a surreal experience!!!!

yesterday i had been to a place that was quite surreal and charming!!! i fell in love with that place after a single visit.

the place is the koodalmanikyam temple in irinjalakuda , a town about 20 km away from trichur, the cultural capital of kerala.

the journey was with the parents of a very dear friend of mine in their maruti 800, a car totally unsuitable for a person of my girth. my mother too was there.
the journey started in an uncomfortable fashion with me having to fit myself into the cramped seat of the smallest indian car this side of tata nano!!!. after searching for the adjusting lever in that awkward position i finally got myself into a posture somewhat resembling comfort and we were on the way.
the journey was unremarkable but the destination was anything but!!!! the town of IJk (short form and transport bus code for irinjalakuda) is quite active but the temple part of the town is a very sleepy , quiet area. with lots of old palaces of the erstwhile royal families the temple of koodalmanikyam (KDM in short, as i am too lazy to type it every time) is the center of life around the place.
the house where we were staying was a cute, little house which almost shared the walls with the temple. with lush greenery all around, a nice mango tree with bunches of ripe juicy mangoes greeted us at the gate. while unloading i was thankfully not much in pain due to cramps. but the uncle soon got into trouble when he locked the car with the keys inside!!!
the situation was indeed funny, but he being an amateur jack of all trades soon produced a wire to open the door. it was an eduactional experience for me learning how to open a car door without a key!!! if in the future i am rendered unemployable, i can still look forward to one viable means of employment, albeit risky with a huge potential to enjoy government funded hospitality!!!
the aunt showed me around the house and the next thing that made me very excited was the pond in their house!!!!
it was a small pond, but still filled with crystal clear water!!! it was inviting me to take a leap. but i had to maintain my outward prudence.
after a nice bath i went to the temple.
the temple blew my mind off!!!!
it was so huge!!!! so beautiful!!!! so calm and so quiet!!!! and there was a huge temple pond to its northern side. the temple which is a square complex of 190 metres side (courtesy google earth) is devoted to bharata , the melancholy brother of lord rama. due to the melancholy nature of its deity many normal traditions of kerala temples are not followed here, like flower offerings (pushpanjali), lamp ceremony(deepaaraadhana). the temple is obviously quite ancient as we can find out from some of the wall murals inside the temple. one particular mural quite captivated me, though i dont know the theme, the colour combination and drawing style was peculiar!!! it was made in the ancient style using natural colours like crushed leaves for green etc!!!! and it was quite vivid in the details too!!!
getting out of the inner shrine, there is a huge lamp post around which is entwined the chains used for one of the legendary temple elephants of the old times. the chain of kavalapaara komban , a regal pachyderm that lived more than 100 years ago would have crushed any of the measly temple elephants of today. the huge chain is made of links whose steel is thicker than my thumb!!!!!!
then taking the pradakshina, or temple round i walked around the koothambalam- a place where traditional art forms are usually performed. koothambalams are the ultimate examples of the genius of traditional kerala architecture. its immense beauty is surpassed by its astonishing architectural and geometric features!!!! well being no expert at architectural sciences i can but admire the sheer beauty of the structure.
later i had a walk in the cool dusk. surrounded by lush greenery it was the sort of paradise that a city dweller like me loved!!! i spent nearly one hour sitting on a mile stone by the empty road and wide paddy field enjoying the absolute tranquility of the place. i also talked with some friends whom i hadn't been able to contact for a very long time. the absolute beauty of the place and the time awakened all the joy in my heart.
i returned only by the time it became dark and even though it was a rural area thr were enough street lights to make the walk trouble free.
later after dinner i again went out for a walk. there was a performance of kathakali one of the most venerated of traditional kerala art forms outside the temple. listening to the great music , rhythmic drums and thump of orchestrated feet i walked around the temple for a long time, reminiscing about life and various other things. it was quite surreal. with a shining moon overhead, clear skies, a cool breeze and being absolutely alone in the enormous temple it was a surreal experience!!! it was as if destiny brought me to this place to give me such pleasure!!! i was on top of the world!!!!
it was beautiful.
still later , when i retired to the house i went to the terrace of the house and was greeted by yet another astonishing sight!!! the immense spread of the temple and the equally huge temple pond , all adorned with glittering moonlight. for a better part of an hour i sat there admiring the spectacular beauty of the place while chatting with a very close sister of mine. the refreshing conversation mixed with the beauty of the place was a heady feeling indeed.

any more words spent in describing the subsequent sleep and return journey home will be a injustice to a tribute to such an amazing experience!!!