Day 2 -- South India trip

January 20

After a breakfast that included delicious freshly squeezed lime juice we headed out for our next destination – Kanchipuram, where we checked out two temples both dating way back.

Kanchipuram holds the remains of 3 great dynasties: Pallava, Chola, Vijayanagar – which weathered internal conflict and external trade but never northern invasion, per my guide book.

Apparently the dynasties “jostled” each other, building ever greater shrines to their developing and intertwining sets of deities. Until recently people in Kanchipuram were segregated by caste.

Today the city is nicknamed the Golden City of 1,000 Temples and is one of the seven holy pilgrimage sites for Hindus, with some temples to Vishnu, the majority to Shiva. Through the diversity of building styles in Kanchipuram, the development of Dravidian temple architecture from the 8th century to the present can be traced.

We visited the Sri Ekambaranathar Temple, which was originally built before the mid-
9th century by the Pallavas.

Its most significant feature – a massive, 200 foot gopuram with more than 10 stories of intricate sculptures -- was a 16th century addition by Vijayanagar kings. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, who appears in the form of earth, one of Hinduism’s five sacred elements.

Inside the courtyard is a mango tree believed to be 3,500 years old. Origanlly 1,000 pillars stood in the mandapam, now fewer than 600 remain.

As with many temples, this one has a tank, which was in use by many people while we were there. They'd made their pilgrimage to the temple and were bathing/washing clothes. Our guide said this temple's water is now stagnant so fish have been added to help clean the water. Big job for the poor fish. I think I'd pass on washing anything in that water, but then I'm not traversing from parts far away without another bathing/washing option. And here it's common to see people washing themselves and clothes in rivers, ponds, "tanks" of rainwater. Meanwhile I buy the Indian version of Downy so my hand washables don't smell like the hotel tapwater...

The second temple we visited was the Kailasanatha Temple, named for Kailasa, Shiva’s Himalayan paradise. It was built mainly during the reign of King Rajasimha (700-728). This temple “carried the development of Pallava temple architecture one step beyond what had come before.”

From “dressed stone” (rocks formed into regular shapes, the construction of this temple progressed to granite foundations and the more easily carved sandstone for the superstructure. Cell-like structures surrounding the sanctum are similar in design to the Five Rathas: all have extensive sculptures of Shiva in various poses, symbolizing different aspects of his mythology. Lining the inner courtyard are 58 small meditation cells w/ remnants of multicolor 8th century paintings.

From there we stopped at a silk weaving facility. Oddly enough (though at this point I shouldn’t be surprised by much) we passed by 2 cows with calves, which live in the same complex where saris and other silk garments are woven. (Cows outside, weaving inside.)

The rooms were big, this one had 4 looms inside and one of the craftsmen was working on a 50,000 rupee sari for someone from Bangalore. He said women from different areas wear different colors: Chennai – burgundy, Bangalore yellow/gold.

This sari was made in part with thread from gold. More gold, more expensive, naturally.

We got to feel the thread out of the cocoon – soft though tangled, then a bunch that had been dyed – so soft. The silk threads used in weaving are incredibly delicate. We were told it takes 2 weeks to make 1 sari.

After watching for a bit we went upstairs and I fell in love with a maroon fabric, got measured so I’d like how much silk I would need for a shirt and left w/ material and 2 scarves for kids. We’ll see if the little shoppers wear them…

Onward we continued to Mahabalipuram, on the coast (Bay of Bengal). Our hotel was very nice – pool overlooking the Bay’s lovely waters and rocky shore. Down the coast we could see the Shore Temple, which we visited after a delicious buffet lunch w/ our guide at the hotel. (He pointed out some south Indian dishes for me to try – vegetable curry was particularly good, and fried pineapple for dessert was fabulous – hard not to like anything fried. Kids enjoyed the fish sticks, made from fresh fish – much better than those things that come in a cardboard box at home.)

After lunch we hit 2 World Heritage Sights, both old temples, now monuments.

1st: The Five Rathas – most famous example of Pallava architecture, the Five Rathas are called the Pancha Pandava Rathas for the Five Pandava sons in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. They are carved out of 5 pieces of granite, each with its own elevation, plan and detail. Draupadi, Arjuna, Bhima, Sahadeva, Dharmaraja, with 3 animal sculptures – elephant, lion and the bull Nandi (vehicles of gods) completed the display. Carving was done by first making holes in rock, putting boiling water inside the rock, making it easier to carve (Egyptian technique).

We also saw the bas-relief sculpture on the back wall of the Krishna Mandapam (a later cave temple) showing Krishna holding up the Govarhan mountain to protect his people from floods.

2nd stop: The Shore Temple – this temple was my favorite, largely due to its location, facing the Bay of Bengal. It’s a UNESCO sight so now has a lovely garden and walkway leading to it to help protect it and to create a greater ambience for visitors.

Despite the ravages of sun, sea and sand – and the '04 tsunami – it still retains many details from its origin in the early 8th century, built by Pallava king Rajasimha. Temple is entered from the back, through a courtyanrd surrounded by a massive wall topped w/ reclining bulls and 2 Shiva towers. An image of Vishnu living in cosmic sleep on the sea, can be made out.

Last stop: a huge bas-relief (96 feet long, 43 feet high), of the Penance of Arjuna (Descent of the Ganges) carved on two adjacent boulders. It dates from the 7th century and incorporates 3 themes, senses of proportion, reason and humor. River Ganges is depicted flowing through, different figures carved to illustrate different themes.

From there it was back to the hotel for some pool time and views of the Bay – not a real walking beach given the rocks but lovely grounds to enjoy. After all that travel I convinced myself a head and foot massage was in order – could become addicted to massage – the masseuse used traditional oils (warm and luxurious).

For dinner we ate at The Wharf, a restaurant overlooking the water – lovely to dine to the sound of waves (and American 80’s music). I had the large prawns w/ traditional dry rub. The food was as fresh as it gets; I watched the poor prawn be lifted out of the tank 10 feet away.