Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Chinthalavadi Namakkal trip photos






RADHE KRISHNA 07-03-2012




Chinthalavadi Namakkal trip photos



Chinthalavadi Namakkal trip photos
https://picasaweb.google.com/108316862715150033585/Chinthalavadi
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Namakkal


Namakkal (Tamil: நாமக்கல்) is a city and a municipality in Namakkal district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of Namakkal district. It is the first ISO 14001-2004 certified municipality in Asia for environmental management,[1] specifically the provision and maintenance of water supply, solid waste and sewage management, town planning, lighting and other social services.[2] It is named as Educational city, Poultry city, and Transport city.
It is a part of Kongu Nadu (Kongu Desam) region of Tamil Nadu which was hotly contested and coveted by both the ancient Pallavas and the Pandyas.Namakkal was in the hands of Atiakula King called Gunasila who has marriage with Pallava King. Later the taluk was over run by the Cholas in the Kongu Mandalam .After the struggle between the Cheras, Cholas and Pandiyas, the Hoysalas rose to power and had control till the 14th century followed by Vijayanagar Kings till 1565 AD. Then the Madurai Nayakas came to power in 1623 AD. Two of the Polygons of Thirumalai Nayak namely, Ramachandra Nayaka and Gatti Mudaliars ruled the Salem area. The Namakkal Fort is reported to have been built by Ramachandra Nayakas. After about 1625 AD, the area came successively under the rule of Muslim Sultans of Bijapur and Golkonda Mysore kings and then the Marathas, when about the year 1750 AD. Hyder Ali came to power. During this period, it was a history of power struggle between Hyder Ali and later Tippu, with the British. The Rock Fort in Namakkal is a special feature of the Town. The Fort covers an area of one and half acres of flat surface and is accessible from South-West by a flight of narrow steps. Namakkal was held by Killdhar (Caption) on Hyder Ali until it was captured by British in 1768. For a brief period during late 18th and early 19th century Namakkal was under Tiruchirappalli district of British Rule. Later Namakkal was transferred back to Salem District.

Geography
Namakkal is located at 11.23°N 78.17°E.[3] It has an average elevation of 218 metres (715 ft). It is close to Kolli Hills (கொல்லிமலை)- which is part of the Eastern Ghats (கிழக்கு தொடர்சிமலை). The closest river is Kaveri (காவேரி).
The Namakkal City is located with the surrounding Cities as mentioned below (distance in km approximately):
360 km southwest of Chennai
250 km south of Bangalore
150 km east of Coimbatore
55 km East of Erode (Turmeric City)
48 km North of Karur (Textile city)
55 km South of Salem (Mango City)
84 km northwest of Tiruchirapalli
The landscape of Namakkal is such that it would not be affected by floods(citation needed).

History
Namakkal is a historic town with reference back to at least 7th century. The name Namakkal derives from Namagiri, which is the name of the single rock formation at the center of the town.Two cave temples at Namakkal were called as Adiyendra Visnugrha (Ranganatha swamy Temple) and Adiyanavaya Visnugrha (Narasimha swamy Temple).These Rock cut shrineswere built by King Gunaseela of Adhiyaman clan descendant.Because of his marriage relations with Pallavas the temples were built of Pallava Architectural style during 7th century. Generally, Namakkal is considered to be a Vaishnava Kshetram, and there is no Shiva temple in the town until a few years ago. The rock is enormous - 65 meters high and more than a kilometre in circumference. Over this massive rock, is a fort. The fort over the rock were built by Ramachandra Nayakar, a small king who ruled Namakkal during 16th century. It is believed that Tippu Sultan hide himself in this fort for some time to escape the British. The fort was not built by Tippu Sultan but he occupied it for a brief period of time.Later the fort was captured by British. The front side of the hill is called Thiru. Vi. Ka. Paarai and used by taxis as their stand.Gandhiji held a public meeting in 1933 in Namakkal under the slope of the Namakkal rock. It is one of the few places in Tamil Nadu, that has not been seriously affected by famine and war(citation needed).

