks. In the perimeter, one can find a number of rocks in which our ancestors had tried their hand in giving shape to the rocks, some of them has written inscription too.

The welcome board

way to reach the shrine by walk

drive way to reach the shrine

Final steps to reach the shrine

View from behind the temple

Picture of an Elephant cut on the rock prior to carving

inscriptions in old Tamil

carving of the conch

view of pristine beauty of the mountains on the west

 small passage cut through the rock

a Jain deity

original path to reach the shrine

The idol of Brahma is carved at the top of the shrine within the perimeter where photography as well as wearing a shirt is prohibited.

P.S: The header image of this blog is shot in panoramic view at this location, partly covering the walking way and the drive way to reach the shrine.

Day 1: Vypin and Marine Drive

"Could you please arrange for a cab?", I asked the reception manager at the YMCA guest house lobby.

"Where for, Sir?", he asked me back, wanting to know if it will be a local or a distant trip. So many places came to my mind then, suggested by my IIT friends, some of whom are from Ernakulam or from nearby places. "Visit Synagogue, Vasco Da Gama church, Chinese fishing nets; do not forget to take the ferry from Vypin; there is a walkway at Marine Drive, you can also go for private boating from there if time permits" are some of the ideas suggested by them.

"I want to go to Vypin", said I to the manager asking him to book the cab at the earliest. The time was already 15 minutes past 4. We occupied the room that was booked for us by our friend who got married, refreshed and came out in fifteen minutes to get into the cab at 4.30pm.

A view of Fort Kochi through backwaters from Vypin

We first went to Vypin crossing Vembanad bridge, the longest railway bridge in India that passes through 3 small islands. We roamed around Vypin clicking some shots of backwaters and Fort Kochi from the other side of the bank, observing Chinese fishing nets with a cup of Chai.

A view of Fort Kochi island from Vypin

Chinese fishing nets

"Could you take us to the starting place of boating? We would like to explore Fort Kochi", I asked the cab driver.

"There is no boating at Vypin Sir. Boating point is at Marine Drive. If you want, I will take you there", he said, apparently referring to the private boating service. "Its already past 5, and so churches and synagogue will be closed", he continued, "there is no point in crossing the backwater across to reach Fort Kochi as you would not be able to see anything".

Taking his word, we asked him to return via the Vallarpadam bridge to reach Marine Drive.

We reached the boating point at Marine Drive where we asked our cab driver to park the car in waiting. We got into one of the boats which was getting ready for a tour around the islands.

Indian Coast Guard, Cochin

We first sailed through the eastern edge of Willingdon island, a base of the Indian Navy in Cochin, where we saw some of the international ships either getting serviced or being loaded/unloaded with cargo. The boat took a 180 degree turn after reaching the southern tip of the Willingdon island, and continued to sail through Fort Kochi island.

Private boating at Marine Drive

A fare of Rs. 50 per person is charged for the boating trip which lasts for about an hour. We came back to the Marine Drive boating point, got into our cab and returned to YMCA guest house.

Day Zero - Chennai Central to Marriage Hall

A trip to God's own country to attend a friend's marriage on the days after Onam, but before the monsoon begins, will someone in his own senses say 'No'?

Well, but there was a time, few days before the trip, when I said to my friends "It can't be Yes" for there was a deadline I'm working on. But then, the unpredictable ups and downs of research gave me a much wanted up at the right hour that I could finally say 'Yes' on the previous day.

They sell Southern Railway along with Emergency Medicines here. Wanna buy?

The day when the fateful accident at Arakkonam junction happened, canceling most of the trains leaving or arriving at the Chennai Central railway station. "Are we not destined to continue with the trip?", I questioned myself. "Well, if that's how it sounds, let us persist with the idea", I said to myself.

"So we are going for the trip, no matter what happens", I said to my friend, Winnie. In fact, the Kerala trip was Winnie's plan as soon as he heard about the marriage, while I was interning at TIFR this summer.

Does Indian Railways have train from Andaman to Jammu?

The next day, we packed with minimal luggage, had early dinner and took the MRTS train to Chennai Central half an hour after the train is scheduled to depart, thanks to one of my friends who notified me about the delay in the departure of Trivandrum Mail online. But the delay does not end there.

Winnie and I roamed around the station observing people and trains when the next announcement about the delay came. The train will now depart with a delay of 3 hours and 45 minutes! With nothing much to do and no where to go at that hour, we walked on each of the platform, observed different trains and more people who are coming from all parts of India. The final announcement came 30 minutes after the 3 hours and 45 minutes delay saying the train will be further delayed due to a delay in the return of Trivandrum Mail from Trivandrum.

At last, the much waited announcement came that the train will leave from Chennai Central at 2.00AM, after about 7 hours delay. The problem in such late departure is that once the journey is set, preference will be given to those trains which are running "on time" in order to avoid propagation of delay, and so the train that departed late has to give way to every other train before it gets the clearance at each junction.

The mail that is earlier scheduled to reach Ernakulam at 6.30AM reached the North junction at 2 PM and by that time, my friend had already got married! We were in fact got just lucky to catch up for lunch with the bride and the groom, after being directly transported to the marriage venue from the railway station.

A view outside YMCA guesthouse

After exchanging pleasantries and having 'special' lunch, we went to the YMCA International Hostel at Palarivattom, about 2km drive from the marriage venue.