Puducherry in 2024

One has heard of father-in-law, sister-in-law and other “in-laws”. I coin a new term today: “friend-in-law”! My wife has a friend from her working days who she has known for more than twenty years. The friend, her husband, their daughter, my wife and I visited Puducherry recently.

I had half a mind not to write a blog post, since we had visited Puducherry earlier. My blog post https://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-recovery-smart-phone-and-trip-to_1.html shows my impressions about Puducherry in 2012. What is the point of repeating myself? Then it struck me that I have written about Dubai thrice, the first time at https://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.com/2003/06/dubai-2003.html, then https://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.com/2008/01/dubai-and-uae.html and also at https://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-nieces-dance-recital-and-dubai-again.html.

My wife’s cousin spoke with me a couple of days ago. During the conversation, I spoke about the Rajgiri fort that we visited on the way back. He asked: “So I can expect to see a blog post about your visit, isn’t it?” I replied: “I thought that there is nothing new for me to say, I had written about Puducherry earlier.” Now I realise that the visit to Rajgiri is something that I can indeed write about. The rest of this blog post is about those new experiences.

We started early on a Saturday morning in our friends’ car. The Navratri (Nine nights, literally) festival was in progress when we left Bengaluru. My wife’s friend’s husband drove all the way. Looking at his control and judgement made me marvel at his skill. We maintained a good pace throughout the journey. The good part is that whenever he felt like taking a break, he would announce: “Let us take a tea break”. In this blog post, I will refer to him as my co-friend. We would stop at the next available tea shop, savour the hot tea or coffee, ask directions if needed, stretch our legs and then proceed. It made for an engaging drive.

Our friends had been to Tiruvannamalai. As we approached the hills near the town, they recalled their visit. We crossed Gingee Fort near Tiruvannamalai. My co-friend remarked: “This is a place we must visit on the way back.” I thought of it then as a distraction, little knowing that it would turn out to be one of the highlights of the trip!

The quality of the highways was excellent. It was one reason why we were able to cover more than 300 km in about 7 hours, including a couple of breaks for breakfast and tea. As we entered Puducherry, one difference that was apparent to me was the increase in traffic. In 2012, at 6:15 a.m. when we entered, traffic was sparse. At 1:30 p.m. in 2024, the main road could have been any main road in Bengaluru!

My wife’s friend had made the reservations in a hotel that was located about a mile away from the Promenade, a nice walkway along the Bay of Bengal with interesting architecture on the other side. We ate lunch and checked in. The rooms were comfortable and clean. After relaxing for a couple of hours, we headed to Marina beach.

We went there in a cab, stopping at the Food Court opposite the beach. At 5 p.m., the shops were just beginning to open up. The coffee tasted ordinary to me, but my wife relished the cold coffee that they served. She still talks about it! We stepped into the beach shortly.

The sea breeze felt nice. My co-friend and his daughter went further into the Bay of Bengal than I did. As the waves came in and receded, the sand beneath my feet was drawn into the sea. I felt a curious sensation as if I was sinking in the sand even though I was standing! I enjoyed this sensation for a few minutes and then walked along the beach.

Marina beach has a lighthouse on one side, dune bikes and boating area on the other. The clouds turned ominous as the evening proceeded. The tide also increased. I moved our footwear that we had removed further away from the waves. My co-friend took his daughter for a dune bike ride.

Marina Beach in Puducherry is a good place to visit in the evening. The clouds turned ominous on the day we visited and it poured in the night.

The Food Court had become more lively by this time. We could hear loud music and a live concert in progress. There was a buzz of energy as children played and people ate in the different food stalls, all of which looked very busy and crowded. It was a contrast from what we saw at 5 p.m.! It began raining. We took an auto drive back to our hotel.

The next day, we headed to Thirunallaru in Karaikal to go to the Dharbaranyeshwara temple. The name is a mouthful, but if I split it into Dharba (grass or bamboo) + Aranya (forest) + Ishwara (Lord or Shiva), it becomes clearer to understand: this is a form of the God Shiva. The temple has a swayambhu (self-manifested) linga (idol) of Shiva (Ishwara) and one of Shani. https://thirunallarutemple.org/?page_id=3630 and https://tamilnadutourisminfo.com/thirunallar-temple/ provide information about the temple.