Lord Anjaneya temple


Anjaneya Temple, Namakkal
Namakkal Anjaneyar temple has more than 1500 Years history . The fort of Namakkal is guarded by a giant Anjaneya. The idol is so famous that it has been known as Namakkal Hanuman.Anjaneya is in Digambara temple (with sky as the roof) facing and worshipping Lord Lakshmi Narasimha and the Saleegramam. The Anjaneya in this kshethra is eighteen feet tall and is having dharshan of the Lord Lakshmi Narasimha about 250 feet (76 m) away. The eye of Anjaneya is in straight line with the patha [lotus feet] of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. One can witness Anjaneya having the dharshan of Lord's Lotus feet from the Garudalwar sannathi even today. The imprint of the footsteps of Anjaneya Swami is seen in the Kamalalam tank steps.There was also a rumour in namakkal that the anjaneyar grows in height each and every year.They did some poojas and made Anjaneya to be calm because there should not be any disaster in the world.As time passes many would have been forgotton about this rumours.
Namagiri Lakshmi Narasimhaswami Temple
The principal deity worhsipped here is a beautiful carved murti of Lord Vishnu in the form of Sri Narasimha Swami. The beautiful murti and the ancient cave temple are carved out of an imposing hill.There is a separate shrine for Goddess Namagiri Lakshmi.
Platinum prospects in Namakkal
India’s Geological Survey has found platinum prospects in Namakkal district. Describing them as good discoveries, the government said the GSI is at the scientific stage where there is an evidence of substantial deposits of platinum which needs to be explored further to understand the exact location and quantities.
The GSI was engaged in the exploratory work for the last three years. As of now, exploration was carried out up to 30 metres. If explored further, scientists of the GSI were of the view that the potential will be even greater, both in quantity and quality.
A memorandum of understanding was signed to facilitate further exploration of mineral development of the state.
The Geological Survey of India and Tamil Nadu Minerals Ltd (Tamin) will jointly explore the commercial viability of mining platinum group of minerals present in the Mettupalayalam and Namakkal areas of the state.
As per the agreement, GSI will also carry out surveys to find the presence of platinum in other parts of the state.
[edit]Tourist attractions around Namakkal
Main article: Kolli Hills
The Kolli Hills are featured in several works of classical Tamil literature such as Silappathigaram, Manimekalai, Purananuru and Ainkurnuru. The region was ruled by Valvil Ori around 200 AD, who is praised as one of the seven great philanthropists of ancient Tamil Nadu. His valor and marksmanship are sung by several poets, and his exploits are a popular part of folklore. Ori is said to have killed a lion, bear, deer and a boar with a single arrow. The jackfruit grown on these mountains is known for its taste and fragrance and is often soaked in wild honey that is also harvested from these mountains. The mountains are covered by lush green vegetation in the spring and monsoon, and are streaked with streams which add to the natural beauty. There are three reserved forests that are controlled by the Government of Tamil Nadu, namely Ariyur Solai, Kundur Nadu, Pulianjolai It is not correct to regard the name kolli hills as being due to the incidence of deadly diseases such as malaria!It is because early literature records the existence of an image called kollippavai on top of these hills.This image was believed to represent the spirit of a maiden who lured wayfarers by her beauty and then killed them. The mountain is a site of pilgrimage, because of the Arapaleeswarar temple, which is believed to have a secret path to the Shiva temple in Rasipuram. This Shiva temple is said to have been built by Valvil Ori in the 1st or 2nd century when he ruled this area. "Arappaleeswara sathakam" is the poem which praises the Lord Arappaleeswarar. It is believed that this temple exists during the Sangam period itself.
Tourism: Kolli Hills has to be explored in a leisure space. Kolli Hills has been the top choice for nature lovers, hiking enthusiasts, trekking clubs and meditation practitioners among hill stations in Tamil Nadu. In comparison to other hill stations in Tamil Nadu, Kolli Hills is not commercialized, less polluted and offers unique mountain ranges.
Some of the famous spots are:
Periyasamy Temple (Muthugapatti)
Arungiri Malai(Arunagiri Hills) - Famous Murugan Temple
Agaya Gangai Waterfalls
Siddhar caves
Mini Falls
Arappaleeswar Temple
Ettukai Amman Temple KEERAMBUR
Masi Periyasamy Temple and falls
Selur View Point
Boat House
Botanical Garden
Seekuparai viewpoint
Sandana Parai
German swami's ashram
Puranikadu Sat Dharma sangam ashram
Eshwaran Temple, Mavuretty
Eshwaran Temple(Sendhamangalam)
Kondamanaickanpatty(tex tils)
Everest Mobiles
Anchaneyar Temple
What to do in Kolli Hills:
Trekking
Nature Walk
Rock Climbing
Rappelling
Bird watching
cave exploration
star gazing
Camp fire
Botanical garden
Watching local folklore/Folk dance with campfire.
some of the famous temples:
Namakkal Anjaneyar temple
Namakkal sri lakshmi narashimar temple
Lord murugar temple Belukurichi which is 25 km from namakkal
Palapattarai Mariyamman Temple near bus stand

Transport
Buses Ply to Various important Cities in Tamil Nadu like Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai One new broadgauge Railway Line is under construction, which will connect, Salem with Karur via Mohanur, Namakkal and Rasipuram. Infact this line is operational for goods carrier right now and shortly passenger train services will also start according to southern railways.
It is expected that this new line will boost up the prosperity of Namakkal and Karur districts.
For Air connection there is a flight from Salem to Chennai 5 days a week. For Good Connectivity people from Namakkal use Trichy, Chennai and Coimbatore Airports.

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