Josh's Southern India Trip

Our first stop in our morning sightseeing of Mysore was the grand and majestic St. Joseph's cathedral. This cathedral features an underground crypt area that you can tour through to view the relic of St. Philomena. The impressive Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is dedicated to a form of Vishnu who is depicted reclining with a with several cobras overhead. I got a local guide who got some interesting pictures. We visited a mosque near the Tipu Sultan fort. The Sultan is the most prominent historic figure in Mysore history whose palace we visited yesterday. The Gumbaz-e-Shahi mausoleum dedicated to the Sultan has a large and beautifully laid out site which features an intricate interior. Triveni Sangam Srirangapatna is the confluence of 3 holy rivers: Kaveri River, Lokapavani River & Hemavati River. There were numerous ceremonies taking place and it is possible to venture out into the river on circular rafts. Open air simple temple sites are particularly powerful to me in the way the...

We started the day at the archaeological museum in Calicut. This is housed in an attractive British building with gardens. The collection is impressive and varied, covering the many eras of the region.  We headed up into the mountains, passing an interesting Christian pilgrimage group carrying crosses. The mountains offered a nice view back to the city. There is coffee cultivation, which we stopped to take a look at. I had actually never seen coffee growing before! It was in the flowering stage.  We then crossed through a tiger reserve with a checkpoint that looked like something out of Jurassic Park. You aren't allowed to get out of your vehicle if you are just passing through. No travel is allowed at night. We didn't see any tigers, but we had the great fortune to come across a group of wild forest elephants. There were two mothers with two young elephants, which was really sweet. After arriving in Mysore, we climbed the local mountain to visit an excellent temple at the top...

We took a vehicle ferry across the harbor leaving Kochi. This relatively short ride was quite efficient on and off. We stopped at the giant Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple. This may be the largest Krishna temple in India and is a major pilgrimage site. There are a lot of vendors on the way in. We weren't able to go into the actual shrine but I got to look at it from outside. I enjoyed seeing traditional dancing taking place in the temple complex.. These varied dance forms are fantastic and I could dedicate a whole trip to them sometime in the future. It is always a pleasure to go to a Krishna temple, it is so upbeat. The blue baby Krishna is really cute as well. We stopped at the Punnathur Kotta elephant sanctuary at Guruvayur. This is where elephants are trained for festival events at the temple. The use of elephants for this purpose and the training involved is controversial and there have been some mistreatment issues. I looked it up and it sounds like they're has been progres...

Our first sightseeing spot in Kochi was a pleasant Portuguese church where the explorer Vasco da Gama is buried. We visited a picturesque mossy Portuguese cemetery that is currently all full. The Portuguese brought a attractive giant dome-shaped tree which I believe is called the rain tree. It doesn't have any fruit you can eat but it looks great and provides a lot of shade. We visited an interesting old fashioned open-air laundry facility where seniors can work for a small fee using old methods. It keeps tradition going and people feeling useful.  We visited a Catholic Italian style cathedral which was very attractive on the exterior and interior. This was my guide's parish Church. It has been interesting how many of my guides have been Christian. We visited an old Jewish quarter that is actually called Jew Town which is a name that may not be totally kosher elsewhere, but it has stuck. This was established from an early Jewish migration. The group handled much of the business...

We started the day after a night on the houseboat with a short breakfast cruise. I said goodbye to the the friendly boat staff and met with my driver to begin the drive to Kochi. We stopped at a local temple on the way which features a powerful healing deity. This is one of a few temples in the area that does not allow non-Hindus. I didn't know this and my driver actually tried hard to get me in having me take my shirt off, talking to the priest. We then talked to people in offices. Apparently it is possible with a special certificate. This was a little embarrassing but he really had my interests In mind.  We stopped at a local beach on the Arabian Sea. This was pretty thrilling for me to see, I've never seen it before and this may be the closest I ever get to the Maldives.  Kochi has been a port since 1341, when a flood carved out its harbor and opened it to Arab, Chinese and European merchants. Local architecture is varied and adds interest to the city.  I took a long w...

After a peaceful night, we explored our remote village in the other direction, walking along concrete walls and bridges. As you go further out into more remote areas, there aren't roads anymore, boat transport is the only choice other than walking. I found that the best thing to do on the boat is to sit up at the bow with the captain. They have a shade cover and the cool breeze is nice. You can watch the scenery as it approaches. There is a kind of floating vegetation with many large flowers which is charming. I had a huge lunch where I focused on trying to eat all the meat things in order not to waste them. I left the rice. The return trip back is interesting because the village density gradually increases until you can hear a few horns honking and see businesses and more bridges. It is actually a nice feeling to come back into civilization this way. On return, I walked into town for some exercise and saw a church that has been there for like 1,500 years. As a bonus, my boat host ...

