The Nilgiri Diaries- The Call of The Blue Mountains

 Part 6: Treks, Temples, Churches, Food & a Farewell 

"I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world" -Mary Anne Radmacher

When I started going on these trips,  I never knew it would become a habit. And good habits should be inculcated,  nurtured and grown. My trips have helped me see a world where there is joy and happiness in small things, something a corporate minded would seemingly call "useless" or derogate its importance.  But that's where travel comes in. It shows us that as humans,  we're all to an extent suffering but we need to smile and seek as well as find happiness.  

My last day began with a visit to the Cathedral and it's adjacent Shrine of The Blessed  Sacrament, where after a quiet reflection and The Holy Rosary,  I visited my favorite South Indian Restaurant,  Ruchi on Garden Road, where I indulged into a treat of Poori masala or Bhatura and mashed potato sabzi.

Next, a trip to an ancient cliff temple dedicated to the monkey deity, Hanuman, from where a 45 minutes trek to a mountain cave which has legends and stories associated with the same Hanuman was blessed with panoramic views of one of the most picturesque valleys in the Nilgiris,  Ketty Valley.  Apart from a trek to a Shiva temple with majestic views of the adjacent valley and the white clouds that covered the green mountains like Biblical The Pillar of Cloud. Additional blessing were the showers of refreshing rains.

Taking an Auto,  we spend to Fingerpost where we were welcomed by the towering pine trees and a green meadow and wild horses.  

Post this, we travelled to one of the most picturesque yet significant Shrine dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus,  built in 1865. The Church is home to The Relic of The True Cross on which hung Our Saviour at His Passion and Death. The Church decked with a marvelous High Altar with exemplary Belgian stained glass windows,  a towering Calvary Chapel and a Marian garden,  in the rains, produced an aura of Holiness and peace. 

Having venerated the True Cross, we now visited the Toda Village where we received a warm welcome from the Toda Community. 

To add on to the adventure we went to visit a two hundred year old Anglican Church,  St. Thomas' Church. 

The Church was built in Gothic Revival Architecture and had a Cemetery where solitude helped me pray for the dead, drowning down all the worries, granted me great solace. 

Our final stop was the magnificent Mariamman Temple where I was welcomed by people there and was made known of a beautiful harvest festival of Ashura or Audi. Where we danced and had Great foods. 

The final act of the day was my early Dinner at Bollywood Adda, a restaurant uniting old Bollywood vibes, a gupshup with the owner, Ramesh ji and Southern Hospitality. 

Being the final day, farewells are hard for me but all good things come to an end.  So with this trip.