Tractor Ride

One has to assemble in front of the TVS office, opposite to Indian Bank, on the way from Renugambal Temple to Ramar Temple. There are only two trips up the mountain to the Temple by tractor.  The first trip timings, up the hill by tactor, will be at 6:30 - 6:45 A.M.  and the second trip will be at 8.30 - 9.00 A.M. The tractor has a seating for 6 people at the front for weight balance and a specially made trailer to carry pooja items where people can stand also. Every individual abhisheha and annadhana items are loaded on to the tractor and the tractor proceeds to the Temple from TVS Office when there are enough occupants for each trip. A total of six persons can be seated in the front, 8 seated around the driver and about 8 could be accomodated by standing at the back in the trailer. 

Enroute is the Draupadhi amman temple junction where you could alight from the tractor to buy breakfast from a small hotel located there.  

The Draupadhi Amman Temple junction is an important landmark since all the routes to different temples branches off here. Veera Anjaneyar Temple is located just near the junction; in one direction, we have Ramar temple, Vel Temple and Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar Temple; in another direction we have Renugambal Temple and the Subramanya Swamy Temple; in another direction. Near the junction we have Ammaiyappa Eswar Temple and in the other direction we have Chinna kottai Varadharaja Temple and Kottaimalai. Synonymous to the way all the temples are being maintained here, this junction is also very clean and we can  see people constantly cleaning the area throughout the day. It is a picturesque village scene with 2 mammoth Banyan trees with their large branches cut off evenly and the presence of an Anjaneyar idol under one tree; a headless village god sculpture, Draupadi amman temple and the Veera Anjaneyar temple.  A lovely place to have a village “Katta Panchayat” scene!

The real journey to Kottaimalai starts from this junction. There is about 2 kms of travel on the plains through beautiful paddy, sugarcane and plantain fields.

The ghat road starts here and people coming in their own four wheelers park the vehicle here and continue either by tractor or by walk.

The tractor journey is a further 4 kms around on the ghat road.  While going up on the very steep paths, the passengers in the front are invariably pushed back and there is little or no support at the back and the passengers will find it a bit difficult to maintain the equilibrium. One has to hold on tight, while passing through these steep pathways.  A tough, unforgetable and above all, an enjoyable experience indeed!

It is a bushy and not-so-dense forest with plenty of trees. The path is also easily walkable and many people come by walk.  People can ride on their bikes as well.  You have to be little careful while coming by two wheelers because there is a chance of the bikes getting wheeled-up easily while climbing steep heights due to the  weight of the  pillion rider.

At one point, the road is very steep along with a sharp hair-pin bend and it requires a really skilled driver for the Tractor. It is a little scary, to be true.

Midway there is a path leading to Shenbaga Thoppu dam, around 3 kms from there.