trip to madurai kodai, rameshwaram and kanyakumari

earlier when we were in Hyderabad we planned a trip to all these places all together.we went in August but it was very hot in Kanyakumari and Rameshwaram, I think its better to go in winter like from nov. to february.we took Charminar express from Hyderabad to Chennai and reached Chennai in the morning. There we had to wait at the plateform as our next train vagai express was at noon. From vagai express we went to Madurai, this is quite good train with chair car facility. we reached Madurai around 8pm, took a hotel, had a bath and came out for dinner and for booking of our onward trips Food and lodging both is good and plenty and reasonable in Madurai. To our surprise many people were speaking Hindi and sometimes they told us themselves that they know hindi we can converse in hindi:)
next day we went to meenakshi temple in the morning ourselves as were staying very near to the temple.This is a huge temple with some unique staues, many type of poojas were going on, we took a guide and just for Rs.50/ he helped us a lot, apprised us all the details and the stories connected to the temple and how ll the poojas should be done.We did all that and felt very happy.
I had thought long time back that I will go to Meenakshi temple some time, this time god made it possible for us.Then there are some shops outside, Madurai is famous for its madurai silk and cotton. I bought a few sarees and then had lunch.
After lunch we took a conducted tour of Madurai, good for getting a feel of the city. I am a lover of historic places and very much interested in other cultures and everything about them.so good for me, nothing special about it.
around 9.30 we took out conducted tour for Rameshwaram,sat in the bus around 1.30 we reached there, since we had demanded delux lodgings, he gave us a non ac room,not very good, the only redeeming point about it was that from the window we could see the see, fishing boats and all.Otherwise in these tours hotels provided were not upto the mark.In the morning at 5 a guide came for us, he took us to take a dip in the sea at the time of sunrise and then we went to to 22 kund(wells) one by one where he would take out 2 buckets of water and pour over us.It was a magic moment for us,I could not believe that I am in Rameshwaram.This temple is very huge with 1000 pillars, and many shivlings there.There is a story about it, when lord Rama was preparing to cross the sea, he asked Hanuman to bring a shivling. When hanumanji was delayed Lord prepared a shivling then and there himself and started worshipping, and then Hanumaanji came. So bhagwan asked him to move the shivling he has made and at its place put the one he had brought. But Hanumaan ji could not move it.It was a defining moment for him. He understood the bhagwan had done all this to tell him his place as he was getting proud.
after the bath there we id pooja and abhishekam and then came to the hotel for breakfast and lunch. I felt so bad that the place with so much religious importance is full of poverty and misery.I had the lunch of Daal baati choorma , took a stroll and then sat in the bus around 1.30 for the return journey. While returning we saw the temple where the two stone chosen by Neel in ramayana are still floating in a water.
reached around 5.30-6pm at madurai, took a hotel for freshening up and then again took the bus at 9.30 to kanyakumaari., reached there at2.30 or 3, slept a little and around 5.30 we went to see the sunrise.Its an amazing experience. In the morning everything there looks so beautiful, but our tour operatoe bungled everything, initially he said he will show us sunrise and then leave us at hotel to get ready and after that we will for sight seeing.But instead he didnt leave us at the hotel, so we did the sightseeing without freshening up, couldnt enjoy to the fullest.Took a ferry to see vivekanand rock and foot prints of parvati and then went to see the famous temple.In kanya kumaari there is so much to see that I realised we should have stayed there for one more day.any way there is always a next time.Again we came back to hotel and then after bath went to see the market and Chamunda temple. Kanyakumari is a beautiful place worth staying there, with many hotels in and around the sea.I didnt know that there is a train from madurai to kanyakumari, because train is always better than the bus.After the lunch we took back the bus for madurai, reached madurai around 7.30 or 8 and stayed at a hotel for a night.