East Coast Road or ECR as it is fondly called, is one of the most scenic routes of Chennai, absolutely no doubt about it! During our long stay at Chennai, we took on this route for our excursion. We were surprised to find that this stretch hosted most of the amusement & entertainment parks, beaches, resorts and open air theaters. Starting from Thiruvamiyur Junction, this toll road takes one southwards of Chennai all the way beyond Mahamallapuram through Marakanam to Puducherry Town. Cool zephyrs blowing our way from the sea. Serene weather and view acting as a calm balm to stressed city life.
Let me make a list of all the places we saw on the way and also those places we couldn't visit due to limitation on time.
The excursion to ECR started at 5:30 for us. Although I thought it was way too early to step on the roads of Tamil Nadu, by the time the day ended for me, I was awash with the feeling that we should have planned this for a weekend or three day trip and spent more time at various exciting spots on this stretch. Maybe next time!
Unlike my mom who wanted to visit every temple en-route, we were interested only in the ancient temples that lured us with their art, culture and ancient legends. The older the better!
Maruntheeswara Temple: 11th century structure, this temple has many legends adding to the mystery. Sage Valmiki, the author of the epic Ramayan is supposed to have visited this temple during his time. This temple is located in Thiruvamiyur only 4km from Adayar.
Cholamandal Art Village: One can find a huge community of artists involved in production and display of artifacts such as sculptures, paintings, bronze idols and icons. It was founded by K.C.S Paniker in 1966 and located 8 kms away from Chennai.
VGP Universal Kingdom or VGP Golden Beach
Jagannathan Temple, located in Kannathur, is supposed to be an exact replica of the Puri Jagannath Temple in Orissa. Haven't been there yet, hence cannot comment about the resemblance.
Mayajaal Multiplex Complex
MGM Dizzee World: Definitely for kids
Dakshina Chitra: run by Chennai Craft Foundation, this complex houses models and replicas of traditional homes, artifacts, crafts, folk & performing arts of not only Tamil Nadu, but also the rest of South India.
Muttukkaadu Boat House: On the backwaters of Muttukaad, one can enjoy, watersport
s such as speed boats, Wind Surfing, Canoeing, Kayaking and other boats such as Row & Pedal. With the looming sky-scrappers and multi-storied apartment complexes coming up in the vicinity, we felt the charm of this place losing to urbanization.Thameem Ansari Baba Darga
Covelong Beach is a small fishing village 40kms away from Chennai. We got to know of a fort that was converted to a luxury resort.
Nithya Kalyana Perumal Temple: :Perumal = Vishnu or Tirupathy VenkataRamanaSwamy temple.
Crocodile Bank: This exciting place is 44 km from Chennai. 3.2 hectares of area is developed as a a farm where several species of Indian and African crocodiles and alligators are bred in captivity. Thousands of crocodiles and alligators are found near various pits in this area. Close by is a tribal society that runs Snake Venom extraction centre. Entry Fee: Rs 10/- for Adult, Rs 5/- for children.
Mahamallapuram
Arjuna's Penance
Five Rathas
Cave Temple
Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram is one of the oldest temples in Southern India
and also one of the most mesmerizing stones structures. Standing, majestically on the edge of the sea, the temple is so well built that even Tsunami couldn't shake it much, while many of the temples nearby saw extreme devastation. Exquisite carving and sculptures add to the wonder of this ancient monument. A long compound wall is built around the main temple and a forms a very narrow alley giving a cave like feel. Main temple is a twin room structure with Lord Shiva's sculpture in one and an obelisk in the other.Kanchipuram
Best Regards,
Roopa Sreedhar
+91-9886162404
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