Today was a long drive down from Munnar in the mountains into the flatlands of Kerala. There aren't wide freeways here, the roads tend to wind around and are two lane. Lots of local businesses line the roads. On our way we stopped at a mountain waterfall that can become a torrent during the rainy season and cause a road closure. Monkeys with with cute antics abounded.  We arrived at the houseboat port in the afternoon. I had forgotten that I wouldn't have Wi-Fi on the boat and I'm going to publish this post dated. I realized then that I was to be the only passenger on this cruise! This made me feel a bit guilty and embarrassed. Just at the time I've been really trying to cut down on meal sizes, I was presented with a giant buffet of my own! Getting waited on by a staff is something that makes me squirm a bit so this has been a challenge/growth opportunity.  Kerala Backwaters The houseboats are classic and luxurious. The idea is to take a slow scenic cruise and eat good ...

Today was spent high up in the mountains in Munnar with a guide who is an expert in tea cultivation and production. We first went to two dam areas that create attractive lakes. The lower one has more of a water line and is good for echoes. It is green from tea runoff. So, it is a kind of mild green tea. The upper one looks more natural and is a recreation area with paddle boats and a park.  I learned a lot about the various methods involved and types of tea that are produced. The tea trees are kept small like little topiaries in order to make cultivation of the leaves easy. The types of tea, white, green, and black have to do with both the types of leaves used and the production methods. With the steep hillsides and narrow paths between the little trees, I think the plucking is hard work. It is all done by women. One thing is that it isn't a harvest like other agricultural products. The plucking of the leaves goes on year-round. We visited a small demonstration factory to see the m...

On the way out from Madurai, we stopped to watch a wedding ceremony complete with drummers, firecrackers, a procession, and beautiful bride and groom outfits. Apparently weddings are typically done in the morning which is actually a nice idea. Outside of town, we stopped at a unique local temple that features a deity especially geared towards women. I was one of the few non -females in the line to get darshan and I got a few looks. That and being a 6'4 foreigner. After passing a tree full of fruit bats, we stopped at a market that features covered stalls. My guide bought a huge bag of bananas and I was unsure why. We also stopped at a roadside vehicle puja station which offers special blessings for the safety of vehicles. I really appreciated this as we headed up into tricky mountain roads.  As we headed up into lush and steep mountainous terrain, we stopped at a few roadside areas that have groups of monkeys that expect treats. This is totally not the kind of thing that is encoura...

This morning we first visited the Thanjavur Maratha Palace. The giant initial entry area features massive white columns and a combined architectural style.  The Meenakshi Amman Temple complex is huge and the towers are currently undergoing renovation. My guide was saying they do this about every 12 years. Simple scaffoldings made of wood poles are erected around the entire tower and then scaled by skilled climber/painters. This is truly a specialized job requiring athletic and craft talent.  My new guide is a warm fellow who is teaching me many things about Hinduism. Some are simple and pragmatic but good to know. Like when you offer something to a priest, use your right hand always. When you walk around the planet shrine, you go around nine times for the nine planets. I got an elaborate. rose garland which acts as an offering. The priest will bless it, put it on the idol, and then return it. I brought it back to the hotel.  One basic rule for travelers in India is that i...

We started the day at the impressive Brihadeeswarar Shiva Temple. This ingenious temple combines Indian and Egyptian style architecture. It combines grand scale and fine detail with features having been added over the years. Shiva and his most important family associations are represented in separate shrines that are laid out according to the compass direction. I thought about my dad and how he loved ancient Egyptian architecture. He would have loved this place.  We then visited the Thanjavur Maratha Palace which has a large collection of bronze statues that were preserved after being buried to hide them from Invaders. There is also a huge library there, some of which is on display. Of interest were palm manuscripts with tiny lettering. There is also a collection of European literature.  I'm realizing that my driver is adding his own tour to me regular scheduled tour with the guide. We visited a shop where a craftsman makes the classical veenea instrument which is popular in t...

Today was an absolutely incredible and extraordinary day. Our first stop was the colossal Ranganathaswamy Temple. This temple, devoted to Vishnu, is the largest in India and is actually the largest religious complex in the world. The many gateways with giant pyramid towers that you pass through make it seem more like a kind of town. These towers look pretty good in the pictures, but what makes them incredible to see in person is that the intricate figure sculpture work is actually large size and your mind has to take in all this three-dimensional humanistic detail. Tons of representations of stories are packed in. Then each level gets shorter in height to create a kind of infinity effect. Truly mind-blowing. There are many large courtyard areas and interiors with columns and shrines.  Our second stop was a funeral area near the river lively with ceremonies and priests giving blessings in their individual areas. I got a few blessings and paid my respects at the river. The Tiruchirap...

