Ahila's travel highlights

As we drove towards the Trivandrum International Airport from Kovalam, we were slowed down by traffic. Pilgrims clad in bright yellow and floats went by slowly. My friend explained the procession. She said people from all over Kerala visited Sivagiri near Varkala for the annual memorial festival in celebration of Sree Narayana Guru.

Sree Narayana Guru or Nanu as his parents called him was born in 1854 and had advocated his doctrine of "one caste - one religion-and one God"

Excerpt from the Sree Narayana Kendra website:
Whichever the religion,
It suffices
If it makes a better man.

One in kind, one in faith,
One in God is man
Of one same womb, one there is at all.

All are of one Self-fraternity
Such being the dictum to avow,
In such a light how can we take life
And devoid of least pity go on to eat

Ask not, Say not Think not caste

Acts that one performs
For one's own sake
Should also aim for the good
Of other men.

Love of others is my happiness,
Love that is mine is happiness for others.
And so, truly, deeds that benefit a man
Must be a cause for other's happiness too.

Grace, Love, Mercy -all the three -
Stand for one same reality- Life's Star
He who loves is who really lives.

Whatever may be the difference in men's
creed, dress, language etc. because they all
belong to the same kind of creation,
there is no harm at all in their dining
together or having marital relation with
one another.

Liquor is poison
Make it not
Sell it not
Drink it not.

Devoid of dividing walls
Of caste or race
Or hatred of rival faith
We all live here
In Brotherhood

Sivagiri is not generally on the tourist map but a pilgrimage site considered essential to Keralites and the soul of Kerala's modern social evolution and thus worth visiting.

I stayed at Ariyawan Rest, after nearly three years. The rooms had undergone a fresh coat of lilac paint, instead of the pink it used to wear. The exterior also had shed its pink coat and donned a dark-yellow. As far as I am aware, there is only this place to stay at in Ampara for visitors passing through on short visits. I checked in around 6p.m., having pre-booked. I heard that the management had changed hands and indeed, the current people seemed more enthusiastic. A badminton court had been set up in the courtyard in the middle and the staff played enthusiastically. I was very much tempted to join in, except that I was already too tired and had to get up early the next morning. So, opted instead to have an early dinner and sleep.

Around 6a.m., we started our drive back to Colombo, stopping for an early breakfast of stringhoppers, coconut sambol and ginger tea at a roadside 'kade' near Parakramabahu Road.

Ampara is at its most beautiful in the months of December and January. All the green from the rains is very pleasing to the eyes. We took the route passing through Bibile and Kandy, which had a very scenic route past lakes and mountains. Serendipity would best describe that route. Puppies and kittens seemed perfectly content at lying on the middle of the road, sleeping or playing and birds were loath to fly away from the road they had alighted upon. I worried that we would end up hitting one of them but our driver skilfully managed to steer the vehicle away from them.

The drive from Ampara to Kandy, though nearly 200kms, took us only three hours but the remaining route from Kandy to Colombo, which was less than 150 Kms took us more than four hours because of the heavy traffic.