Mantra Koodam - A Cultural staycation!

Come with me to Kumbakonam/Kudanthai a historical and charming town in the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu. Traveling for the first time fresh after the pandemic while the public places have still not fully opened up almost 2 years ago , I chose this quaint and charming resort tucked away in a quite and beautiful green corner inbetween the rivers Kaveri and its tributary Veeralcholan.

This 4 star resort is owned by the famous CGH earth group and they have got everything right about our culture here. Built on a village theme every cottage in this resort looks like a traditional Brahmin Agraharam house or a Panniyar house.

Coming with a 6 month old baby a staycation was my first option and this resort made it extremely easy for me to settle down quickly. The restaurant also has a traditional cradle where your infant can sleep while you have your food peacefully. They were also kind enought to prepare something specially for the baby as I had just started solids for my daughter and they prepared some fruit purees which were not a part of the menu just for her as per my instructions. I did not expect this and it was a pleasent surprise.

Something that you should not miss while here is definetely their food. Serving traditional tamil cuisine they have delectable options for veg and non veg. While they ensure that every meal of theirs alerts all your taste buds, making a elaborate meal like this is something we unfortunately can not even think of in our present lifestyle.

They also have a traditional Tea kadai kind of a set up serving tea and coffee and some snacks like pakodas, bajjis, vadas, etc for high tea. Along with the food one other thing you really need to try while in Kumbakonam is their degree coffee a kind of traditional filter coffee common in south Indian households, trust me this would be your most favourite coffee going forward.

For anyone visiting Kumbakonam going forward apart from staying here, there are a few other things you can do when there, read on to find out a list of places to see in this beautiful town:

1. The Adi Kumbeshwara Temple

2. The Sarangapani Perumal temple

3. The Airawateeswarar temple in Darasuram

4. The Oppiliyappan temple

5. The Brihadeeswara temple in Tanjore

6. The Gangai konda Cholapuram Temple

7. The Mahamaham Tank

The resort also organizes some uniquely Kumbakonam activities like this:

1. Visit a traditional household practicing the art of Kalamkari for generations together now.

2. Visit generational weavers in the bylanes of this small town weaving beautiful sarees of Thribuvanam silk fabrics, experience the process from scratch.

3. Witness the process of making sculptures out of lost wax technique, done by a group of artisans called sthapathis from the days of the construction of the Big temple in Tanjore.

4. Enjoy a scenic bullock cart ride through the village of Veppathur.

5. Concerned about astrological preditions of your life? cover the navagraha circuit from here