Living The Luxe Life In Kotagiri On A Budget? Here's How Travel Bloggers Are Doing It!
1. Reasonably Priced Accommodation
Begin your journey having enough money by staying at guesthouses, home stays or budget hotels located all over Kotagiri. These places provide not only comfortable stay but also give room to mingle with locals and know their way of life. Look out for accommodation with basic facilities like clean rooms, hot water and proximity to local sights.
2. Exploring Tea Estates
The landscape of Kotagiri is painted with vibrant green colors due to its vast spread tea estates. Some estates such as Kodanad and Longwood Shola Tea Estates give guided tours at affordable prices or even free sometimes. Walk through rows of bushes with tea, learn about tea processing while watching beautiful scenes of neighboring hills without spending much.
3. Hiking and Nature Trails
Kotagiri has numerous hiking trails and nature walks leading to viewpoints that offer breathtaking views thus making it a perfect match for nature lovers as well as adventure seekers. The Catherine Falls trek is one such path that takes you through forests thick with trees culminating in an exquisite view of falls cascading downwards from a great height.Other tracks such as Kodanad View Point and Elk Falls are best for wildlife spotting plus immersing oneself into the natural beauty of Nilgiris.
4. Local Cuisine
Have a taste of Kotagiri's culture by indulging in their food. Check out local restaurants and street stalls where you can have traditional Tamil dishes like dosa, idli and vada served with steaming hot sambar and chutneys. To catch up with the tea breaks on a budget, try one of the various locally made tea brands which can be enjoyed with freshly baked cookies or snacks from roadside tea stands.
5. Visit Tribal Villages
Kotagiri is inhabited by aboriginal communities namely Todas and Badagas who boast of possessing unique cultures and lifestyles. These villages host traditional crafts, music as well as dances that you may want to see when you visit them. This not only increases your travel experiences but also helps local artists and performers.
6. Botanical Gardens and Parks
You could walk leisurely around Sim's Park, a botanical garden filled with exotic species of plants and flowers during an afternoon off. Paths are well maintained among other facilities including benches thereby making it ideal for picnics or just relaxing amidst nature's beauty. Entrance fees are minimal such that it becomes an affordable destination for both small groups of family members or solo travelers alike.
7. Take Photographs as You Relax
The wonderful landscapes in Kotagiri offer great moments at every corner for photographers to take pictures any time they want.A photographer's dream is made up of such sceneries including sunrise views from Doddabetta Peak, rain soaked valleys covered with mist etc.After vigilantly exploring all day long, simply relax by soaking in the calmness around yourself as well as breathe cool mountain air
8. Seasonal Festivals and Events
While you are in Kotagiri, check out your local calendar for festivals and cultural events that may be of interest to you. Some of these occasions will also display customary dancing activities, musical performances and religious ceremonies that give an insight into the area's rich cultural past. It is important to note that attending such functions does not require a payment or just a small amount of money.
9. Shopping for Souvenirs
Buy souvenirs made by local crafts people to end your budget-friendly trip on a high note. You may purchase items like pottery, wood-made artifacts, and indigenous clothes which reflect the artistry of the region. Buying from local enterprises ensures one gets back home with valuable gifts while aiding in the economic growth of Kotagiri as a whole.
Conclusion
Kotagiri proves that life can be enjoyed on a shoestring budget due to its natural beauty and cultural diversity. Therefore, choosing cheap accommodation options within the hill station limits, visiting sites around it, enjoying meals prepared locally there and interacting with other dwellers will provide opportunities for creating enduring moments without draining one's finances. Therefore, cherish simple living amidst peacefulness: let the charm of Kotagiri forever remain imprinted in your budget travel escapades.
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The Print
14 hours ago
- The Print
What connects Raja Raja Chola, Ramana Maharshi, and Hindu temples of North America
The first aspect of this connection was forged in the late 1930s. Chinnaswami, the manager of Sri Ramanasramam (Maharshi's home-turned-ashram in Tamil Nadu), had been nursing the dream of building a traditional temple on top of the samadhi of Maharshi's mother. But the ashram did not have the financial resources. On a train journey to Madurai, Chinnaswami found himself sitting opposite a temple architect-cum-builder Mahilavanam Sthapati. The meeting clearly had the hand of providence behind it, for Mahilavanam was the 35th generation in a long line of temple architects and a descendant of Kunjaramallan Rajaraja Perunthachan, the architect of 11th-century Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur. This article is, however, about Rajendra Chola's father Raja Raja Chola, sage Ramana Maharshi, and the Hindu temples of North America. What could conceivably connect these three disparate subjects? The summer of 1025 was, in many ways, the high–water mark of the Chola Empire, when Emperor Rajendra Chola led an audacious and successful naval invasion of the Srivijaya empire in modern-day Indonesia in response to its interference in trade and customs matters. In fact, August may well have been the month when he won the war, since the expedition would have set sail from Tamil Nadu after the start of the southwest monsoon in June. The genius of Perunthachan The fact that Perunthachan — meaning the great craftsman — was commissioned by Raja Raja is enough to indicate his stature. However, the Brihadeeswara Temple he sculpted had several firsts to its name: – Tamil temple towers have a stone base, but the tapering section of tall gopurams are made of stucco. The Brihadeeswara Temple is unique because the entire gopuram is made of stone, which must have been an incredible task. – The gopuram is hollow on the inside like a cone, and was built using an interlocking system of precisely cut granite blocks, not mortar. – The 216-feet tall gopuram has virtually no foundation. It is just a few feet deep and structured on sand, gravel, and loose stones in a manner that the entire structure can shift slightly during earthquakes. – The gopuram's weight is supported by two angled walls that meet at a height of about 70 feet. – The capstone on top of the gopuram famously weighs 86 tonnes. