Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
About 55km southwest of Mamallapuram, this 30-hectare
sanctuary
(admission ?5, camera/video
?25/150; 6am-6pm)
is a spectacular breeding ground for many kinds of water birds, which
migrate here from October to March. Some years as many as 100,000 birds mass at Vedan-
thangal Lake and its marshy surrounds. The best viewing times are early morning and late
afternoon; head for the watchtower and look down on the noisy nests across the water.
Three basic AC rooms are available at the
Forest Department Resthouse
(r ?750)
500m before
the sanctuary. For these you're supposed to book in advance with the
Wildlife Warden's Office
phoning the office beforehand, as it may be changing location - or just book through a
travel agency such as Hi! Tours (
Click here
)
in Mamallapuram, or Chennai's Milesworth
Travel (
Click here
)
. If you just turn up the caretaker may just find a room if one's available.
You should bring all food and drinks with you.
Visitors often make a day trip by taxi from Mamallapuram; this should cost around
?1500. To get here by public transport, first get to Chengalpattu, an hour's bus ride from
Mamallapuram en route to Kanchipuram. From here you can take a bus to Vedanthangal
via Padalam, where you may have to change buses again. Most Vedanthangal buses go to
the sanctuary entrance, but some stop at the village bus station, 1km away.
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Kanchipuram
044 / POP 164,225
Kanchipuram, 80km southwest of Chennai, was capital of the Pallava dynasty during the
6th to 8th centuries, when the Pallavas were creating the great stone monuments of Mamal-
lapuram. Today a typically hectic modern Indian town, it's famed for its numerous import-
ant and busy temples, some dating from Pallava, Chola or Vijayanagar times, and also for
its high-quality silk saris, woven on hand looms by thousands of families in the city and
nearby villages. Silk and sari shops are strung along Gandhi Rd, southeast of the centre,
though their wares are generally no cheaper than at silk shops in Chennai. Kanchi can eas-
ily be visited in a day trip from Mamallapuram or Chennai.
