Chidambaram Temples

We visited some wonderful temples today. Before departing from Pondicherry we had a walk on the beach and a look at the hotel. We also had a short stop to look at coconut fibre rope making to break the trip.
The Nataraja Temple complex is a huge affair and very strict and fundamental. The gate was impressive and covered in details in every colour.

                                                     Walking down to the entry gate.

                                                               Detail of the gate.

                                                  The ceiling in one of the pavilions.

Robert is dressed to comply with the strict code. You may ask the question as to what to wear under the dhoti. Clue above. Rob didn't comply!

                                                   The architecture is impressive.

           
                                                               Stunningly beautiful!

We drove on towards our lunch stop and had a break for a short walk on the way through a small village. The houses were simple with thatched roofs but had free electricity and satellite TV.

                                                                 One of the locals.

Our lunch spot was great. The owner was a collector and put together a small hotel from traditional houses that he relocated. He collected cars, furniture, art works and anything that took his fancy!

                                                                     Lunch.

                                              Gail at one of the old houses.

Our final visit for the day was to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Arravatesvara Temple. The temple was flooded so we had restricted access.

                                   The water was not deep but not recommended to walk due to disease.

                                                      It didn't stop these women!

The temple is designed as an elephant pulling a chariot. If you look over Rob's shoulder you can see the elephant and the chariot design.

We reached our destination of Thanjavar (or Tanjore) our base for two nights.

Rob blessed by an elephant

Hope you enjoy this short video of the elephant blessing Rob at the temple.

Indian French connection: Pondicherry

The French came to India following the Portuguese and Dutch and preceded the British. It is in Pondicherry that they left their mark. The old city retains a French flair and just as much British infrastructure remains in other places the French mark has been firmly stamped on "Pondy".

We journeyed back to the coast having crossed the Southern Indian peninsula. On the way we went on a series of minor roads with a few stops along the way. This is one group who were heading in our direction. How many can you fit on one small truck?

Our first major stop was at Auroville, City of Dawn. This was developed from a concept by Yogi Sri Aurobindo. The concept sounds worthy with a city set out for 50,000 but owned by everyone. The practice is of concern with policies like a sect or cult. 2,000 have taken up residence. It also has a strong fundraising focus and a strong commercialisation emphasis.

The Mother Temple and Meditation Centre. This is as close as we were permitted! (Telephoto shot)

We also visited another centre a paper factory but here we were happy to make some purchases.

Later we visited The Sri Aurobindo Ashram and shrine. No photos permitted.

At a local temple we were happy to join the locals to receive a blessing from an elephant. Hope to post a video later.

One placed the offering in the trunk and received a pat on the head. Had a double blessing for an extra "Kodak" moment".

The city is most interesting and we walked around streets looking at the architecture and taking in the french influences.

                                                  The Governor's Palace.

                                                             Is that a French hat?

Across at the seaside we visited the Ghandi Memorial and interacted with locals.

                                           A bright blue sky and sun so you get a profile of Ghandi.

                                                           Dressed for the beach.

                                                  Gail and Carol with a group of locals.

We walked the back streets with the interesting buildings and people. In the French period they lived on one side of the Canal and the Hindus and Muslims on the other.

Street scene.

We were impressed with this house.

The locals went on with daily life. Lady using rice flour to make auspicious designs.

Indian Wedding

While we were staying at Mahabalipuram there was a wedding at the hotel. This had both positive and negative aspects. It was interesting to watch the festivities but at times the service suffered and Indian weddings are very noisy affairs! A few photos of the experience.

                                              The band as the groom makes his entrance.

     The groom makes an entrance on a white horse. He rides a mare. It was a North Indian being married so the customs are different from the south where we are. Some of the sights and sounds on the short video.

The wedding is a drawn out affair. We watched the arrival of the groom. The actual wedding was at about 2 or 3 AM. We went to bed!

            Gail and Rob run away on the marital horse. Have you seen "Runaway Bride"?

Kanchipuram Temples Part III Kailasanatha Temple

The final temple of the thousand in the surrounding area that we visited is the small but beautiful Kailasanatha Temple. It has World Heritage Status and has intricate carvings.

                                 From outside it is another temple but the carvings are excellent.

                                      Inside there is a square with carvings on the walls.

                                 
                                       Some parts seem to have had restoration and others are still original.

Long before the Europeans came to trade with India, various others had done the same long before. Groups from China, Egypt and more sailed the seas to trade.

 

 This is an Egyptian figure. It is believed that they may have assisted with the construction technology.

One of the Australian traders.

Fine detail in the carvings.

In some places behind the alcoves there were remnant traces of colour.

We also visited a silk factory and made a purchase of a cotton dhoti for Robert to wear in the temples.

Kanchipuram Temples Part II

Our second temple visited was the Ekambareeshwar Temple. There has been a short delay as we sorted out which temple we visited first and have made our edits.
The entry to the temple was via a massive gate. Rather than build new temples rulers often added to the old and built new entry gates, always higher than the old. You ended up with multiple entry towers.

                                                            The temple was magnificent.

                            The buildings have survived the centuries.

                              The ladies preparing the flowers are always worth a photo..or two

The temple tank also looks good in a photo. The reflections hide the sludge and pollution.

People sitting around in the temple. In the past they could sleep overnight.

                               A Lingam. Male and female phallus. Too complex to explain here!

                                                  Robert with a line of lingam.

Today was a special holy day and the temple was adorned with lots of small oil lamps. There were corridors of lights and special designs.

                                          You could feel the heat from the little ghee lamps.

                                                             Inside the temple.

In the courtyard you can see the entry gate and the temple. It has a mango tree that was 3,500 years old but it died a few years ago. It has been replaced. The old one bore fruits of four different flavours each season. Not sure what special qualities the new one will have.

These nine figures represent the nine planets. Astrology plays a very important place in Hindu religion and Indian lives. The planets are a little different from ours and include Sun, Moon, Mars and Saturn.

                                         Every good temple should have an elephant!




                      

Kanchipuram: City of a Thousand Temples Part I

We travelled out for the day to Kanchipuram famous for its many Hindu Temples. This is one of Hindu's most sacred sites. On the way we travelled through rural areas and saw many crops especially rice but also other industries such as silk washing in the local waters.

Much of the land once used for growing rice is now urban so in the future India will be a big rice importer. The fields of wet rice cultivation are stunning.

The silk thread is washed in local waters that have special qualities so that when dyed retain the colour. Very traditional methods are utilised.

Our first temple visit was to the Varadaraja Temple with its huge pillar hall.

 It is all carved out of granite. No bronze or other metals. Try carving a chain out of stone! Picture is a carving of a cat chasing the pigeons. The oldest sections date from 600AD. The complex extends over 40 acres.

                                                  The detail in the carvings is very fine.

                               The column and ornamentation is all from the same block of stone.

                 We have made some clothes purchases! Hope you can see the columns!

Each temple had a tank for ritual cleansing. These days they are fenced off and the water polluted.