Thirubuvanam Silk Weaving

A tiffin centre about 200 metres south of the temple. Tiffin means the South Indian short-meal repertoire — idli, dosai, pongal, vadai — served morning and again in the evening, with the middle of the day often quiet. We have not eaten here and there is no published menu or timing; treat it as the village's own breakfast counter rather than a destination.

A tea counter at the eastern end of the village, out where the banks and the post office are rather than by the temple. This is the kind of shop the street runs on — tea, coffee and whatever short eats are on the rack that morning — and it is the nearest thing to a cafe in Thirubuvanam. Hours are nobody's published timetable; it opens early and shuts when the trade stops.

A mess on the southern street, a few doors from the tiffin centre. A mess in Tamil Nadu is a plain working eating house that serves a set meal at lunch rather than a menu — you get what is cooked that day. It is the most likely place in Thirubuvanam to find a full midday meal. Timings and rates are unverified.

A hot-chips counter on the southern street, about 250 metres from the temple. Hot chips shops fry to order through the day — banana, tapioca, potato — and sell by weight; in a village with no restaurant to speak of this is the practical thing to carry away. Unverified hours.