When my daughter`s family decided to visit Kumbakonam to offer prayers to her in law`s family deity, Uppiliappan, she agreed to take me with them. I was more than delighted because I had been wanting to visit Balaji temple in Tirupathi but was happy that instead I was getting an opportunity to offer prayers at the temple of Uppiliappan considered elder brother of Balaji. The visit turned out to be unique because my son in law RU had booked our accommodation in a home stay facility located in the Agraharam of a village instead of a modest star hotel we usually stay in. The village was Konerirajapuram, about 25 kms away from Kumbakonam famous for the ancient `Uma Maheshwari samedha Nataraja temple`. The facility was booked through the `Airbnb ` app.
The last few kilometers to the facility was through narrow winding roads with green fields on either side. The drive was pleasant and beautiful. When we reached the spot I was surprised to see a typical village house with sloping tiled roof with a big `Thinnai in front`. We entered the house to find the facility having all the things that you would find in a typical village home , as seen in many Tamil films. The owner had ensured that the guests experience a life in a typical village home by retaining all the items found in such homes like a big swing ( Oonjal), an easy chair, a grandfather clock which announced time every hour and many more.
The three bedrooms in the home were very basic without attached toilets which were located in the back of the home. There were two toilets out of which one had a western style commode and the second one the Indian type. The other improvement was instead of the typical open wells used in the olden days, piped water supply was available through taps located in bathrooms and other strategic locations. There was also a simple Geyser in the bath rooms for those who prefer hot water for a bath. There are no air conditioners in the house . Instead Air coolers are provided on request. Fresh linen and towels are also provided. Though WIFI facility is available , there is no TV in the house. The care taker Kumaresan ensured that we were served delicious home cooked South Indian vegetarian meals from a family providing this service in the village.
After some rest, post lunch consisting of a three course meal, in the evening we visited the Uma Maheshwari temple in the village followed by a visit to Sarangapani and Ramaswamy temples in Kumbakonam. When we returned by 8 pm, hot idlis and Rava Upma were waiting for us for dinner. Though the beds were not very comfortable, it was a peaceful night that we spent at the end of the first day.
The next morning after an early breakfast consisting of Idly, vada and hot pongal we checked out of the home and decided to visit Nachhiar temple and Uppiliappan temple before returning to Chennai. Standing before the imposing statue of Lord Uppiliappan for more than 10 minutes , I was lost in my prayers, without any crowd to push me around. Thanks to the fear of the pandemic, in spite of relaxations there was hardly any crowd in all the temples. I was happy that I had a darshan of a famous deity in my first outstation trip after eighteen months.
Though we had no time to go around the village I learnt from the care taker that the village had about 2500 households out of which 400 houses were located in the Agraharam around the temple. Out of these only 40 are occupied now and rest of them were lying vacant used by the owners settled in other cities or abroad visiting the village during festival times. The home we were put up was 150 years old and is owned by a gentleman settled in Japan, who had bought the property from the descendants of the original family. It was a big house which had the main entrance on one road and the back exit gate located on a parallel road behind the home. The new owner had demolished a portion of the house on the rear to create a small garden in which fruits and vegetable are grown now.
Away from the hustle and bustle of a city or a town it was an interesting experience staying in a typical village home and enjoying the peace and quiet of the place. I learnt that the facility cost us Rs 5900/- for hiring the whole house for one night for four people including all the meals and other supporting services. Ideal for people who are not too fussy in spite of the place not having all the facilities and comfort they take for granted in a star hotel, but would like to have a new experience.
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