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a single piece of stone. Rather, it was ingeniously assembled, like the carpels of an orange, at the top. – For a long time, people assumed that elephants were used to drag the capstone to the top using an inclined plane several kilometres long. But a more recent theory suggests that as the gopuram rose, it was surrounded by progressively taller (albeit tapering, like the gopuram itself) mounds of earth, with a spiral pathway. This allowed workers to climb to successively higher levels to build the gopuram and eventually place the capstone, after which the earth was removed starting from ground level. – Finally, the entire gopuram and temple complex is designed in such a way that the shadow of the capstone never falls on the ground at noon. Mahilavanam had a rich family history. However, he was now old, and so offered the services of his son Vaidyanatha Sthapati to build the Ramanasramam temple. Vaidyanatha was a worthy descendent of Perunthachan. He was not merely a master of silpa, sculpture, the agamas and vastu, but also adept in astronomy, Vedas, Upanishads, and mantra shastra. Vaidyanatha received the National Award for Master Craftsmen in 1963 and helped restore many temples in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. But back in the 1930s, the state of affairs was dire. Vaidyanatha's family was in penury. Royal patronage of the art of sculpture had ended with the fall of Maratha rule in Thanjavur, and there were hardly any temples being built. Because of his reverence for Ramana Maharshi, Vaidyanatha did not see the mother's shrine as a commercial venture but as a spiritual assignment. He was therefore willing to work with Chinnaswami despite the ashram's own precarious financial situation. There were many weeks when Chinnaswami didn't have enough money to pay the workers' weekly wages. Also read: Do Chola kings represent a culturally united Hindu India? It's a modern fantasy Building a revival Belonging to the Vishwakarma community, Vaidyanatha was deeply orthodox. He would not bring his family to eat at the ashram, as accepting food from his employer violated his professional ethics. Chinnaswami would often send food to the family without the sthapati's knowledge. While the temple project sustained Vaidyanatha's family from 1939 to 1949, his son Ganapati was naturally discouraged from entering his hereditary profession, preferring instead to study engineering. The Maharashi took a keen interest in every detail of the temple project. During one of his near-daily walks through the construction site, he asked Vaidyanatha about his son's plans. The sthapati spoke of his poverty-stricken life and the lack of a future in temple building, expressing his desire for his son to become a modern engineer. A millennium-old tradition looked set to end. 'Let him study what he wants,' said the Maharshi, 'but make sure you also teach him to be a sthapati'. This was a critical moment in young Ganapati's life. One must know how scrupulously the Maharshi avoided telling anyone what to do in even the smallest matters of daily life, and how people hung onto every word spoken by this silent sage, to appreciate both the significance of such a comment and the impact that it would have undoubtedly had on Vaidyanatha sthapati. The Maharshi always took a keen interest in Ganapati's education. 'Sthapati's son has passed the examination with distinction. His future is going to be very bright', he said, referring to his high school examination. After completing his high school in 1947, Ganapati got admission into the College of Engineering in Guindy, which is now under Anna University. Founded in 1794, it's the oldest modern technical institution outside of Europe. However, Vaidyanatha could not afford the Rs 480 admission fee and Rs 300 per semester for hostel and other expenses. He also would not accept financial assistance from others. 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He followed local construction codes and adapted his methods to different climates and the needs of diverse Hindu communities, many of whom wished to include worship traditions from various parts of India within a single temple. At one point in the early 2000s, Ganapati was simultaneously involved in more than a dozen temple projects across the US. Virtually every major metropolitan area in the country with a significant Indian population has a temple designed and built by him or his students. For someone who once wanted nothing to do with his hoary lineage, Ganapati brought about a veritable renaissance in temple architecture before his death in 2011. Beyond training sthapatis, he also published numerous books on sthapatya, Vastu Shastra, and traditional architecture. Due to the Maharshi's timely intervention, the tradition famously exemplified by Raja Raja Chola and Perunthachan continues to flourish today, and is directly responsible for the global spread of Tamil-style temples. 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Time of India
a day ago
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Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Friday inaugurated tourism and museum development projects worth 43crore, flagged off a cultural immersion tour for Tamil diaspora youth, and laid the foundation for 13 new co-working-cum-study centres across the city. The tourism work, totalling 18crore, aims to upgrade key destinations such as Gundaru dam in Tenkasi, Yelagiri in Tirupattur, Poondi reservoir in Tiruvallur, Muthukuda beach in Pudukkottai, and Hotel Tamil Nadu campus in Madurai with visitor centres, dining halls, walkways, and other amenities to boost employment and attract tourists. Stalin also opened a 6.8crore administrative block at the Egmore Govt Museum, designed in sync with its heritage architecture. Under Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), four completed projects costing 18.4crore were inaugurated, including a redeveloped park in Perumbakkam and beautified flyover spaces at Villivakkam, Padi, and Vadapalani. He laid the foundation stone for 26 new CMDA projects worth 91.4crore, including 13 CM study centres (co-working hubs) for civil services aspirants, modern bus shelters, school upgrades, a crafts plaza at Koyambedu, and a heritage promenade from Marina Lighthouse to Island Grounds. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Emergency Generators in Tirana: (Prices May Surprise You) Emergency Generator | Search Ads Search Now Undo You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai At another event, Stalin flagged off the fourth batch of the "Vaergalai Thedi" (In Search of Roots) scheme, sending 99 Tamil diaspora youth from 14 countries, including Fiji, Reunion, South Africa, and Canada, on a 15-day cultural tour of TN. Launched in 2023, the initiative reconnects overseas Tamils aged 18-30 with their heritage through visits to historical sites, interactions with scholars, and exposure to traditional arts and architecture. Participants are expected to serve as cultural ambassadors in their home countries.
