When we landed at Thirukarukavur
Recently, I was sent to Thanjavur, on an official trip. I was supposed to learn the ropes of the trade and understand it quickly. I had companions, let me call them VK and DJ. We had some fun times, travelling to and from our cozy, comfortable hotel and the branch in a remote corner of a sparsely populated village.
I treated it as an excursion. An adventure. Away from the house, the job of running a household. I was free and I was loving it. Every moment felt so exhilarating.
I was supposed to spend a week there. Then return to the HQ, learn some more tricks and return to Thanjavur. Well, the 2nd leg of the supposed travel has not happened yet. Let us see, when I am sent again.
Anyway, this post is not about my planned travel. It is about my last trip. When DJ and I ended up undertaking an impromptu adventure to a famous temple in Thirukarukavur.
Thirukarukavur is a village in Thanjavur district. Read about the famous Garbharakshambigai temple here.
So, one fine day, DJ decided to cut her trip short. She had to return home urgently and she decided to take a bus back to Chennai. DJ and I were sharing a room. I had qualms about being left alone, but didnt share it with her, knowing she would feel bad.
So, on that day, DJ came to meet me at my branch. Having nothing much to do except browse and look busy, I grabbed the chance to go sightseeing. We hung around near the branch when DJ had a brainwave. She asked, how far is Thirukarukavur? I said, let me check. I took out my GPS-enabled smartphone and told her the supposed distance between our place and the famous temple.
We had to go to Thanjavur to catch a bus. Or, we could go to Orthanadu and take a bus. We decided to take a bus to Thanjavur and then from there take a bus to Thirukarukavur. We had absolutely no idea what we had embarked on. The clincher here was that DJ had a bus to catch at 10:30 p.m.
So, off we went, happily chattering. We reached Thanjavur Bus stand in an hour. The time was 430.
We had planned to return by maximum 830 so that DJ could pack and leave. The Goddess had other plans.
We waited and finally boarded a bus that was going to Papanasam. In another hour and a half we got down at the nearest bus stop. We had no idea how to proceed. The local people said, the next bus that could take us to the Thirukarukavur temple would arrive only at 7. It was only 545. We had no inclination to wait that long.
As normal city-dwellers would do, DJ and I, in our kurtis and leggings and carrying our huge backpacks, started asking people 'how do we reach the temple?' In a few minutes, a group of dhoti clad men came forward to help us.
DJ, impulsive one that is, jumped at their offer to drop us at the temple, immediately agreed. The men, there were six of them, offered to drop us at the temple, wait for us, and drop us back at the Papanasam bus stand. DJ agreed and asked for the fare.
A man who was constantly on the phone, covered the phone with his right hand, asked DJ if 500 Rupees sounded fine, and then whispered into the mouthpiece, 'two girls, from Chennai, have to be dropped, yes, and then picked up.'
I was on the verge of having a stroke. Paranoia kicked in hard. I looked around frantically. Just a few minutes earlier, I had looked down, and noticed the stripes on one of the dhotis. Red and black. Fear gripped my heart. My mind started working overtime. I sent a silent thanks to the Almighty for pointing out the obvious. I excused myself from the men, DJ and I were almost surrounded by the men. I squeezed out and acted as if I was on a call. Then, confidently, I strode towards DJ and said, loudly, in Hindi, 'let us return.'
DJ looked at me appalled. What! I tried to convey as much as I could with my eyes. Then, I indicated that a call was on and gave my phone to her. While she managed to come out of the tightening circle of men, I whispered my plan and fears in her ear, in Bangla. Even in the Tamizh heartland, one could never be sure that people wouldn't understand Hindi. DJ heard me loud and clear, nodded, and continued the imaginary conversation, and oh so cleverly walking away, far from the men. I followed her, slowly. I looked back casually and politely smiled at the men. They were waiting, patiently.
As I waited for a few more seconds, while DJ attended a real call, I noticed a Maruti Alto crossing us. As is my habit, I notice and commit to memory stuff like which car crossed, the registration number, the occupants, and so on. The Maruti stopped a few metres ahead of us. A man got out and crossed over to go to a shop. I saw a woman sitting alone in the passenger seat. DJ had finished her call. By now, the men had moved on and were standing in a far corner, but, each pair of eyes was on us. DJ turned to me, her face flush. Nervousness, I thought. She was shit scared. She told me, 'What do we do now?' I looked at the Maruti and signalled to her that I was going to try my luck. She mouthed, 'you are crazy.' I smiled and nodded.
