
sunrise at Kanyakumari
“Splendour of the South,” the name of the east tour, leaves Bangalore in the early evening and, after a night trip, you reach Chennai (Madras), this vibrating crowded town lying on the shores of the Gulf of Bengal. The huge variety of colourful, silk saris – the traditional womens wear – immediately catches your eye. The warm and humid air is continuously filled with the sound of horns and the smell of car fumes. Lying along the seashore is Fort St George and, sheltering within its dark stone walls, is Saint Mary’s, the oldest Indian anglican church, and its museum.

Mahabalipuram
On the following day, look out of the window and see the sun rising over Puducherry (Pondicherry), a sleepy city looking like a poor, lonesome forgotten young lady waiting for Prince Charming. The white town, homeland of French India for nearly three centuries (they didn’t leave till 1954) remains quiet with some of these white houses (that’s where the name comes from) being former residences of officers and merchants, have now converted into lovely restaurants and hotels. The old French spirit is still there, with its right angled white streets lined with trees, and names like “rue la Bourdonnais,” “rue Suffren” and “rue Dumas.” The fragance of bougainvilleas adds calmness to this peaceful place. Strolling around or taking a rickshaw ride are the best ways to discover the white district of Pudicherry. The seaside boulevard is the place to take a walk by the end of the afternoon to enjoy the fresh breeze, stopping at “Le Café” for a drink, testing some light food at any of the snack carts set all along the seafront promenade. Puducherry is such a striking contrast to Chennai.
Next day take a morning visit to Auroville this “city in the making” as it calls itself aspires to be a universal place where all mankind from whatever country or creed can live in harmony according to the philosophical and spiritual life of Sri Aurobindo.
Have a free afternoon to wander through these quiet streets and then enjoy a relaxing dinner which has been arranged for you in an old house restaurant, the Dupleix. Follow this up with a short stroll on the promenade and then return to the train for a night trip to Trichy.

Temple of Sri Ranganatha
A short hop away, stand the 21 fully carved gopurams of the Srirankam (Sri Ranganathaswamy) Temple. Surrounded by its 7 successive huge walls, each one sheltering a mix of small houses and shops, this impressive temple contains a true pedestrian town swarming with people going in and out. The main doors of the temple were built under gopurams, huge pyramidal-shaped towers covered by thousands of highly coloured statues of gods and demons. They stand like arrows in the sky, one being 73 metres high. As in a lot of the most important places of worship, an elephant is here to give blessings to devotees. It will delicately place its trunk over the bowed head of the person seeking to be blessed, but only if the éléphant itself catches in its trunk a small contribution of between one and ten rupees directly from the hand of the person. A ten rupees note seems to be the normal gift expected from any tourist, but a one rupee coin would work too.

Temple of Sri Brihadeswara
The last visit of the day is to the Sri Brihadeswara temple of Thanjavur. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, dedicated to Shiva and his mount, the bull Nandi of which a giant monolithic statue stands in the middle of the courtyard.
After another fine dinner and a restful sleep on board the Golden Chariot, the next morning sees us arrive in Madurai main station. Here you visit for three or four hours the Meenakshi Temple, the bigest temple in Madurai. It is world renowned for its huge coloured gopurams (towers) and enormous mandapams (halls), including the Thousand Pillars Mandapam. In each of the 985 stone carved pillars there is a huge magnificent statue of a chimera. The faithfull stroll from one hall to the other, looking to statues, walls and ceilling paintings, sitting on the sides of the Golden Lotus Reservoir, and praying throughout. For those who visit by themselves, I suggest you remember as you go in to ask for an English speaking guide. The Meenaski Temple is really huge and to find the right way to the different halls is not so easy.

Meenakshi Temple
At the end of the afternoon, the sound and light show in the Thirumalai Nayak Mahal emphasises this royal palace with its remarkable dome, a great courtyard and an entrance hall of gigantic proportions with majestic pillars.
That night, the Golden Chariot moves south in order to arrive before dawn at Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin), the southernmost point of the Indian peninsular. It is here that the Gulf of Bengal and Arabian Sea meet the Indian Ocean. At about 5.30am, the passengers leave the train so they can be in place to watch the staggering sight of the sunrise coming over the cape. As it rises, it illuminates hundreds of Indian people from all over the country who have come for the spectacle.
Back on board, you are ready for the substantial breakfast. Take a rest while the train changes direction and now heads north. It leaves Tamil Nadu state and enters Kerala. The arrival in Trivandrum, capital city of Kerala, is scheduled for the afternoon giving you a short tour of the town and a visit of Kanakakunnu Palace. Then it is off for an evening excursion to Kovalam Beach on the Arabian Sea to discover the shallow waters and natural sandy coves. A gala dinner follows and then the programme, at the end of the day, sees you on the Malabar Coast in one of the luxury resorts along the beach.
For those who want to have spend some time here by the sea before going back home, Kovalam beach is the place to stay. The Leelah Kempinski Kovalam Beach continues the theme of luxury from the Golden Chariot but it’s also the most expensive resort. But there are lots of other resorts nearby such as the Vivanta by Taj-Kovalam. It is more affordable and you should definitely have a drink at the beach bar as you watch the sun go down. It’s so easy to believe that all is right with the world when you’re here.

Ketuvallam houseboat, Kerala backwaters
A little late lunch is awaiting the Golden Chariot passengers in a resort on the bank of the Vembanad lake, at the end of this peaceful half day cruise. Later, a faster boat takes the group to a northern part of the lake, close to Kochi (Cochin) from where a short coach ride takes everybody to St Francis Church, the oldest church in India. This was built by the Portuguese in 1503 and was the place where Vasco de Gama was first buried. Afterwards, there is a brief tour to see the well known chinese nets, those strange looking shore based nets used for fishing, before a longer stop for shopping in the old Jewish District that now has a concentration of restaurants, antique dealers and souvenir shops.
Finally, dinner on board and a departure overnight to return to Bangalore. In the morning, all the train crew line up on the platform to bid us a last farewell. A week has passed far too quickly.
images © Frederic de Poligny
To see other photographs from Frederic’s travels see www.phototheque-des-voyages.com and www.fredericdepoligny.com
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