The cleanliness of the Kalyanis (water tanks) in the temple leaves much to be desired, unfortunately. The temple itself is grand and sacred. We prayed and moved to an area where pilgrims lit mud/ clay lamps of sesame oil with wicks. We joined them in lighting the lamps. Watching the flickering light from the illuminated lamps, feeling their heat and the smell of the sesame oil was a unique experience. We drank fresh fruit juice just outside the temple.

We headed back to Puducherry, ate lunch on the way and stopped at Chidambaram. We entered via the South Gate. I noticed that some of the statues on the gopuras had people with round bellies. I did not take a snap, but perhaps they are indicative of prosperity or perhaps they are symbolic denoting contentment? We were in time for the aarti (the worship by lighting lamps). The temple has a secret, whose meaning is explained well in https://www.artofliving.org/wisdom/knowledge-sheets/nataraja-and-chidambara-rahasya. In addition, https://www.indica.today/research/conference/in-search-of-the-chola-temple-and-its-composite-reality-a-study-of-the-chidambaram-nataraja-temple/ and https://www.worldhistory.org/Chidambaram/ provide more information about Chidambaram. The web page https://www.artofliving.org/ae-en/navratri/bommai-golu discusses a tradition common in South India of keeping dolls during the nine days of the festival. Chidambaram temple featured at least 11 steps full of dolls of gods and goddesses from the Hindu puranas. It was a sight to behold!

We were back in the hotel by 5 p.m. or so. After relaxing for a couple of hours, we explored Puducherry. Puducherry is one place where the tradition is taken seriously! We walked along Mission Street where the road was full of people – and carts and stalls equally full of various types of dolls! There were representations of Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Durga, Kali and various other forms of the goddess. It was as if we had stepped into a toy land! The dolls were also secular: there were dolls of women doctors, lawyers, soldiers and marriage. For more than an hour, we wandered. My co-friend picked up toy vegetables and fruits and a doll of a goddess.

We ate dinner at Surguru Spot, a vegetarian restaurant that serves “Navdhanya dosa” or a dosa made from a batter of nine millets/ grains! The food was tasty and filling. After this, my co-friend told his daughter: “Decide which flavour of kulfi you want to eat. We are going there next!” He had noticed an outlet that served home made kulfi while we headed towards the restaurant for dinner. It was close to 10 p.m. by now. We saw shops beginning to shut down. “Hurry, let us get there quickly!”, urged my co-friend. The numerous shops selling colourful lanterns, dresses and souvenirs kept my wife and her friend interested in shopping (and bargaining, I am sure!), but the plea by my co-friend had its effect. We reached the outlet soon enough. The kulfi was excellent, it merited our hasty walk from the restaurant. “Just see how silent we have become!”, observed my wife. Sure enough, all of us were rapt in eating the tasty kulfi! The lady in charge spoke good English and assured us: “Everything in this shop is home made.” My wife purchased toffees after we finished the kulfis.

We went on a walk to the Promenade, passing the Lt. Governor’s mansion, a park that looked good and roads that had their French origins clearly indicated. Just before the Promenade was the Rocky Beach. In the night, the white foam of the waves was the only visible aspect of the Bay of Bengal which looked dark and scary. We saw a couple of lights on the horizon. Wondering what the lights were became a topic of conversation! Eventually, all of us were silent in our own thoughts as the murmur of the waves lulled us into a peaceful mood. We walked for a bit and went back to the hotel.

The next morning, I took a walk from our hotel to the Promenade. The scene was totally different now. I could see regular walkers and joggers finish their morning walk or run. There were groups of men and women walking, talking and laughing together. It was a cloudy morning and the sunrise was not that spectacular as it could have been. Still, I looked at the sun emerge from the clouds with its mild rays with satisfaction. The Gandhi statue, the War memorial and the Promenade made for a good walk.

