The past weekend was tumultuous for many reasons. The first was the patriotic fervor of the approaching Independence Day. The second was the thunderous opening for the Ketan Mehta movie, Mangal Pandey, which had viewers queuing up from wee hours to purchase tickets. The third was the long weekend which held possibilities of a short relaxing tour. That is exactly what yours truly did. I decided to visit Tenkasi and Courtallam Falls.

I landed in Madurai on an uncharacteristically cold Saturday night. Mani, my guide and driver, welcomed me with the disarming charm of Madurai Tamil. We hit the road to Tenkasi straightaway. I could see several changes in Madurai with spanking flyovers and bright road lights. Nearing the end of the three-hour journey, there was a sudden downpour with loud thunder. Welcome to Tenkasi. Nestled at the foothills of the mountains, this sleepy town is more famous for its proximity to the more popular Courtallam Falls. Because I visited during the peak season, there was a huge crowd and the town’s hotels had hordes of tourist cars, vans and buses parked before them.

I started at 4.30 the next morning and we reached Courtallam in about 15 minutes. My first stop was the Main Falls. Water gushed down like a band of milk soaking up everything that stood in its way. The sheer power of the falling water through the tree trunks hit me. To my surprise, there were several others before me. But the crowd was well-behaved and the police also did a good job. The next place was the Old Courtallam Falls. These falls are on a massive mountain stretch. The drive uphill was punctuated with the sweet fragrance of the aromatic plants and trees. I came down to reach the Tiger Falls. This set of falls comes through dense foliage and the water is very sweet here. I yo-yoed back to the Main Falls on my way to the Aiyntharuvi or Five Falls. Well, I saw a sea of humanity here. The thick forest cover and the steepness of the falls make this the most popular of the Courtallam falls. I shopped for medicinal oils, nutmeg pickle and rare mountain fruits. The last set of falls was the invigorating Shenbaga Falls. After this real natural treatment, I broke bread while planning my onward trip. I sought solace in divine grace by visiting the Tenkasi temple which is as huge as the Thanjavur temple and fit to be declared a national monument. From there I reached Srivilliputtur, which is again a temple town and most revered by Vaishnavites. Srivilliputtur is also popular for its milk sweets. I gorged on them and packed quite a bit for home. I reached Madurai in the afternoon. A brief siesta ended with a hot cup of coffee. Time again for another temple. This time it was the world famous Meenakshi Temple. The temple which is more than six centuries old reverberates with cosmic energy of the Lord and his consort whom he is said to have married here. The beautiful towers floodlit by night make a great spectacle. Efforts are on to declare this temple a world heritage site of the UN. Mani took me to a handloom textile store and I was stunned by the variety. I shopped till I dropped. I bade goodbye to my friendly driver and took the night train back to Chennai.

It is said that travel is the best teacher. On this trip, I gained fresh insights into the lives of people in the southern districts and felt a tugging bond of friendship with them. These pleasant memories shall forever be etched in my mindscreen.