Apr 28, 2009

Perur


Photo courtesy:http://www.coimbatore.com
Perur
Patteeswarar temple

Perur is located seven miles to the west of Coimbatore, on the banks of Noyyal river.Perur is famous for the temple.The temple was built by Karikala Cholan.The temple has the main deity Shiva also called as "Patteeswarar'' and his consort deity called "Pachai Nayaki".The temple has a golden hall of dance,a hall decked with exquisite sculpture.Perur also holds the annual Natyanjali in the month of September.Natyanjali is the annual dance recital done by famous cultural musicians and dancers from various regions.The dance recital is considered as a homage to the deity and to the art form of dance.



Photo courtesy : http://www.monochrom.at(left) & http://hindu.com(right)
Lord Nataraja(Lord Shiva) performing the "Cosmic dance"(left) Natyanjali dance recital(right)




Apr 25, 2009

Vaidehi falls

Vaidehi Falls is at Narasipuram in the outskirts of Coimbatore. It is at a distance of about 30 km from Coimbatore on the Coimbatore - Siruvani road.I love Vaidehi falls as we went trekking through the forest to reach the falls.I remember that this place was untouched and was full on greenery in 1995.I had not seen a place that calm and peaceful then.I am sure all my classmates of high school will remember this trip.It was a memorable one.Unfortunately i have not found any picture of Vaidehi falls.

Apr 23, 2009

Anubhavi Subramaniya temple

Photo courtesy : http://picasa.google.com/
Anubhavi Subramaniya temple
Anubhavi Subramaniya temple is an ancient temple for Lord Muruga(Hindu God).This temple is on the Annaikatti highway on the outskirts of Coimbatore.The temple is located on a hill top and there is no vehicle access to the hill top.The only way to access the temple is by climbing the stairs.I love this temple because it is nostalgic,it reminds me of the wonderful times spent with my parents and brother.

Apr 19, 2009

Anakatti


Courtesy : Vayamaa_vibavaa of http://www.flickr.com/
Anaikatti Hills

The Anaikatti hills is in the North West part of Coimbatore.It is an hours drive from the Coimbatore airport.On the Anakatti hills is the "Arsha Vidya Gurukulam",an institute for the traditional study of Advaita Vedanta and Sanskrit.Established in 1990 by Swami Dayanand Saraswathi, teacher of Vedanta and scholar in Sanskrit."Arsha Vidya" means knowledge from the saints "Gurukulam" refers to a residential center for learning with the teacher.Apart from Gurukulam there are two temples at the Gurukulam premises.The Gurukulam offers Indians and Westerners an opportunity to learn the Upanishads,Bhagavad Gita,Brahmasutras and other related classic texts.The special feature of the Gurukulam is that it has a digital library with images of palm leaf manuscripts and paper manuscripts running to around 5 to 6 lakh pages and video documentation of Hindu rituals running to more than 100 hours.
The Anaikatti hills and the Gurukulam is very special to me as the institute is one of a kind in India.In this modern age, the Institute reminds us that culture is still alive in India due to the efforts taken by few Institutes like these.Another aspect that i like at the Annakatti hills is that it is untouched by pollution and beautiful.Miss Anaikatti !





Apr 18, 2009

Marudamalai


Photo courtesy : http://wikimedia.org
Marudamalai temple
Marudamalai is in the North west part of Coimbatore.Marudamalai stands at 500ft high on the Western Ghats.On this small hill is a temple of "Arulmigu Subramanyaswamy" which belongs to the 12th century.The deity is more commonly called "Lord Muruga"(a Hindu God).The worship of Lord Muruga,in South India and other parts of Asia, goes back to the pre-Christian era and forms an important facet in the religious life of Hindus. Apart from the main God Lord Muruga,the "Pambatti Siddhar Cave" is visted by the tourist and natives of Coimbatore.History says that the Siddhar meditated in the cave and attained salvation here.

From left to right Pradheep,me,inlaws,Nithya,Vasanth,Nithya's cousin & Nithya's parents at Marudamalai

Marudamalai stands very close to my heart as I used to visit the temple with my famliy and more often with my friends.The view from the hill top is the Coimbatore city.There is a walkway,consisting of stairs to the hill top.I love walking to the temple.I remember frequenting the temple with my granny,and also remember she used to buy me all junk jewellery and "yelathavadai" from the small shops beside the temple. Good old days! Miss them now!

Apr 16, 2009

Where i belong

Photo courtesy:Iingadaulke http://www.flickr.com
Coimbatore city
Coimbatore is the city where i belong, the city where i was born and i spent all my school and college days in this city.I love the culture,the people,the food,the weather and the love i have for the city is immense.
Coimbatore (கோயம்புத்தூர்) is situated in the banks of Noyyal river, in the state Tamil Nadu.The city got it's name from the king Kovan who ruled Coimbatore.Many who live in Coimbatore believe that the city got it's name from the deity 'Koniamman'.The Cheras were the early ruling dynasty of the city.The city today it is called the Manchester of South India.
Culture :
The Coimbatorians are very hos
pitable in nature.The language used in Coimbatore is ' Kongu Tamil' which is famous for it's dialect.The society earlier was predominant by the natives of the city.Though the city is now cosmopolitan,the natives still are culturally intact which keeps the city distinct.
Food :
I love the food in Coimbatore so much that it remains nostalgic till date.I love the "masala dosas","kaapi" and meals in "Sree Annapoorna", a famous restaurant.
"Biriyani" in "Angana kadai" is so yummy that i have not had any other biriyani that good till date.I bet true natives of Coimbatore would have tasted the biriyani atleast once.My family frequents "Delhi wala" for "gulab jamuns" and their mouthwatering "parathas" and side dishes.I love "Agarwal" for their yummy "chat's".I remember frequenting "Bairavi" restaurant which is a part of Sugam hotels, for their paneer manchurian.(Anita if you are reading this,you will smile !)Apart from this there are so many road side "idly shops" in R.S.Puram that we love.Krishna sweets in Coimbatore is famous for it's "Mysorepa",a delicacy found only in Coimbatore.
Weather and location:
Coimbatore is situated in the West of Tamil Nadu near the state Kerala and Niligiris.Weather is usually pleasant due to the monsoon and it's demography.


Photo courtesy:vilni http://flickr.com(top) and http://hindu.com(bottom)
View of the Niligiris(top) Flower market(bottom)