Sunrise on the Puducherry Promenade was refreshing. On one side is interesting architecture, inspired by France and Europe, on another is the Bay of Bengal roaring and lashing the shore!

 

On the way back, I stopped at a coffee bar that served good coffee like the kind served in the coffee bars in Bengaluru. It made me satisfied. I also noticed that there were all kinds of cuisine on offer in Puducherry: of course there was a French boulangerie, but I also saw a small restaurant serving Hungarian cuisine, a new restaurant that promised to serve Maharashtrian cuisine and of course sea food!

We checked out and went towards Eden Beach and Paradise Beach. Paradise Beach involves taking a boat ride. When we approached Chunnambar where the boat rides begin, it started raining. An alternative option suggested by a woman who organised boat rides was to take a 1 hour boat ride that would cover the Pichavaram mangrove forest and Arikamedu. My co-friend liked this idea: his daughter would get to see a mangrove forest and we would still have a boat ride.

There was another family from Karnataka who agreed to the woman’s suggestion. Between the two groups, we settled for a boat ride that could be shared between us. We were all offered life jackets. We set off with a boatman who spoke some English. He pointed out the fishing harbour and said that the fibre boats cost Rs. 1 crore (Rs. 10 million).

The boat ride began among the backwaters of the Bay of Bengal. The mangrove forests are thick. My wife and I had visited the Sunderbans in 2023 as described in https://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.com/2023/12/kolkata-and-more.html. This was similar, though it was not as extensive. “Look, there is a kingfisher!”, pointed out my wife. Sure enough, a blue and resplendent kingfisher sat indifferent to the sensation it had caused in our boat! My co-friend’s daughter and the family with us were excited to see such a colourful bird in the wild! We also saw cranes.

Our only stop was at Arikamedu. https://theprint.in/opinion/arikamedu-ancient-indo-roman-trading-port-youve-never-heard-of-it/2299801/ explains the significance of the ruins in Arikamedu. The place was once called “Podouke” and is mentioned in a mid-first century manuscript! There were walls and tanks that were found in Arikamedu. Roman pottery has been unearthed here. Today, there are only a few walls left standing, providing a photo opportunity for visitors and travellers. Centuries ago, it was a port that had been in contact with Romans!

If the ruins could speak, what tales might they narrate of times long ago, of ships that came in from Rome, of trade with different cultures, of meetings and difficult dialogues!

After completing the boat ride, we went to Auroville, a universal town. https://auroville.org/ has more information. The heat had picked up by noon time. The viewing point to see the Matrimandir, a golden globular meditation hall is about 1.5 k.m. away from the parking area. We discussed among ourselves and felt that it would take too much time to walk there and back. Instead, we ate lunch and set off towards Bengaluru.

Due to the heat, we debated if we should visit Gingee fort (or Rajgiri Fort). I am glad that we decided finally to visit it. It was nearing closing time when we entered. The watchman and a sentry inside the premises requested us not to climb to the actual fort, which would take time. We agreed and spent time at the base.

Rajgiri fort has a rich history, as detailed in https://indianculture.gov.in/node/2730057. It was built by the Kon dynasty, taken over by local Nayaka leaders, conquered by the sultan of Vijayapura (Bijapur), extended by Shivaji and his son, taken over by the Mughals and finally by the French and the British.

We saw a gymnasium and a granary that were thirty feet high! Our voices echoed in the empty gymnasium, which had windows about twenty feet above the ground. There were tanks for bathing elephants and stables for horses and elephants. The granary has three huge halls. I saw walls that are more than ten feet thick, all made of stone. There are natural springs that served as a source for the water supply. There is a “Kalyan Mahal” a place where the rulers could spend time. On one side, we saw a spiral staircase lead down. There is also a magazine area, used to store ammunition. This must be an addition by the French.

This is the Kalyan Mahal at Rajgiri Fort in Gingee. It is a spacious space.

It was almost 5:30 p.m. when we left, tired and spent. We marvelled at the fort, agreeing that one whole day would be required to see it completely.

This ended our trip. I slept well on the night I returned, thanks to all the walking in Puducherry and in the Rajgiri fort!