Kancheepuram

Truck ride

Supplicants at Shiva Temple

Dance Festival

Jan. 4, 2013- Again

In crossing time zones I lost track of the date. I guess it's still the 4th.  Not only that but I'm frustrated trying to find all the stuff in my bags. But did find that our hotel has a fine selection of Indian breakfast foods so I'm back on track for experimentation.

My writing routine has changed with the use of the IPad. I take notes as we tour but now if we have a long ride I  begin to transcribe them while returning to the hotel on the bus. I'm still not understanding Charles  & I don't know that I'm bonding with him. He's knowledgeable & nice enough but lacks personality. It's to your benefit. The less I learn the less you have to read.

What I did learn was that there are two categories of people in India: Aryans in the North & Dravidians in the South. There are twenty-one languages & 1600 dialects. It's no wonder there are political problems. At meetings each government representative speaks their native tongue & it's translated into the other twenty languages. To top things off there are 863 political parties. In the U.S. we have trouble agreeing in one language although I guess we didn't go over that looming fiscal cliff after all.

Charles told us that Indians are the happiest people in the world according to one survey. The French are the most discontent. Indians rank family above worldly goods & it’s said that's why they’re extremely happy. I never heard of that survey. I don't know if that included the lepers in the town we drove through. It's a center for treating the disease & they're successful in halting the progress of deterioration if caught early. There's still no cure.

Our touring took us on a two hour odyssey past rice fields & through villages to the most fun experience I've had so far on this trip. We got off the bus in one town & climbed into the back of an open truck. We stood holding onto rusty hand rails  as  the truck lurched & heaved through the market. As it turned out we were the attraction for the town-folk. They waved at us & a person in a passing car took our photo. Several of the buildings were colorfully painted despite the squalor around them. It's about finding the lotus in the mud. Only one of our group stayed behind on the bus. She thought it was too dangerous. To me, it was more dangerous flying fifteen hours to get here. It was also less daunting than Charles' stop at a roadside "potty." He says it's cleaner to go behind a bush than to use a public restroom. There were no takers.

Temples & Maidens

We arrived in Kancheepuram ready to see two of the 1,000 Hindu temples in what was once the City of Gold during the Pallava Dynasty from the 5th to 9th century. The oldest symbol of Hinduism was evident at the first & largest temple which covered forty-two acres. That symbol, the linga, represents sexual reproductive organs & the creative force. Shiva was the god to whom the temple was dedicated. It must be hard to choose among the thirty-three million gods & goddesses. That can't be right. Wonder if I misheard & it's thirty-three thousand?

Much like the  Temple in Jerusalem, there are three sections to Hindu temples the last one being an inner sanctum only entered by the priest & Hindus. There were charity boxes the size of oil drums all over the place. It reminded us of the "pushkes" seen in synagogues only larger. We got a glimpse of the holy mango tree & I encouraged David to touch it so he might rid himself of that allergy.  He took a pass. There was a priest available for blessings & getting a smudge of ash on the forehead & many partook. David loved that it was a living temple still widely used by supplicants.

The next temple was the oldest dating from the 8th century. All I can say  is that it was equally  hot. The bus isn't well air-conditioned & the heat almost overwhelmed me. Lunch didn't come soon enough. Although we had water with us we needed the semi cooled indoors & iced water.

We ventured out again too see a silk "factory." One man owns most of the silk looms in the area & sets them up in homes & small buildings. About 50,000 people work for generations making hand loomed silk sari's valued throughout the country.

After recovering at the hotel & cooling down we found the energy to join a small group led by Charles & walked into town for a dance festival. It was a first class troupe who showed us the best of a variety of indigenous dances. George, one of the gay couple & former professional dancer, was with us & was our main critic. He thought it was superb. To my eye it was thrilling to see the intricacies of costume & detailed isolated movements that told the story of the dance. Even the head movements & expression of the eyes were precise. One dancer in particular was amazing. She did four dances in a row & narrated in between without sounding winded. 

Charles arranged for us to have dinner at a seafood restaurant (Moon Raker) in town. David & I almost decided to skip it as it was mostly shellfish & fish served with head on which I can't do, but they had chicken curry on the menu so we stayed. Average fare but fun. After a brief walk back to the hotel we all planned to collapse.

Tomorrow Pondicherry

Toby