I'd like to propose that one of us should list out all the places featured in PS and their current locations - preferably with nearby towns and distances. To me pavitra is best in this and I'd like to propose her name for this work - unless she is in serious time constraints.
The following is the initial list which can be expanded : Veeranarayanapuram - Kattumannarkoil ( How many KM from Kumbakonam ?) Kadambur - ? Pullirukkum Velur - Vaidheeswaram Koil (Distance ?) Thiruppurambiyam - ?? Thanjai Kudhanthai Pazhaiyarai Vallam Pazhuvur Kodumbalur Mamallapuram Malayamaanadu Thakkolam Places in srilanka... ..... .... ....
Hi gokul, nice to read all of ur facts....great work keep going...
I guess many of ppl who live in tn know these places.
Veeranarayanapuram - Kattumannarkoil -I dunno the distance from kumbakonam...but its more closer to chidambaram and the distance is 20 or 30 kms (sathya ...help me:)) Kadambur - there is a place near to chidambaram > Pullirukkum Velur - Vaidheeswaram Koil -again its more closer to 70 kms Thiruppurambiyam - ?? > Thanjai > Kudhanthai > Pazhaiyarai > Vallam > Pazhuvur > Kodumbalur > Mamallapuram > Malayamaanadu( is it thiruvannamalai, thirukkovilur and the surrounding places????) > Thakkolam > Places in srilanka... > Thiruvarur nagappatinam vedharanyam
> .... > .... > > I've missed out many - pl take this further. > Cheers. > Gokul.S
The following is the initial list which can be expanded : Veeranarayanapuram - Kattumannarkoil ( How many KM from Kumbakonam ?) Kadambur - ? Pullirukkum Velur - Vaidheeswaram Koil (Distance ?) Thiruppurambiyam - ?? Thanjai.....Thanjavur Kudhanthai....Kumbakonam aprox 50 kms from thanjavur Pazhaiyarai...near Kumbakonam Vallam..... Pazhuvur.....The present day Kilapazhuvur and Melapazhuvur near ariyalur...between Ariyalur Trichy and Thanjavur.approx 40 kms north of Thanjavur. Kodumbalur...Supposed to be near present day Pudhukottai..60 Kms south of Thanjavur. Mamallapuram...remains of Present day Mahabalipuram/Mammallapuram Malayamaanadu...the area near Thirukovilur..Thiruvannamalai Thakkolam
Kodikarai...present day Kodikarai 100 something Kms from Thanjavur..east wards
kadambur - 32 km from Chidambaram 4 km from Kattumannargudi
Veeranarayanapuram is founded by Paranthaga Chola and named after him..which is currently called as Kattumannargudi..
The great lake of TamilNadu whose greatness is further enhanced by Kalki in his very first chapter and the one that was admired by our HERO VD and his horse, yeah the VEERANARAYANAN lake is situated here as u all know...I have been there....
kudanthai is the current Kumbakonam..
kizhapazhur and melapazhur.. kizhaphur is on the way from Jayankondam to Trichy.. here if u take left it will lead to Tanjore..probably 1-1.5 hrs it will take..
G,I'm sure there're plenty of people in the group who have more expertise in this than I am...but I'll try to do justice to your request:-)
If there're any factual errors- well, then I ask you all to bear with me.(the only excuse is that I visited them 7-8 years ago:-)
>Kadambur - There's a place called Kadampuliyur, about 10 kms south from >Panrutti- this could be Kadambur- its about 25kms roughly north of Veera >Naarayanan Eri.
>Pullirukkum Velur - Thanks Muhil:-)
>Thiruppurambiyam - the one place I didn't visit. My guess is that it could >be about 4-5 Kms away from Kudanthai (Aazhwarkadiyan walks all the way on >the banks of Manniyaar).
