Gingee and Tiruvannamalai
About three hours away, there is a famous temple town, and close by are ruins of one of the few southern Mughal forts.
We drove to Tiruvannamalai and touring the famous Shiva fire temple. Unlike most temples, its inner sanctum is open to non-Hindus. No pictures are allowed there, but we stood in line with everyone else for a pinch of kumkum power, and a second time to look in to the "fire lingam." It was dark - lit by dim electric bulbs - filled with people and incense, and hot (goes without saying!). There were fabulous carvings on the stone walls.
We happened upon a private celebration - priests & a family are walking one of the idols around the temple (always in a clockwise direction) in a small temple "car."
We drove to Gingee to see the ruins of fortifications, now left to tourists, monkeys, and the weather. If your stomach is strong, try the 360 tour here (dizzying if you turn the pictures yourself).
Gingee rises from a flat plain into bizarre, boulder-strewn hills. Clearly a good place to install fortifications! We've read that the rocks are volcanic, and the sacred mountain at Tiruvannamali is an extinct volcano. You can see some of the tumble-down rocks here.
Looking across at a fort on one of the other hills.
Looking down at one of many temples. Fort ruins in forground.
Matthew also found that the ruins were a great place to hunt skinks (lizards) & snakes.
On the way home, our driver stopped along the side of the road, and got the boys some sugar cane.
The next stop was a dye vendor. This woman was one of the dye makers. They use vermiculite, a bit of oil, and natural dyes - and mix by hand. Note the purple feet & hands!
Dyes for sale.
The blue bus had just emitted an ear-splitting hoooooooonk - to alert the bus on the other side of the road and the pedestrians & bikes to its presence - as I was trying to get this picture.
Then we returned to Chennai smog & traffic after our pleasant respite in the countryside.
About three hours away, there is a famous temple town, and close by are ruins of one of the few southern Mughal forts.
We drove to Tiruvannamalai and touring the famous Shiva fire temple. Unlike most temples, its inner sanctum is open to non-Hindus. No pictures are allowed there, but we stood in line with everyone else for a pinch of kumkum power, and a second time to look in to the "fire lingam." It was dark - lit by dim electric bulbs - filled with people and incense, and hot (goes without saying!). There were fabulous carvings on the stone walls.
We happened upon a private celebration - priests & a family are walking one of the idols around the temple (always in a clockwise direction) in a small temple "car."
We drove to Gingee to see the ruins of fortifications, now left to tourists, monkeys, and the weather. If your stomach is strong, try the 360 tour here (dizzying if you turn the pictures yourself).
Gingee rises from a flat plain into bizarre, boulder-strewn hills. Clearly a good place to install fortifications! We've read that the rocks are volcanic, and the sacred mountain at Tiruvannamali is an extinct volcano. You can see some of the tumble-down rocks here.Looking across at a fort on one of the other hills.
Looking down at one of many temples. Fort ruins in forground.
Matthew also found that the ruins were a great place to hunt skinks (lizards) & snakes.
On the way home, our driver stopped along the side of the road, and got the boys some sugar cane.
Then we stopped at a road-side vegetable stand and bought two huge bags of farm-fresh veggies for about $2- baby eggplants, cucumbers, carrots, Indian radishes (which look like white carrots or parsnips), green beans, some spiny cucumber-looking items, and flat pods which contained mini-lima beans.
The next stop was a dye vendor. This woman was one of the dye makers. They use vermiculite, a bit of oil, and natural dyes - and mix by hand. Note the purple feet & hands!
Dyes for sale.The blue bus had just emitted an ear-splitting hoooooooonk - to alert the bus on the other side of the road and the pedestrians & bikes to its presence - as I was trying to get this picture.
Then we returned to Chennai smog & traffic after our pleasant respite in the countryside.
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