 |
| Arjuna's Penance |
"I like sculpture . It is physical, created with the hands, brains and heart, maybe."
I love visiting temples, cathedrals, gompas or monasteries, be it in Chartres (France), Meteora (Greece) Blue Mosque (Turkey) or Taktsang
Monastery (Bhutan). I am not religious. There’s no spirituality or dharma
involved in my visits. I love the art
and architecture that goes to add to the magnificence of the structure , to
reflect on the circumstances and era that they were made and ponder over the
vicissitudes of the artisans who put in so much effort to construct these
edifices. This pursuit led us to hit the road and head for Mahaballipurm, Tamil
Nadu (India) to see the “Shore Temple” and other UNESCO sites.
 |
| Shore Temple |
Barely 54 kms from Chennai, we took the East Coast road with
the Bay of Bengal splashing along the left, it is a small ancient town as old
as Ptolemy, the Greek geographer. That it was an important trading base in days
of yore is evident from the Roman and Greeks coins found in the area. Hueng Tsang,
7th Century Chinese traveler mentions Mahaballipurm in his writings.
It is believed the name Mahaballipurm comes from King
Mahaballi who ruled over the area. Yet, there is another legend that the
Pallava king, Narasimhavarman! Was renowned for his wrestling and hence Mamalla
was given to honour him. Consequently, the town is known by two names Mahaballipurm
and Mamallapuram.
 |
| The sea at Mahaballipuram |
There are many places to visit in the town and each visit
may reveal something new. The Rathas are
rock- cut temples in the shape of five chariots, the Cave temples,
Thirurukadalmalai Temple, Krishna’s butterball and the Lighthouse. Each monument has a legend
behind it . The crocodile farms , if you
don’t find them slimy , can be visited. The clean and relatively empty beach is
comforting compared to other Indian beaches.
But my favorite was the Shore Temple, right on the sea, made of solid
granite which has changed color because of the effect of the sea water. They
look golden –red with beautiful carvings, much of it eroded and some of it
having been restored. There were 7 temples of which only one remains. The
others are believed to be under the sea. During the Tsunami of 2004, the sea
withdrew 500 meters exposing remnants of the submerged six temples. The walk
round the temple is beautiful. Don’t visit during a holiday when the rush of
visitors takes away the joy of the visit. Another master-piece is the huge bas relief,
supposedly the biggest in the world, called the Arjuna’s penance. The intricate
details of natural phenomena, gods and mythological characters engraved on the
rock front are astonishing.
Besides monument visiting, shopping can take some time.
Handicrafts, jewelery, Brass, copper and stone figurines can be a collectors
treasure –trove. Bargaining is a must in all the shops. Sometimes you will be surprised at things
that you bought for the price.
Apart from the delicious cuisine of Dosa-idli-sambar, enjoy
the sea-food. You’ll never have it so good. A good restaurant is Wok-to-Dhaba.
Complete your day with the luscious, sweet water of a coconut. There is so much to see that it would be wise
to make a short-list of what would actually interest you and venture out
accordingly. Don’t spoil your holiday rushing around leaving you tried at the
end of the day.Take a guide to explain the minute details of what you see .He will advise you where and what to buy . Just chill and go slow especially on a hot day! Dark shades and a water bottle are a must.
 |
| Prawns |
"I go to the ocean to calm down, to re-connect with the creator,to just be happy."
Lovely to read about your adventures Arun Aunty! Do keep writing
ReplyDelete