I walked over to the car, cleared my throat, and asked the woman if she knew how we could go to the temple. She apologized and said, 'sorry, I am new to this place, I do not know.'
My heart sank. I had expected to strike up a conversation and then ask for a lift. I returned and told DJ, 'Let us go back to Thanjavur dear, else you will misss your bus.' We decided to wait for the bus that would take us back. DJ was visibly upset but she understood the risks. The men were still hovering on the horizon. Seeing us crossing over to the other side, one of them came over and asked if he could help. He said he would be glad to drive us to the temple. I could see DJ almost on the verge of agreeing. From the corner of my eye I saw a woman hurrying towards us. She came over, quite quickly, and said, 'Excuse me, you girls wanted to go to the temple, right?' I nodded, overjoyed. She said, 'come, we are also headed there.' DJ looked thrilled. We immediately got into their small car and thanked them profusely. DJ looked so relieved, she was sweating with nervousness. I prayed fervently.
The rest of the trip went smoothly. We met the Goddess. She in all her splendour gave us both a beautiful darshan. I was so touched by the experience, I turned a complete believer.
After our puja, when we stepped out, another surprise was in store. It was nearing 730. Outside the temple, there was not even one streetlight. It was pitch dark. DJ and I were in another fix. What do we do now? As we were pondering what to do, from somewhere we heard a bike approaching. An elderly couple crossed us, on their new bike, with mala and all. The lady smiled at us. We asked them how to reach the bus stand. The man immediately offered to drop us both at the bus stop. DJ was aghast. Was the adventure never ending? I agreed. I knew nothing would go wrong. First DJ got dropped then the man came for me. We both thanked him profusely.
After yet another circuitous route, we managed to reach Thanjavur. My GPS-enabled phone came very handy. When we finally returned to the hotel, our hearts were full of love for the Almighty and belief in the all-seeing Mother.
If the Goddess had not saved DJ and me, on that day, we would never have reached home, ever. Even now, months after the incident, when I think about it, I get Goosebumps. And I pray.
I treated it as an excursion. An adventure. Away from the house, the job of running a household. I was free and I was loving it. Every moment felt so exhilarating.
I was supposed to spend a week there. Then return to the HQ, learn some more tricks and return to Thanjavur. Well, the 2nd leg of the supposed travel has not happened yet. Let us see, when I am sent again.
Anyway, this post is not about my planned travel. It is about my last trip. When DJ and I ended up undertaking an impromptu adventure to a famous temple in Thirukarukavur.
Thirukarukavur is a village in Thanjavur district. Read about the famous Garbharakshambigai temple here.
So, one fine day, DJ decided to cut her trip short. She had to return home urgently and she decided to take a bus back to Chennai. DJ and I were sharing a room. I had qualms about being left alone, but didnt share it with her, knowing she would feel bad.
So, on that day, DJ came to meet me at my branch. Having nothing much to do except browse and look busy, I grabbed the chance to go sightseeing. We hung around near the branch when DJ had a brainwave. She asked, how far is Thirukarukavur? I said, let me check. I took out my GPS-enabled smartphone and told her the supposed distance between our place and the famous temple.
We had to go to Thanjavur to catch a bus. Or, we could go to Orthanadu and take a bus. We decided to take a bus to Thanjavur and then from there take a bus to Thirukarukavur. We had absolutely no idea what we had embarked on. The clincher here was that DJ had a bus to catch at 10:30 p.m.
So, off we went, happily chattering. We reached Thanjavur Bus stand in an hour. The time was 430.
We had planned to return by maximum 830 so that DJ could pack and leave. The Goddess had other plans.
We waited and finally boarded a bus that was going to Papanasam. In another hour and a half we got down at the nearest bus stop. We had no idea how to proceed. The local people said, the next bus that could take us to the Thirukarukavur temple would arrive only at 7. It was only 545. We had no inclination to wait that long.
