A month back, I traveled to Bangalore from Madras by road. I want to tell the readers of this forum my impressions about this road trip which some of you may find it informative and useful.

For those who are unfamiliar, there are 2 roads by which I can reach Bangalore. The one which goes via Mount, Sriperambudur, Arcot and then a detour to Vellore, onwards to Ambur, Krishnagiri, Hosur is little longer (approx. 30kms) has a distance of 350kms from Adyar in Chennai to Richmond road in Bangalore.

The other road to take is a deviation in Arcot towards Ranipet and then on to Chittur,Palamener , Kolar to Bangalore by National highway no.4.

Of the two roads, the first one via Vellore , though a little longer, is the best one to take because of good quality roads right through. The other one is still under construction in some stretches and definitely takes a longer time.

I left my home on a Sunday at 6.45am in Adyar ,took the first route. I faced a slowdown and delay at Poonamalee.This is one of the few bottlenecks which can delay the journey by atleast 15minutes. From there, I reached Sriperambudur which is national highway no.4, took me almost an hour from my home and immediately there after the first toll gate at Nemili. When you are at the toll gate, please carry enough Rs10/Rs20/Rs5 denominator notes/coins so that your exit from the toll gate is not delayed. Another point to note at the toll gates is that they will ask you whether it is a single journey or a return.
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It was beginning of November and bright sunshine forced it’s way in our rooms. In Chennai, it does not matter if winter is officially around the corner, the sun and it’s army rule day long. Fuelled with the fantastic breakfast we set out to explore the history, still alive and breathtaking.

Mahabalipuram or sometimes called as Mammalpuram is a township 40 kms south of Chennai metropolis. The town is ancient, believed to be a thriving sea port during the reign of Pallav kings in the 6’th and 7’th century. Pallav dynasty ruled most of the Coromandel coast and Tamilnadu with their seat of power at Kanchi. Kanchipuram is also about a 75 km distance from Chennai and is famous for the temples which are again a feast to the eyes. The Pallav kings, SimhaVishnu, Mahendravarman, Narasimhavarman, powerful and prominent also backed the art and architecture and thus flourished the exquisite temple art we were about to see.

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Wondering what the title means ? Well, it’s a Tamil term meaning “Margazhi in Chennai”. Margazhi (pronounced Maar-ga-zhi . the last part (zhi) is a typical tamil pronunciation which requires rolling of the tongue ).

Margazhi is the name of the tamil month (Dec 15^th- Jan 15th ), which is considered to be a sacred month as per the Hindus.

Chennai ,  does not need any introduction for many. Many know it in one way or the other , reasons like wedding sarees, Jewellery, international travel (consulates) etc. One common complaint that I get to hear is that its too hot and humid. Well , India is a tropical country and Chennai being a coastal place, this  is expected.

Anyways, coming to the point, each place has its own specialities. Chennai, as I mentioned earlier is known for Sarees and traditional stuff. There is yet another thing that Chennai is known for and this fact is not known to many. Being a chennaite, I have to do justice to this event known as “Margazhi Mahautsavam”, which occurs once a year , every year.
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