When it comes to traveling to a new place I rarely miss the opportunity. Going to Taramani was such a short trip I made leaving me with 5 hours to explore the place solo. Googling the name "Taramani", I was surprised to see there is a movie with the same name "Taramani" that shows the local life in Taramani.
We were traveling by train from Thrissur which was an overnight journey. As normal as it is with Indian railway service, the train was late a few hours but managed to reach Chennai central station at around 7 O'clock in the morning.
And I must say, Chennai central is a huge railway station that is clean with colourful arches and pillars. What got my attention the most is their effort to reduce the use of plastic. There is a counter where you will get drinking water (RO) filled in the bottles you give them for a cheap price per liter. Highly recommend this service since they provide clean water.
Reaching Taramani in the morning around 8 O'clock, there was only one restaurant we found open. So, we had the first masala dosa and filter coffee made that day in that restaurant with energetic old Tamil movie songs in the background.
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Taramani seems a village that is on its way to becoming a host for IT companies and other firms. The few buildings that stand out as business parks assure that the face of this place is going to get a huge makeover in the coming years. Not having much to explore within Taramani, I starting searching for places near Taramani that I can visit with a condition of reaching back here at 3 O'clock.
Elliot's Beach
The first place on the recommendations by many sites and Google was "Elliot's beach". Instead of taking a cab I decided to use public transport the whole day. Took a bus to the nearest bus station and the ticket was incredibly cheap.
A little walk through Basant Nagar and I reached Elliot's Beach. Maybe I was little too early to the beach at 9.30. All the stalls were closed and people made use of the pavements for morning walks and jogging.
With everything closed around the place, I finally found a shaded place to sit with crabs playing hide and seek nearby. Sun was getting hotter and yet I was so excited to be there. I love the waves, the sound of the waves, the wind, sand and everything about the beach.
After staring the furious waves for some time, I started filming the place and that is when someone approached me for tart reading. Refusing her was not an easy task especially when your knowledge of local language is very weak.
She looked like from the movies. Black saree draped differently around the legs, long hair that is made into a large bun on top of her head and the sandal markings on the forehead. She left eventually leaving me and my newly found crab friends to chill on the beach.
Something that made me notice around the beach was the amount of plastic bags and wrappers that were flying around and in the sand. Then there were few students from the college who came with big sacks and were picking up the trash from the sands. They are the hope we have for the future!
Ashtalakshmi temple
The next location on the list was "Ashtalakshmi temple" and it is pretty near to the beach. So I started walking from the beach and crossing a lane of colourful houses, the temple was visible at the end of the road. I read somewhere it is a slum, not so sure though, but a lot different than the slums you see on the side of railway tracks.
Hearing the name, It was clear the temple is dedicated to goddess Lakshmi. The temple from the outside looked so good with different colours used for the sculptures and carvings. The foot ware had to be removed and kept outside with a charge of Rs.2 if I remember correctly. There are roses, jasmine and other flowers available to buy right outside the temple that can be used to offer inside the temple.
Entering into the main door of the temple, photography and video are prohibited. Inside the temple, there are small prayer halls with the space allotted to different deities. In each such spaces, there are priests available to offer prayer and there is a paid facility to offer the flowers you bring inside and do pooja. The stairs to the upper part of the temple are made in a spiral way around this prayer halls and it gives you a positive vibe.
The architecture of the temple is something to be appreciated. The materials used keep the whole temple keeps away the heat from the sun. The stairs are so tiny and you have to bow your head to walk through the door which gives you a feel of walking into the past. The uppermost part of the temple opens into a hallway that is facing the beach and the view from here is amazing.
Only after reaching Ashtalakshmi temple I realized it's just another entrance to Elliot's beach. I spend some more time on the beach enjoying watermelon in the middle of fishing boats. The boats were all a great hideout for couples to hang out. These boats looked good with their colours and one of them stood out with the comic characters and channel logos printed on them.
An interesting incident (probably some kinda spam)
Standing there for some time, a girl approached me asking to make a call from my phone to her home saying she is somewhere- something of that sort. That was a little strange and as much as I hate saying No, this is how we learn to refuse things in life I think.
Moving on...
A church
I have found the best places when I am lost. The next destination was such an accidental discovery. It was a church on the other end of the lane I mentioned before. It was a small church and a true indication of cultural integration. The sculpture of elephants at the entrance of a hall that is allotted to light candles was something I have never seen anywhere else.
Also, the iron grill-walls of grotto near the church was filled with locks and small cradles. Each one of them were prayers to have babies and to get own houses. It was something new to me to see such offerings. I entered the church to take rest and escape the sun but ended up attending a mass that was going on.
Marundeeswarar Temple
Searching for more places, I found Marundeeswarar Temple to be nearby and got down at Thiruvamaniyur to reach there. This is where someone from "Hijada" community helped me to get the directions correct.
The only encounters I have had with people from this community were during train journeys that were not so pleasant. She was such a nice person, and to get help when you are in some place unknown is a great deal. It also was special for me since I have never really known or talked to a transgender before.
By the time I reached the temple, it was closed. That is the main part of the temple was closed. However, I could walk around inside the temple premises and take in the beauty of the aesthetics here. The place was calm and the architecture was simply amazing. On the way back I met the same person who helped me and was happy to say goodbye.
St. Antony's church, Taramani
Going back to Taramani I still had some more time to kill but it was too hot to walk around. I found another church near Taramani bus stop and sat there for an hour or so. Around 4 PM I started from Taramani again to explore Chennai before our return train at 9 PM.
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Chennai Metro/Local train
Next on the list was to go on the Chennai local/ metro train service. Taramani station seemed more like an abandoned place. But once you're in the building the whole building is filled with artworks. The walls, pillars are all decorated with paintings of places to visit in Chennai and awareness messages through paintings.
The dome of the station is also a great sight though poorly maintained. The train ticket is incredibly cheap and I think it is an efficient way of transportation here. There is a separate coach for ladies too. The Chennai city looks beautiful looking down from the local train.
Marina Beach
The train ticket was to Marina beach or Chennai beach and we were hoping to catch the sunset at the beach. Marina beach was very busy with people visiting the place, kids in skateboard classes, street vendors and many others.
There was a band that was playing which seemed like policemen and they made a perfect sunset ambiance. The lighthouse at one end was so busy with people in the queue. And it's necessary to leave your bags at the counter. Plus it was almost time to close so we skipped that.
There are many food options available but most of them open in the evening or late in the evening. We tried prawns fried rice from a Tamil Nadu government initiative that cooked and served in a bus. It was good.
Parry's Corner
The one place I have heard a lot here and there is "Parrys corner". So we decided to check that place. It was pretty difficult to catch a bus from the bus stop near the beach. And getting down at Parry's corner only we realized it gets its name from the building "Parrys".
We were hoping for someplace to have dinner but with the suggestion of a local couple, we decided to leave the place and get to the railway station soon.
The street market in Parry's corner
The pavement that leads to the railway station near Parry's corner is filled with small shops that sell many different things. From dolls to mobile covers there is a shop for each and everything in this street.
Across the road were SBI bank that situates in an old red building that seems like a museum from the outside.
Chennai Railway Station
Did I tell you the iconic building of the Chennai railway station? Well, you might have seen it in all the pictures from Chennai. This building gets lit up at night.
Reaching the station an hour before was such a relief. After a complete day on feet, it was really nice to sit and then catch the train which was on time:)
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