>Thanjai - Today's Thanjavoor (Hey, Ram...:-)
>Kudhanthai - Kumbakonam
>Pazhaiyarai - Todays it is known as Darasuram, some 5-6 kms away from >Kumbakonam- 30 kms from Thanjavoor, famous for its Shiva temple(built by >Rajendra Chola), beautiful sculptures maintained by the ASI. Its a great >tourist spot too- one of its attractions is a 'pillaiyaar' sculpture the >size of a matchbox. And there are also the famed temple columns which have >been constructed to produce different musical notes. Arisilaru runs nearby- >a very small trickle:-)
>Vallam - there you have a debate. The people who're from Thanjavoor and >roundabout- there's a Vallam within a few kilometres of Thanjaavoor, isn't >there? I don't think this can be the Vallam VD is from. There's also the >Vallam on the Vellore- Arani route- could be the real Vallam...maybe.
There's one more Vallam enroute Gingee- Tindivanam- but I know nothing about this...
>Pazhuvur - Sridhar has given that well...
>Kodumbalur - 36 kms from Pudhukottai- roughly 5-6 kms down south of >Viralimalai. Its known more popularly today as Moovar Koil- maintained by >the ASI again. Its on the Pudhukottai- Trichy route.
Talking of Pudhukottai- two other places which figure in Sivagamiyin Sabadham can be found within a few kilometres...one is Sithannavaasal- that's the name of the village. The hillocks on which the Ajantha-styled poaintings can be found are called 'Eezhadi pattam'.
11 kms from these hillocks are two more hillocks called Kudumiyaan malai and Naarthaamalai (this place has a temple built by Vijayalaya Chozha)- if ever anyone visits these places, don't miss out on these. They're absolutely beautiful. In Kudumiyaan malai, there are stone inscriptions on music, life-size sculptures of rishis on the columns- the place is massive, no less than the famed Krishnapuram sculptures (near Thirunelveli). On the hill slope rising behind the temple, there are engravings of Lord Shiva and the whole retinue- kingarargal and everyone else- they can seen at a certain angle from the ground. The view at dusk- 'kaiyezuthu maraiyum neram'- is excellent.
>Mamallapuram - today's Mahabalipuram - with the Tiger caves on the way.
>Malayamaanadu - region around today's Thirukovilur
>Thakkolam - On the Kanchipuram- Arakonam highway, I think it comes after >the small village of Kooram.
>Places in srilanka...
Simmagirikottai- a famous tourist spot- today, its called Sigiriya, I believe. Its a one-day trip, a large hill, with steep steps. Half-way through, there are near-perfect Ajantha painting replicas, in a cave. Maybe these were what Arulmozhivarmar saw:-) On top of the hill, there are the ruins of the palace that once stood there. If you look down from the elevation, one can see the remnants of a huge palace complex down below.
Anuradhapuram - the lake really does exist- as beautiful as it was in PS. The lakeside is paved with stone, the ruins of the anthapuram and the gardens were well-maintained. Last we saw, it had tourist cottages- breakfast was panang kizhangu and papaalipazham:-) amazing:-). A five star hotel level tourist cottage-don't know what its status is now...
Thambalai- Northern Sri Lanka, a famous Buddhar Koil. It resembles our own temples, and in the caves, there're plenty of Buddha statues. Definitely not in ruins.
Aside from this, we saw plenty of Buddha statues arising suddenly out of fields and water-bodies...if anyone has seen Manirathnam's 'Kannathil muthamitaal'...then they might remember.
All the places in Sri Lanka were visited a long time ago- I'm not sure what changes may have taken place now...
This is the best I know- I checked out with a map too:-)If anyone has any more details, please share them.
Wow...just writing about those places brings back rich memories- what wouldn't I give to visit them again?
Friends, This initiative of Kamalakannan is most welcome. Infact I'd proposed the same idea to the group some time back - but it did not materialise. Kindly gather yourself / visit the places and share your interesting experiences with us. The Vijayalaya choleeswaram of Narthamalai mentioned by Pavithra is the first among the ancient chola temples discovered so far. There are some cave temples of mutharaiyars called pazhiyili easwaram in the same area - not to be missed at all.
I am very happy to know that our group is planning for a trip to the places featured in PS.I am interested to hear more about the trip. I am residing in Srirangam very near to the places featured in PS. Currently i am in USA and will be back to home within 15 days I am very eager to know more details