We are on a weeklong trip in southern Tamil Nadu. I wanted to see the great temples and we also thought that while we are based in the south, we should try to get to know it. I didn't really know anything about where or how to travel in this area, though, so I did something I haven't done since the internet was invented: I used the services of a travel agent.
After we took a rest at our hotel, we went into Kumbakonam to look at the large temple tank (top photo), which has a special festival every 12 years when, according to astrological alignment, all the sacred rivers of India manifest themselves in the tank simultaneously. When that happens you can take a dip and wash all your sins away.
We couldn't get over the colorful temple architecture. It looks like painted cast concrete, but it isn't! It's all carved stone from the 16th century or so that is periodically repainted to keep it looking snazzy. In Europe the emphasis would be on historic preservation, but these are living temples, continually renovated over the centuries. These giant stone elephants guard the sanctum. These temples are lively places in the center of town, with lots of people coming and going.
Then we drove 5 km into the countryside to the village of Darasuram and this incredible stone temple, Airavatesvara. Together with the temple in Tanjore we saw a couple of days later, this is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is a beautiful stone temple built at the height of the Chola empire, around 1100. It is entirely surrounded by this tall wall, with bulls guarding it every few feet along the top. We were there in the early evening and the light was gorgeous. There were few visitors. There was a priest inside facilitating worship, but this is mostly an archeological site, not a living temple. The original paint has faded and while you could see evidence of repairs, it felt both original and intact. We could walk anywhere, climbing original steps without railings and walking the colonnaded corridors without restriction. It felt like what I imagine ancient Egypt to have been like. The impressiveness of the stone architecture is hard to describe.
We flew into Trichy/Trichupalli, which is only an hour flight from Kochi straight up and over the mountains and down on the plains of Tamil Nadu, the ricebowl of India. A driver met us and drove us two hours further east to the town of Kumbakonam. The landscape really reminds me of the Sacramento valley, where I grew up: flat, arid, but with big trees that indicate substantial rains during part of the year, and rich agricultural lands where they can be irrigated. There's even a fast-moving highway with oleander planted in the median.
The Kaveri/Cauvery River flows through the plain, and in this part (above), a dam directs the main river and two tributaries to agriculture. This dam was built in 100BC-100AD. Yes! Two thousand years ago, and it is still being used. Of course it has been added to over time, but the original dam is still there and in excellent condition. It's one of the oldest irrigation systems in the world that is still in use.
This is a stone screen. In the background you can see a little dressed deity installed on the side of the temple.
These are among the best examples of Dravidian architecture, with tall gopurams (towers) that are gateways to the temple precincts, and other towers above the central shrine.
Look at that gorgeous elephant, whose trunk forms the handrail for the stairway. The whole shrine is carved into the shape of a chariot, with stone wheels, as if it is about to be paraded down the street.
Then our driver, Mr Prabhu, took us into the village to the home of a person making handloom silk saris in her cottage. I'm sure he got a bonus for bringing us there, but I was glad to see the weaving in action. I bought a beautiful scarf (not another sari, to my family's relief).
All that was just part of day 1. As I write this, we are at the end of day 4... and we have encountered so many sights and experiences. I will need a few more posts to process it all.
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