The first morning was scheduled to move towards the very popular temple of Tirupathi Balaji. I was excited to go to the holy place as I had heard whole lot of praises of the place and wanted to discover the place in real. The long queue of the relegion lovers that had to be followed to reach the end was enough for anyone to guess and estimate the faith and purity people feel for the almighty. There was an unusual enthusiasm within me, a feeling both religious and divine in itself and I could see the same enthusiasm in all of us rather everybody present there. They say approx one crore people visit this holy shrine daily. I felt a reluctance to believe this formerly but when I got to witness the reality, I was sure it could be more than a crore as well. After going through the long queue of the devotees, I entered the main temple where the almighty was worshiped in idol. There was a power in the picture that stood in front of me, a power that made me want to stay there for a longer period of time than was allowed, a power that left an ever lasting impression on me and made me believe that if millions of people surrender their faith here daily, they certainly have a valid reason to do so. I WAS TOUCHED!
The second place that I surely cannot forget is Kodaikanal hill station. This was a place I was most excited to go. I always had a wish to visit this hill station. As we were approaching near to it, climate was becoming colder than before and this told me that along with the beautiful surroundings, I am gonna enjoy my favorite weather as well - winters. The beauty of the place is perhaps beyond the scope of my words. It had a splendid blend of nature, climate and terrain. Just a rough glimpse of the place forced us to spare a day extra to enjoy the serenity of the beautiful place. Early morning we left to discover the higher areas of Kodaikanal. The way to the sights was walled with long, tall and dense trees which added to the beauty of the place. Suicide point is a popular sight of the hill station which is said to have witnessed suicide of many people. The point was at a height that was attractive in itself enough to make a determined person implement his suicidal intentions. But to me it was scary, may be because heights have always been scary to me. Then comes the lake that forms the heart of Kodaikanal. Flowers of lotus blooming in the still waters, clouds touching the surface of the water, golden rays of sun piercing the clouds to reach the water surface making it shine like million pearls, birds flying over, tall and beautiful auricaria trees bordering it on all the sides – the lake was a place that I would say “Heaven on earth”! Watching the lake at the dusk of the day was probably the most romantic picturesque I have ever came across. By the end of the day, I was completely in love with the place – every aspect of it, may be climate, its beauty, the serenity, the natural front and everything. If given a chance, I would love to inhabit this stupendous place for the rest of my life!
Beaches were another sight that are worth quoting. Walking on the borders where soft water would wet your feet, cool breeze striking against your face, is a feeling that forces you to believe that heaven is not just a collaboration of thoughts, but can actually exist!! As I experienced, in early hours of the morning, when no one really is around, the only sound that could be heard is of the rising and falling waves. The sound of waves, at one moment is similar to the applause of millions of people appreciating you for nothing while, the next moment, the sound is one that is challenging and inviting. The all day water adventure at the beaches left us completely drawn but then WHATEVER – WHO CARES!!!
Kanyakumari is a place which sees the junction where the three large water bodies i.e. The Bay of Bengal, The Indian Ocean and The Arabian Sea meet. The water at this junction reflects three different colors which is a beautiful sight again! Now how on earth can two liquids remain separate and reflect their individual color!! Amazing it was! The south India completely is surrounded with water all over accompanied by greenery that is entirely natural and beautiful. Absolute natural beauty, if one wishes to see, well here is the place you must not leave unchecked!! A place that promises you absolute peace of mind, healthy environment flooding with blue-green water everywere you move your eye-ball and coconut trees and ofcourse not to forget - idli, sambhar and dosa!!