Thirukkalukundram and the villages nearby

Thirukkalukundram is a village near Chengalpattu known for the Vedagiriswarar temple. There are two temples here, one below the hill and the other uphill. The temple at the foothills is dedicated to the godess.

We reached Chengalpattu via bus(also possible by train) and ate in a local shop. It was a great experience as we had some "communication problems" with the waiter and she ended up serving three pooris in a single plate for all of us! Not wanting to complain, we decided to eat it....We call it "Ore thatula sapidradhu" :)

We then boarded a bus and reached Thirukkalukundram in about 20 minutes. It is well connected by road. To reach the hilltop temple, you have to pay Rs.2 as an entrance fee(Rs 10 for cameras) and climb 565 steps. A specific part of the climb is very steep and is sure to trouble the older lot. Make sure you carry lots of water(water is sold for Rs 16 downhill) and some energy bars.

But the climb gives you a great view of the villages nearby and the paddy fields that surround the area. We were also able to see a lots of birds and also a South Indian rock agama.

Once you enter the temple, it is very dark and feels a bit warm inside. The sanctum sanctorum is peaceful and serene. The temple closes by 1PM, so make sure that you reach on time.

There are also open spaces above to look at the surroundings and the view is worth the climb!

The climb down is easy but a bit slippery. There is also a cave of a saint and a Shiv Ling en route. If you get down further, you will reach the Sacred Eagle view point(it's a vulture actually). Legend has it that 2 Rishis come to the tempke every noon and eats the food given by the priest. But they have not been spotted for the past 10 years!

You also get to see a lot of trees, 4 rock pillarsand a rock cut temple by Mahendravarma(610-640 AD).

We then entered the Amman temple downhill. It was a pretty big one so it takes at least 45 minutes to see it completely.There are 4 Rajagopuras for this temple and a small pond/tank is also located inside the temple(it is highly polluted and smells bad).

We then took a small walk to the Sangu Theertham(every 12 years, a conch shell appears here- the last was in 2011)

As we guys were looking for some village experience, we took a 2 Km walk to a small lake like structure nearby and reached some paddy fields. We were able to see a lot of ducks, egrets, golden orioles, orange headed thrushes and we also heard a rattle of a snake! The villagers were friendly and they showed us the way to a well where we washed our faces and cooled ourselves. But the walk to the nearby village via the mud road that runs parallel to the lake is not very safe if you are alone as we encountered at least 2 drunkards who asked us some silly questions.....Best to avoid the drunkards and walk as a group!