21ST JAN. Sun. Trichy to Tanjore (Big Temple)

As we skipped the visit to the Rock Fort this morning we had spare time on our hands so Joshi suggested visiting the Brihadishwara (Big Temple) in Tanjore which was actually scheduled for tomorrow.

We weren't too keen on seeing yet another temple but Joshy assured us that this one 'is different' from the others .... and actually, it was

Its another Unesco World Heritage site  and very much a popular destination for families and groups this afternoon.  It is spacious with lots of places to sit and watch the world go by.

These temples are hard on the feet though.   Shoes have to be removed outside the temple and thereafter you walk barefoot - when the tiles heat up in the sun this can be pretty painful!

Brihadishwara (Big Temple) - there are lots of variations on the spelling of this temple but I've settled for this one!    The temple tower is 66 metres tall, and the "Kumbam", the rounded apex dome on top, is made from a single stone that weighs approximately 80 tonnes . The Kalaśam on top of the dome is 6 feet tall (Hindu temples typically have a Kalasam at the top of temple towers shaped like an inverted pot).  There's a lot of controversy/theories about how they got a single stone weighing 80 tonnes to the top of the tower ... I couldn't find the definitive answer online ....

We were one of the main attractions here .... its funny watching people trying to sneakily photograph us whilst pretending to take 'selfies'.    Most families were more polite and asked us to stand with them for a group photo ... we still haven't really figured why so many Indians like to include a few 'white faces' in their photos ... but for a while we know what it feels like to be celebs!

Here are our photos of some of the folks we met this afternoon - the devotees and the ordinary families (all of them dressed up in their 'Sunday Best')

The younger girls wear dresses rather than saris ... but they are all very colourful and beautiful

Me in one of the many group photos I was asked to join in

and another ... don't know what I was looking at in this one

Stunning looking couple here ...

For most of the time we were at this temple there was a bottle-neck at this small doorway as it served as both an entrance and exit ...

OK I think that's it for tonight.

We're now in Kumbakonam staying at 'Paradise Resorts' .... we've had a quick look around the gardens and pool area but haven't had time to venture outside the grounds yet.     We've had dinner - avoiding the main dining room which was serving buffet food to around 90+ people - 3 coachloads of tourists (half French and half Chinese) it was a madhouse.   We opted to sit at a table on the outside verandah and got chatting to a lovely couple. He was Swiss and she is from Finland.   They spend half the year in each country but as he's now retired they're wondering if its viable for them to overwinter in India (namely Goa).   They are spending 6 weeks travelling around Southern India to see how they feel about the country.   Nice problem to have!

We're planning a fairly quiet day tomorrow.   Joshy will collect us at 9am to show us another temple which he says we really must see .... but after that we plan to just explore the local area.  Maybe we'll evern get to swim in the pool!

More tomorrow

21ST JAN. Sun. Chettinad to Trichy

After breakfast in the garden, where we were entertained by the free-range (noisy) rooster and hens, we said goodby the lovely staff at Visalam.

Noisy beggar!  here he is in mid flow!

 the baby chooks were cute, exploring the planters on the patio

I was given a little gift of a basket of the yellow blossoms from their gardens (and a hidden packet of snacks at the bottom for his lordship!  They'd already welcomed us with little gifts on arrival - mine was a pair of glass 'slave' bangles in blue and bright gold.  Nice touch!

A few minutes into our journey we passed several groups of young lads leading bullocks which had been painted/decorated and festooned with flower garlands.    Joshy managed to find a place to pull over and I got photos of a couple - apparently these are all connected with the bull wrestling I mentioned in a previous post, except that these are young/little bulls and the boys just teenagers ...

oh, and this is just because I love characters like this - to be found on almost any Indian road

We were heading for Trichy to visit the Rock Fort (Ucchi Pillayar) temple.  It is dedicated to the elephant god, Ganesh.    However, on learning that we'd need to climb 600+ steps to get to the top for the far-reaching views, we told Joshy to stop somewhere where we could photograph it from afar and we passed on the actual visit/climb

Here it is, viewed from the comfort of an air-conditioned car on the roadside a few miles away!

and we continued our tour with a visit to another temple .....

 Sri Ranganathaswamy temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Vishnu (the 'preserver').   Like the  temple we visited in Madurai, this is ornately decorated. The temple complex is huge and occupies an area of 155 acres with 50 shrines, 21 towers, 39 pavilions and many water tanks integrated into the complex.

It is a Unesco World Heritage site.

but this was far more accessible to non-devotees such as ourselves and was a great place to get photos of some of the thousands of Indians worshiping here.   I'll keep temple photos to a minimum and concentrate on the people instead

We saw several examples of 'Mundan' being carried out - this is the shaving of the head of infants/young children  and covering with sandalwood.    All Hindus apparently have to undergo head shaving at some time in their life as a cleansing for the Gods but its easier to do it whilst young.    However, its wasn't going down well with the ones we witnessed.  This poor lad was distraught despite the encouragement of the extended family group supporting him.

I could see that somebody was spreading cream onto his ears so I'm not sure if his ears were also being pierced ... perhaps that's more likely to have caused the tears

But he managed a weak smile when his father asked me to take a 'proper' photo

This is the symbol of Vishnu

 This photo was taken 'secretely' over the heads of devotees queueing to pay homage to Vishnu whose statue was in a separate room.   Although we would have been allowed in, photography wasn't permitted inside the room but I think I got away with this one taken from outside

and the Vishnu symbol is worn on the forehead of male devotees

Modern world meets tradition!

Lots of ladies visited the temple to worship also ... dressed in the scarlet/red colours we saw at other temples

This little girl has the most amazing face doesn't she?

Oh ... go on then, just a couple more pics of the building/decoration as its so lovely

and this enormous chariot is used in religious festivals - it is pulled by via ropes by teams of devotees.   So beautifully carved ...

Drive another 1 hour to Tanjore and stay overnight at Paradise Resorts (Kumbakonam)