Today was a very interesting travel day which started with climbing to the highest peak in Yercaud. We were able to see some pretty good views. It was nice to get the cool mountain breeze.  It was then time for a a descent down the other side of the mountains involving many hairpin turns. We passed a fascinating shrine on the wave down and I was also able to get some good shots of monkeys on the wall along the roadway.  We stopped in my driver's hometown where I was able to meet his wife who works at a local Samsung shop. Everyone was a little surprised to see the foreigner there. I've gotten to be good friends with my driver.  Near the town we stopped at the Etthapur Muthumalai Murugan Temple which features a giant statue that is accessible at different points from a scaffolding next to it for pujas. This makes it look a little bit like the Saturn V rocket on the launch pad. There is a a wide variety of agriculture going on in the district, from mangoes to rice to corn. ...

Since I had visited the huge Shiva Temple last night, my friendly German guide brought me to smaller temples and shrines in Tiruvanamlai. We also visited two large ashrams. In both of these, the original guru was no longer.living. The first ashram was a giant center that included a library and large dining Halls as well as prayer and meditation Halls. Lots of people pass through and it is also possible to study long- term. My guide had lived here for 10 years with an interest in spiritual practice. We then drove up high through beautiful forest into the mountains to the adventure  recreational town of Yercaud. I'm staying at a kind of family fun mountain resort that has activities. I took the afternoon to walk into the town where they have a lake with tourist boating. I visited a botanical garden as well as a children's park. One family had a picture taken with me and their young daughter. That was really sweet. It was really delightful to walk around and experience the life of...

We started the day with the fascinating cave temples and mandapams of Mahabalipuram. The initial Park we visited features a mysterious giant stone sphere that has been frozen in place for eons. It looks precarious but attempts to move it have failed due to its weight. This park features great natural stones as well as cave temples.  The Shore Temple is located at the south of a Long Beach with resorts. This is somewhat reminiscent of Tulum on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. It is worn by the action of wind and salt. Another stone temple area featured multiple types of architecture and an elephant. This is perhaps my favorite stone carved site ever.  We visited a silk weaving area in Kanchipuram where I learned of the fine intricacy that goes into weaving these silk sarees. Of course there were opportunities to buy some of this work and I got a purple scarf.  The giant Shiva Temple there is extremely impressive with its huge tower and temple complex. The highlight of the day ...

Woke up just in time to rush down to the dining room to eat what will be the first of many fantastic hotel breakfast buffets. This hotel is really nice but is one night only, I'll check out at noon and meet my guides at 2:00 . Today's touring focused on colonial architecture of the British era. They left behind a lot of beautiful red brick monumental buildings. We then toured famous old churches including the one focused on St. Thomas. This is something I didn't know, St. Thomas was the first missionary here. I had no idea he had traveled so far. There is a beautiful church that includes a relic.  We ended  the day at a Hindu temple, the distinctive regional pyramid shapes covered in statues. The temple is focused on Shiva and featured a living area for sacred cattle that are involved in ceremonies. Dravidian architecture   We also saw part of one of the longest beaches in the country and a funeral procession involving firecrackers from the car.  I'm now staying at a...

Here at the San Francisco international terminal after taking the airport bus. Always pleasant at this terminal. I have a practice of walking back and forth down the hallways in order to get exercise before a long flight. I'm flying Cathay Pacific through Hong Kong. Wish I could get out and see some out Hong Kong, we'll save that for another trip.  I made it to the Hong Kong airport. The site of all the ships outside the harbor lit at night was quite something as we were landing. Well, that was a rough flight. I ended up with a window seat and a couple of guys of the sort that get up like once in a super long flight. One travel tip- it is possible to sit on the pillow and fold the blanket up and put it behind your back for lumbar support! Getting on the flight to Chennai in a few minutes. I made it to the hotel in Chennai. My pickup guide was super nice and looks like I have the same driver for the whole trip. it's really late here and I not sure I willl even make breakfast...

My departure date is arriving soon and I'm really excited about this year's trip to southern India. Two years ago in the spring I did a kind of pilgrimage trip to spiritual locations in northern India: Northern India Blog This trip was life-changing. In my view, India is really more like the center of the world: a kind of nucleus of cultural, spiritual, and philosophical development. The density of attractions and cultural interest is incredibly high as well as the diversity. I see it as a kind of amazingly varied poly-culture where there are consistent themes throughout with a myriad of variations. The magic Sanskrit language, haunting melodies, and brilliant rhythms spelling out philosophy and stories are a mystical origin and foundation. For years I've been a practicing Buddhist and more recently have become quite interested in connecting with the mother culture that Buddhism arose from. On this trip I'll be focusing on the renowned temples of South India. I'm a...