The Temple, a Manor and the deserted lake

-
I seem to have an affinity toward temples in Kerala. After guruvayoor, the 8th century padmanabhaswamy temple left an impression on me. Be it the mystery surrounding it  or the wonderful Tamil Nadu/ Kerala architecture, all of it makes you stop and ponder for a minute. But it was the principal deity Vishnu enshrined in the "Anantha Shayana" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adi Shesha that mesmerized me. The walk across the three doors to see the deity flanked by Kerala mural painting is a push pull experience literally and figuratively.

Do note the dress code and strict no electronics including head phones policy !

After the morning visit to temple, it was time to try the highly rated restaurant Villa Maya heritage restaurant. I don't think i have written about any restaurants on this blog. But this had to done. The  18th century dutch manor architecture just blows the mind away , the interior so tastefully done and fcrowned  by an gastronomical experience. My family members who do eat proteins loved the seafood. Surprisingly the vegetarian fare was amazing as well. A mouth watering experience and then I read about the history of this place and that made the whole experience unforgettable enough, not to take a single picture out there. 

The famous Arumana Ammaveedu was one of four ammaveedus to rise to prominence towards the end of the 18th century. Ammaveedus were the residences of the consorts of the Maharajahs of Travancore in Trivandrum. 

As it says on the website , after a theater of senses we proceeded to Kollam/ Paravur. Our destination was fragrant nature resort. A serene place that was constantly disturbed with loud religious music. The long resort made it difficult for aged and the food was okay. So overall an okay experience. we had planned to take house boat ride on Ashtamudi lake and that we thought would be our saving grace. Kerala is god's country and it is also the land of strikes. So on the day we had booked the house boat ride was the day of a strike.But we decided to take a risk and drove to the docks of Ashtamudi lake. The major advantage was that roads were empty and we were one of the very few house boats on the lake. The house boat was uninspiring  and unclean, food unpalatable and which was followed by some loud words from our side to the operator palm tree houseboat.

This unpleasant experience was offset by a a nature show put up by a bunch of small egrets and a little tern. They followed us for most part of our journey and kept us enthralled. The uninterrupted views that the lake offered which would not have been possible on a normal day was relaxing and peaceful.













Kerala has always given me very memorable moments. This holiday was no exception but for the fact it had some good and some bad experiences. As they say,that is life.

July  2017
Kollam, Kerala

The Travel Connection:  Experience a destination on day of quiet.
Tip: Trip advisor can be wrong!
Location: Kollam, Kerala, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Destination Great Rift Valley

-
Image
The one Sunday we had during the visit did not allow us to visit Masai Mara but the trip to Lake Nakuru more than made up for it. I have always associated Africa with a lone tree standing majestically in never ending expanse of openness. My excitement on the possibility of seeing such a tree was limitless.We started the drive from Nairobi early morning and slowly started leaving the buildings behind. The buildings were slowly and steadily replaced with species of trees I was seeing for the first time. Maybe it was that lonesome tree in my dreams, but the changing landscape was something I had never experience before. Yes! I was in Africa! We were told by our driver cum guide that we had to drive through the Great Rift Valley to reach Lake Nakuru National park. I was clueless what it was till the plains showed itself through Acacia trees. The breath taking expanse of nothingness is broken only by the escarpments. We were told it contains multitude lakes, active and dormant  vol
Read more

Destination Aihole

-
Image
The cradle of Hindu temple architecture, Aihole or Aryapura was the destination to learn and experiment on the temple architecture. Under the patronage of early Chalukyan kings, the Chalukyan style of temple architecture was refined here between  the 5th and 8th century.  The preview of Aihole given to us by the guide at Pattadakal was enough to excite me about visiting the ancient school of architecture, You wonder if you have arrived at Aihole as the narrow lanes leads you into the chaos of a village life but the complex of ancient structures in various states of disintegration  make you think you have time traveled. The proximity of the timeworn stone monuments and the present day village dwellings raised a lot of questions. The encroachment of these temples was even more intriguing. Be it the cattle housed in these structures, smoke bellowing out or the colorful clothes drying on a line between intricate carved column, all of it just amazed me. When we arrived at one of the b
Read more

Destination Punakha Dzong

-
Image
If I had to choose my favorite structure, It would be the bridges without any hesitation. Bhutan renewed my fascination for bridges with their traditional cantilever bridge called the Bazam. Tintin's knowledge about architecture was limited. My questions on the location of  the toilets, kitchens inside the Dzong  or how the water supply/ drainage worked  and other queries must have driven him mad or made him think that the mountain air had made me go bonkers. So my hopes of understanding the bridge through Tintin was futile. Punakha Dzong is undoubtedly one of the most elegant structures in Bhutan.  To get to the main building , one has to cross Mo chhu through one of the most beautiful bridges I have come across so far. Most buildings in Bhutan are a replica of their ancient self. Due to natural calamities or fire, almost all the prominent sites in Bhutan have been rebuilt in the recent years. The Punakha bridge is no different. You can read more about it here. http:/
Read more