Monday January 23 - Pondicherry to Tanjore

We left Pondicherry yesterday (thank goodness for departing from the town but we hated to leave our darling hotel) and drove two hours to our first stop. A hair-raising two hours I might add with trucks heading straight for us and then veering away with only seconds to spare. Horns honking all the time; Indian drivers use their horns to communicate constantly. (I know this all sounds bad but somehow, incredibly, I'm rather getting used to it. Only occasionally do I have to put my hands over my eyes. I trust Bala fully. Never have I seen a more conscientious and good driver. I highly recommend him for any driving trip through India.) These roads were some of the most crowded we've seen. But we enjoyed the ride immensely. I'm crazy about the ox carts and you see them all the time.

Painted bullock cart

Some of the bulls not only have brightly colored horns but also have bells on the tips. We saw a bus so crowded with passengers - some were on top - some were hanging off the left side on the outside of the bus - that it was tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Bala said there were 150 people on that bus.

The air was very dusty this morning and we decided that Monday morning must be village cleaning day. Piles of refuse lay smoldering along with stacks and stacks of branches that fell from trees due to the cyclone of December 13th. The villages in this area have houses that are mostly built of woven banana leaves so naturally they've sustained considerable damage as well. At one point in our drive Bala stopped in a long line of traffic and told us to get out and come with him. We walked to an intersection where the local villagers were staging a sit-in protest against the government's lack of financial response to the storm. We want roads to be repaired (I support that) and their villages to be helped (definitely well deserved). All of a sudden the Indian police arrived and I've never seen a group break up so quickly. The crowd peacefully dispersed and we were back on our way.

Village protest.

We drove over the Anakari River, a brackish river that is home to many fishermen who peaceable coexist with crocodiles! We stopped to watch a croc swim lazily in the river while men cast their fishing nets nearby. We were high above on a bridge so no worries about our safety.

Today was all about temples. Our first stop and perhaps the most memorable one for me was the Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram, a 75 km / 2 hr drive from Pondicherry. It is a huge temple dedicated to Shiva with tall gopurams (towers) at each cardinal entry point. Figures of gods and goddesses are depicted in rows upon rows of carvings painted in vivid shades of blue, yellow, red and green. But the best was inside.

We witnessed a ceremony that reminded me of some Buddhist fire ceremonies I've seen; Brahman priests wearing white, and a string across their bodies, their hair shaved except for one portion that is allowed to grow. This long hair is twisted into a topnot at one o'clock on the right side of the head. They were seated in circle chanting. In the center at a fire pit were two high priests. The priests were preparing offerings of food and flowers and the high priests took these offerings and dropped them into the fire, occasionally stirring in what must have been oil. We watched for as long as our tight schedule would allow. I could have stayed for hours. Our itinerary says of Chidambaram: "Of the numerous temples that line the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram is one of the most significant. In terms of its antiquity, richness of worship & festival traditions, architectural & sculptural splendor, its association with music & dance, Chidambaram is second to none.  It is one of the greatest centers of the Sri Vaishnava religion and among the most visited pilgrimage centers in India."

Then two additional stops before lunch to the Gangaikonda Cholapuram (mostly in ruin) and the Airavatesvara Temple in Darasuram. The Airavatesvara Temple is the third of the great Chola temples after Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Finally in late afternoon we reached Tanjore. We met up with a local guide who took us to view antique Chola brozes in a museum. The we visited the Brihadisvara Temple, built between 985 and 1012 AD, which is a UNESCO monument. The temple has superb inscriptions and sculptures of Shiva, his consort Durga, and Vishnu.

There are also 81 carvings of the classical Bharat Natyam poses, which is the first record of any classical dance form in this manner.  Brihadishvara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single, 80-ton granite block. We stayed until well after sunset watching the color change on the temple and pilgrims arriving for evening devotions. Inside we saw a priest administering blessings next to a Shiva linga that was as tall as he was. Outside was a huge, lighted nandi bull.

By the time we got to our hotel and checked in it was around 8pm and were exhausted.