Incredible
India
Incredible India | 1,
2, 3
Part 2: Madurai, Tanjore (Thanjavur),
Pondichery & Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram & Chennai
(Madras)
Day 7 Madurai.
We head deeper into Tamil Nadu provide and arrive Madurai,
a bustling city famous for the “Mother of all Temples” Sri
Meenakshi Temple. This 16th Century Dravidian temple complex
is huge, covering over 14 acres, and when we visit it is
crowded with pilgrims. It has nine towers, the largest
164 feet high. We Westerners are conspicuous and as we
wander around the complex we are aware of many curious
eyes that follow us.
We check into the Taj Garden Retreat Madarai, a
wonderful colonial style resort perched above the city. I
hurry for a swim before evening cocktails, in a beautiful
pool surrounded by tropical gardens, with only the peacocks
for company. Our delightful cocktail party hosted by our
hotel manager and his lovely wife, takes place on a broad
verandah with the lights of the city below.
Day 8 Tanjore (Thanjavur). I
wake to a pink sky, the temple in the distance, and a peacock
strutting on my verandah wall—and not so sublime—the
blare of the towns loudspeakers blasting Indian pop music.
On to Tanjore, also known as Thanjavur, the “Rice Bowl
of Tamil Nadu,” a place famous for the Brihadishwara
Temple. Tanjore was the royal city of the Chola dynasty,
who flourished from the 9th-12th centuries. Known as the “Big
Temple,” Brihadishwara is one of Tamil Nadu’s
architectural gems. There is an impressive dome over the
main shrine, a profusion of sculptured paintings and an outstanding
collection of Chola bronzes.
We overnight at the Sangam Hotel.
In the hotel gift shop I sift through stacks of old book
illustrations and paintings and find a few special ones to
bring home.
Day 9 Pondichery and Mahabalipuram. On
the road again, we stop for lunch at the Anandha Inn in
Pondichery. This lovely seaside town was fought over and
ruled by various European powers—the French, Dutch
and British—from the 16th century until Independence
in 1954. You see the French influence everywhere. We visit
Sri Aurobindo Ashram, one of India’s best known,
founded in the 1950’s by Bengali guru Aurobindo Ghose
and the Mother. It is still a thriving ashram.
Mahabalipuram is Tamil
Nadu’s resort area, a coastal
village on the Bay of Bengal with a number of beach resorts
and restaurants. It’s also a World Heritage site
because of the fine folk art images carved into rock—simple
scenes, unlike the complex religious images seen in the
temples. The resort has revived the crafts of the Pallava
sculptors and you see them with marble and chisels in shops
that line the road.
We overnight at the Fisherman’s Cove Resort,
one of the Taj group hotels and a very nice resort set
on a lovely stretch of palm-fringed beach. In the morning
I enjoyed a lovely bath in the ocean on a beautiful deserted
beach, followed by a swim in the hotel pool. Especially
attractive at this hotel are the cottages that are situated
beachfront, amidst the palm trees and gardens.
 Click here to view a slideshow ot the Madurai segment of my trip.
Day 10 Kanchipuram and Chennai (Madras).
Kanchipuram, the “golden city of a thousand temples,” is
considered one of the most important Hindu pilgrim centers
of Southern India. It has over 70 temples. One of the largest
temples features a hill with 1000 pillars with beautiful
carvings in sandstone. Bas relief panels illustrate battles
and scenes of courtly life.
Kanchipuram was a meeting place
for the scholars of 3 great religions, Hinduism, Buddhism
and Jainism, as was a major center of learning, culture and
philosophy. It now houses the remains of Pallava, Chola and
Vijayanagera architecture and art from the 8th to the 17th
centuries. Overnight Taj Connemara hotel in Chennai (formerly
known as Madras).
NEXT
PAGE | Mysore in Karnataka Province, Belur and Halebid, City
Palace Mysore,
Bangalore—flight home
Incredible India | 1,
2, 3 | 
