to excel and exceed beyond any job spec, the
restaurant here delivers an exquisite meal.
Laden with rich exotic foods and ingredients,
I order my meals to an exacting spice comfort.
With chilli and fig cocktails to complement,
extravagance and authenticity pique in perfection. South Indian cuisine here is an epic adventure for the taste buds. To cap off a wonderful
evening, I lay my head to rest in a sumptuous
spacious suite overlooking incredible views
above the horizon of city lights.
15
Hit the beach
60km from Chennai along a major
highway with ease of access, lies Covelong, a
golden sandy expanse of beach. This is typically
the go-to weekend escape for city dwellers. The
town has an age-old neighbourhood bordering
the sea. Predominantly a fishing village, most
livelihoods depend on the rough Bay of Bengal
waters. A walk through the old village, with a
Taj Fisherman’s Cove beach attendant who lives
there, displays typical rural Indian living. He
shows me the effects of the tsunami, still visible
as water damage on buildings, but he describes
it bringing together a variety of religions that
co-exist peacefully. As a lifesaver, he’s saved
more than 100 lives on that stretch of coastline.
For the most pristine stretch of empty beach,
Fisherman’s Cove hotel leaves nothing wanting.
16
Explore a
tsunamisurviving World
Heritage site
Set along the Coromandel coastline extending
inwards from Covelong beach, Mamallapuram
was a major port of trading between the
3rd-8th centuries. A major tourist draw is the
large group of UNESCO World Heritage 7th &
316
8th century temples, shrines and sanctuaries,
all carved out of granite. The Shore Temple,
devoted to Lord Shiva, survived the tsunami
although the water line and damage can be
seen. The 5 Rathas are a group of temples in the
form of Hindu religious chariots, each belonging
to a religious character of the epic legend of
Mahabharata, one of only two tales on which
rests the foundation of Hinduism. Behind the
structures sits a hill punctuated with elaborately
carved cave temples. At the foot of the hill is a
giant open-air bas-relief depicting the mythological ‘Descent of the Ganges.’ The remarkably
intact carvings are uniquely sculpted to sit only
slightly elevated from the background. This area
comes to life during the annual Mamallapuram
Dance Festival, which uses the Shore temple
and seaside location as a breathtaking backdrop
for classical performances.
Anisha Shah is an experienced TV & Radio News
Reporter, having worked
with the BBC as a Broadcast
Journalist for 6 years. Her
career highlight is TV News
Reporting on the London
2012 Olympic Games.
An incessant traveller,
Anisha's name has graced
the byline of leading international publications from Asia to the Channel Islands.
Her niche is ultra-luxury & extremely emerging destinations and conflict zones, stemming from her childhood dream of becoming a War Reporter. This has
seen her pick unusual destinations: Bahrain, Kuwait,
Beirut and Guatemala. She describes her travels as
a beautiful contradiction, from the grand luxury of
European chateaux, Indian royal palaces, African
wilderness lodges and private island sanctuaries to
truly emerging destinations of Ethiopia, Guatemala,
Myanmar and Tamil Nadu, documenting the last
remote tribes on the planet.
As a published photographer with a penchant for
portraits,Anisha is Editor of ‘A Niche World’,
www.ani-shah.com, where she publishes stunning
sets of images. Follow her real-time travels on Twitter
@anishahbbc.
www.theaddressmagazine.com