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Friday 21 February 2020

Arikamedu – An Ancient Trading Post From The Times Of Julius Caesar



After roaming around the rocky beaches and Chola temples of Puducherry in the cool environs of January month, I was yearning to take a peek at a very ancient but hardly known Roman trading site in the city of Pondicherry. Some of my friends in Bengaluru had mentioned about it but could not give much details. However, despite inquiries nobody could exactly tell the 'way' to this post. Of all the people, it was our friendly old auto driver Loganathan who finally managed to get the whereabouts of this place.

The remains of this French styled villa revealed secrets of an ancient era
The remains of this French styled villa revealed secrets of an ancient era

Thursday 20 February 2020

Chandalingeswar Temple - Mysteries And More



The day was nearly over and the sun had long gone down and we thought we were done for the day. But that was not to be. We were still in Hannumsagar (Read about it here) and tucked into our schedule and in Bilagi Village, about 4 kms from Hanumsagar was the Chandalingeswar temple, waiting for our visit.

It was already dark by the time we reached the temple and wisely I decided to leave my camera bag in the vehicle itself. Me and my phone would explore the temple that day along with the others.

The well lit entrance to the temple
The well lit entrance to the temple

Tuesday 18 February 2020

Over A Friendly Cup Of Coffee



The morning cup of coffee, the sensational brew that kick-starts our day, has a lot of stories to tell. We got our first hand information on its history, growing, harvesting, processing , grading etc. over an excellent brunch and of course a fantastic cup of coffee at Shreedev Hulikere's Woodway Homestay.

Coffee mug
Coffee - What better to kick-start a day with

Wednesday 12 February 2020

Panchanatheeswara Temple – A Forgotten Heritage



Moving away from the rocky sea face of Pondicherry city, I began my search for very old Chola temples that's in the vicinity of this erstwhile French Colony. This was because my friend Dr Githa U Badikillaya, founder of Destination Heritage and is an expert on Indian Temples and its architecture had suggested that there were some temples that were older than the Chola temples of Chennai.

A temple that has seen additions till the 17th century
A temple that has seen additions till the 17th century