Discovering The Charms of Chengam
Chengam Not an unknown name , for sure . But truth is, it had remained merely a name ; a signboard on the often traversed Bangalore - Pondicherry highway , never a pit stop . Chengam, then, meant only Chengam Road to me, a stretch of highway horribly potholed and splattered with goo from the tamarind pods crushed under speeding wheels. ( glad to say, that abominable stretch was made decent and motorable sometime last year . ) It took six decades and more for me to discover the true worth of the town behind the name on the green signboard. Thanks to a very enlightening tour , organised by Ratham Heritage , with Prof. Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan helming it , and the untiring Mr. Madhavan V taking care of the essential nitty-gritties. A truly memorable trip. This post will try to collate all info gleaned during this trip , with much gratitude to the aforementioned gentlemen. So, to Chengam. 32 Kms from Tiruvannamalai. Today , a