Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Chennai, India
9:50 p.m. India Time
Today I give praise to Surya, god of the sun. It was once of the hottest and sunniest days we had during this whole trip. Last night I packed most of my stuff, and guess what I also packed? My sunscreen. My mistake. Ouch ouch, ouch, I now have an Indian Commemorative Sunburn to take home with me.
Last night Raja picked up my three new sari blouses, so today I wore a sari for the first time. Of course, Raja woke me up at 9:30 saying the car would arrive at 10, so I panicked. I took a quick sponge bath, put on the sari blouse and underskirt, and called Aunty in to help me. She and the cook wrapped me up nice and tight, and off we went.
Raja took me to Mamallapuram today, the site of some very old temples and caves from the Pallava period. (These sites date from about 600-700 c.e.) They are protected archeological sites, so only one of the temples we saw was an actual temple (to Vishnu.) In the temple, Vishnu is reclining on the waters of the void. It’s apparently the only place he can get any rest, as he’s usually busy preserving the universe that Brahma creates and Shiva destroys.
On the way, we passed the crocodile farm Raja and the boys visited last December, and we saw some Gypsies, as well. Raja offered to have the driver pull over so that we could take pictures, but I declined. I didn’t take very many road pictures today. We saw many cows, many with huge, curved horns, and lots of goats, as well. Several of the roads we passed down were toll roads, and the monument park we entered had a fee, of course: 10 rupees for Indians, 250 for foreigners. At the entrance we were approached by a man offering to be our guide. At first, Raja refused, perhaps thinking he was a tout, but he was an official tour guide and we decided to accept his services.
It was a good deal. Anand knew a lot about the area and the history of the place. He told me some things I already knew, and many things I didn’t. He spoke good English, and Raja filled in a few of the blanks. It was interesting that the guides name was Anand, as that is also the name of an Irish Goddess.
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Rock Cut Caves
Nine caves with carving from Indian mythology
These caves are famous for their real life depiction of incidents from the Hindu Mythology. There are Bas-reliefs in the various caves. Vishnu is seen in the cosmic sleep in Mahishasuramardhini cave. In contrast to peace here, the other portrayals of Goddess Durga is fighting the buffalo headed Demon.
These caves are famous for their real life depiction of incidents from the Hindu Mythology. There are Bas-reliefs in the various caves. Vishnu is seen in the cosmic sleep in Mahishasuramardhini cave. In contrast to peace here, the other portrayals of Goddess Durga is fighting the buffalo headed Demon.
Arjuna's Penance
The world's largest stone has relief on a huge rock facing the sea with sculptures depicting scenes from the Mahabharata. This carving on the rock wall is the largest Bas-relief in the world. The rock is in the shape of a whale and it faces the sea.
There are various stories to the depictions. Some say that the person in the Penance is Arjuna who is trying to please Lord Shiva. While others say that it is Bhagirath trying to entreat Shiva to control the force of Ganga when she descends from heaven. Looking at the bas closely the latter appears to be true as Ganga is shown in various other places too. But for some strange reason the wall has been named Arjuna's Penance. It is also said that the wall represents the entire creation of the world. What ever the myth goes, the carvings are extremely detailed, fresh and realistic.
There are various stories to the depictions. Some say that the person in the Penance is Arjuna who is trying to please Lord Shiva. While others say that it is Bhagirath trying to entreat Shiva to control the force of Ganga when she descends from heaven. Looking at the bas closely the latter appears to be true as Ganga is shown in various other places too. But for some strange reason the wall has been named Arjuna's Penance. It is also said that the wall represents the entire creation of the world. What ever the myth goes, the carvings are extremely detailed, fresh and realistic.
The Rathas
Five monolithic chariot temples dedicated to Hindu gods. Also known as Pancha Pandava Rathas. Although there are eight temples, people recognize only five. It is said that the five Rathas represent the five chariots used by the Pandavas. Four of these temples have been scooped out of one single rock. The imposing Gopurams and sculptured pillars & walls give us a glimpse of the style which was adopted in constructing temples all over Tamil Nadu.
Shore Temple
Built in the 8th century AD, it is one of the oldest temples is South India. - This magnificent temple was recently included in the world heritage monuments. A huge wall has been built on one side to prevent it from further erosion since some carvings have almost disappeared. The shore temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. But the carvings inside the temple remain intact. The temple looks particularly beautiful in the night when lit.
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Excavation areas at the Shore Temple still contain water from the 2004 tsunami, which did not do too much damage (thank heavens) to the temple already damaged by years of erosion. Anand told us that there used to be other temples near the same site, but they sank into the sea years ago.
After we saw the final ruin at the shore temple, we walked back to our driver, and he drove us down to this beautiful beach resort, the Radisson Temple Bay Resort where Raja and I had lunch by the sea. It was very beautiful, but it was also emotional, as Raja and I have been having some very serious talks about our relationship. Being together in a foreign land can bring people closer together, and, ironically, that closeness can open up parts of yourself that are very vulnerable and weak. If those things can be overcome, then the relationship can grow stronger. I hope that’s the case with us, as I love Raja, and want to be with him forever.
Lunch was amazing, chicken and tandoori prawns and roti and cold water. I couldn’t even eat all the food, but we still had hot gulab jamun for dessert. He fed me bites with a spoon.
After we came home from the resort I realized that I had a terrible sunburn. My sunscreen had already been packed, and in my haste to leave in the morning I had neglected to put any on. Ouch! My skin was hot to the touch and my face, neck, shoulder and back were all completely red.
I took a cool shower and changed clothes. Uncle and Aunty had taken the boys to the arcade (again!), and they didn’t get back until late. For dinner we just ate simply, chapattis and chicken curry. I had planned to take everyone out for dinner, but we changed the plan so we would go out for lunch instead.
Uncle had gone to get some suitcases fixed, and brought them back for us.
Raja and I went to sleep kind of early, as we had already had a long day.
To be continued...be good...
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