As normal city-dwellers would do, DJ and I, in our kurtis and leggings and carrying our huge backpacks, started asking people 'how do we reach the temple?' In a few minutes, a group of dhoti clad men came forward to help us.
DJ, impulsive one that is, jumped at their offer to drop us at the temple, immediately agreed. The men, there were six of them, offered to drop us at the temple, wait for us, and drop us back at the Papanasam bus stand. DJ agreed and asked for the fare.
A man who was constantly on the phone, covered the phone with his right hand, asked DJ if 500 Rupees sounded fine, and then whispered into the mouthpiece, 'two girls, from Chennai, have to be dropped, yes, and then picked up.'
I was on the verge of having a stroke. Paranoia kicked in hard. I looked around frantically. Just a few minutes earlier, I had looked down, and noticed the stripes on one of the dhotis. Red and black. Fear gripped my heart. My mind started working overtime. I sent a silent thanks to the Almighty for pointing out the obvious. I excused myself from the men, DJ and I were almost surrounded by the men. I squeezed out and acted as if I was on a call. Then, confidently, I strode towards DJ and said, loudly, in Hindi, 'let us return.'
DJ looked at me appalled. What! I tried to convey as much as I could with my eyes. Then, I indicated that a call was on and gave my phone to her. While she managed to come out of the tightening circle of men, I whispered my plan and fears in her ear, in Bangla. Even in the Tamizh heartland, one could never be sure that people wouldn't understand Hindi. DJ heard me loud and clear, nodded, and continued the imaginary conversation, and oh so cleverly walking away, far from the men. I followed her, slowly. I looked back casually and politely smiled at the men. They were waiting, patiently.
As I waited for a few more seconds, while DJ attended a real call, I noticed a Maruti Alto crossing us. As is my habit, I notice and commit to memory stuff like which car crossed, the registration number, the occupants, and so on. The Maruti stopped a few metres ahead of us. A man got out and crossed over to go to a shop. I saw a woman sitting alone in the passenger seat. DJ had finished her call. By now, the men had moved on and were standing in a far corner, but, each pair of eyes was on us. DJ turned to me, her face flush. Nervousness, I thought. She was shit scared. She told me, 'What do we do now?' I looked at the Maruti and signalled to her that I was going to try my luck. She mouthed, 'you are crazy.' I smiled and nodded.
I walked over to the car, cleared my throat, and asked the woman if she knew how we could go to the temple. She apologized and said, 'sorry, I am new to this place, I do not know.'
My heart sank. I had expected to strike up a conversation and then ask for a lift. I returned and told DJ, 'Let us go back to Thanjavur dear, else you will misss your bus.' We decided to wait for the bus that would take us back. DJ was visibly upset but she understood the risks. The men were still hovering on the horizon. Seeing us crossing over to the other side, one of them came over and asked if he could help. He said he would be glad to drive us to the temple. I could see DJ almost on the verge of agreeing. From the corner of my eye I saw a woman hurrying towards us. She came over, quite quickly, and said, 'Excuse me, you girls wanted to go to the temple, right?' I nodded, overjoyed. She said, 'come, we are also headed there.' DJ looked thrilled. We immediately got into their small car and thanked them profusely. DJ looked so relieved, she was sweating with nervousness. I prayed fervently.
The rest of the trip went smoothly. We met the Goddess. She in all her splendour gave us both a beautiful darshan. I was so touched by the experience, I turned a complete believer.
After our puja, when we stepped out, another surprise was in store. It was nearing 730. Outside the temple, there was not even one streetlight. It was pitch dark. DJ and I were in another fix. What do we do now? As we were pondering what to do, from somewhere we heard a bike approaching. An elderly couple crossed us, on their new bike, with mala and all. The lady smiled at us. We asked them how to reach the bus stand. The man immediately offered to drop us both at the bus stop. DJ was aghast. Was the adventure never ending? I agreed. I knew nothing would go wrong. First DJ got dropped then the man came for me. We both thanked him profusely.
After yet another circuitous route, we managed to reach Thanjavur. My GPS-enabled phone came very handy. When we finally returned to the hotel, our hearts were full of love for the Almighty and belief in the all-seeing Mother.
If the Goddess had not saved DJ and me, on that day, we would never have reached home, ever. Even now, months after the incident, when I think about it, I get Goosebumps. And I pray.
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