Jolly Miles

Pichavaram is one of those destinations which no one has heard of, a place which you know about only while googling “Things to see near ……….. <insert a popular place>. It was the same for me, I found out about Pichavaram only while searching for tourist places near Tanjore. I was on a 5 day trip of Tamil Nadu which included Srirangam, Thanjavur, Chidambaram and Pondicherry, all popular destinations along the Corromandel coast. My initial plan was to stop for a couple of hours at Chidambaram and visit the famous Nataraja temple while travelling from Thanjavur to Pondicherry. I later found about Pichavaram on reading few travel blogs and was fascinated by the images of the canopied mangrove forests with boats sailing through the narrow channels. I added Pichavaram to the itinerary but only as an option to be included only if I had enough time after visiting the Nataraja temple.

After toiling through the scorching sun for two days and exploring the heritage city of Thanjavur, the beautiful Chola temples, ancient architectures and museums, I boarded a local bus to Chidambaram around 10 AM in the morning. The bus was packed with passengers clinging to every inch of space on the handrail. The hot summer waves dashed on my face through an open window without the glass shields. I had been on multiple such agonizing journeys in the past, I adjusted myself, tied a handkerchief around my face, slipped in my shades and leaned against the window, looking out in reverie. Once the bus starts moving through the landscapes, you tend to forget what’s on the other side and the journey becomes little more tolerable.

I reached Chidambaram around 2 PM, had a quick lunch and walked to the Thillai Nataraja temple passing through a bustling market. On reaching, I found that the temple was closed and would reopen at 4:30 PM, so without wasting more time, I took an autorickshaw back to the bus stop and enquired about buses to Pichavaram. There aren’t many buses to Pichavaram though out the day but I was fortunate that one bus was scheduled to arrive in next half an hour. I waited at the designated bus bay for about 45 mins after which the bus arrived. To my frustration, after halting, the driver jumped out of the bus, slammed the small door beside the driver’s seat and proceeded to a nearby eatery for lunch. I had no option but to wait till he finished his meal and returned. The trip to Pichavaram is a short one; about 12 kms and takes about 30 mins. The bus stops in front of the ticket counter. There are separate tickets for 2, 4 seater row boats and 8 seater motorboats. The motorboats don’t venture into the interiors of the mangrove forest but are preferred by travelers with large families or kids as they are more comfortable and has a shade. I bought a ticket for a row boat, washed my face, filled the water bottles, slipped in a flashy lifejacket and was ready for another hour or two in the open sun.

Barely 5 minutes into the ride and the boatman will ask you the inevitable question – “Do you want to visit the interior sections of the mangrove forest ?” This is a quick way for them to make few extra bucks and tourists do oblige. The boatman initially demanded 500 rupees to take me to the dense sections of the forest, as in the real deal area where apparently some South Indian movies were shot, he finally settled for 200 rupees. I believe the place must be crowded on weekends but since it was a Tuesday, there were very few boats. We rowed through picturesque mangroves that canopied to look like a tunnel and provide shade. It was refreshing to row through the serene mangroves, we halted at multiple places and took some good photographs.

It was tough for me to interact with the boatman who understood Hindi but spoke only Tamil. Juggling between broken Hindi, English and Tamil, in the limited conversation that we could manage, I was happy to learn about the herculean efforts that the state government has undertaken to develop Pichavaram as a tourist destination. The boatman had worked his entire life as a fisherman in the same backwaters but few years back under the guidance of the tourism department, he managed to make the transition and work as a boatman for the tourists. Now he works less and earns more, he also gets to interact with folks coming from all over the country; not to forget, the additional bucks for showing the movie spots. As promised, he made sure I see the exact places where those movies were shot; I felt that was something he was really excited about. I enjoyed the couple of hours that I spent rowing through the mangrove forest. I would have missed out on an amazing place had I just visited the Nataraja temple.

I returned to Chidambaram and reached the Nataraja temple around 5:30 PM, just in time to witness the mesmerizing aarti of Lord Nataraja. The aarti is followed by a glimpse of what is known as Chidambara Rahasiyam (the secret of Chidambaram). On the right side of the Nataraja idol, there is a chamber ensconced behind a dark curtain. For a few seconds the priests pull the curtains and one can see golden figurines in the empty sanctum inside. Chidambaram is the only temple where Lord Shiva is worshiped in all three forms – Nataraja (the physical form), Shivalinga (the semi-physical form) and as the all pervading, “the formless one”. The temple is a celebration of the celestial dance of Lord Shiva, therefore dance as an art form is patronized here and is a crucial element of the temple folklore. In the evening, classical dance is performed by trained artists within the temple premises.

After having darhsan of Lord Nataraja, I left for Pondicherry. There are frequent bus services between Chidamabaram and Cuddalore which is near Pondicherry. I had been to Pondicherry in the past, so I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it but Pondi is too good a place to pass when you are around. I stayed at Pondicherry for one day and then returned to Bangalore. Hope you liked this post. Please share your feedback, suggestions and experiences of visiting Tamil Nadu in the comments section below. Travel, Learn and Love!