In India: Chennai, Sunday 2012 January 15

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We started late this morning, thank goodness. Breakfast was a plentiful buffet with many Indian and Western choices. I had a peppery Indian bean stew with bacon and toast, and papaya and a fingerling banana.

Our tour took us first to the Kapaleeshwarar Temple. Our first experience of removing our shoes and putting on the “spare” socks we were advised to bring. We entered the temple complex, which was dominated by a huge Hindu temple tower. This is a flat-sided, sugar-loaf shape, covered with fabulous, painted carvings of the Hindu gods, particularly those related to Shiva (as this is South India). Several other smaller roofs were similarly covered with carvings. We walked the short distance to one of these, the wedding hall - basically a large veranda-type place where the wedding party would congregate. We walked around the main temple, as did many others because this was the Festival of the Sun, a Hindu holiday long-weekend. (Pongal Festival) On one side was a corral for about eight cinnamon-coloured cows. One of the worship areas (no photos allowed) was dedicated to the nine planets, so there were nine statues about eighteen inches tall arranged inside a kiosk. The worshippers walked around it three times: once for self, once for family, once for community. We walked around it once. The main worship area was virtually hidden by a line of people waiting to do their devotions; this area was forbidden to non-Hindus.

Back on the bus, we drove through the streets, which were not too full because of the holiday. Everyone was wearing their best clothes. Women were very attractive in their deeply dyed, gold-edged saris. Many children had clothes made of silk and gold sari fabric. Flower-sellers made more colour on the streets with their yellow and red carnations.

The bus drove along Marina Beach, 13 km long and apparently the second longest in the world. Lots of people were walking along in their bright clothes. We passed through the Fort St George area where the British enclave was. And arrived at San Tome, or the St Thomas Basilica, which is reputed to be built over the remains of Thomas the Apostle, although our professor says scholars dispute this. Nevertheless, we went down into the museum and crypt for St Thomas – where they were about to celebrate First Communion for a girl. We were allowed to view the special St Thomas cross, and they waited for us.

Upstairs and out again, we walked around the pure white neo-Gothic church shining beautiful in the sun. Since this was Sunday a service was underway, with the most melodious congregational singing.

Back on the bus we returned to Fort George and the Fort Museum, which is a three storey stone building with the galleries around a long atrium. It now houses an impressive collection of Chola dynasty carvings of Shiva and the associated gods, such as Parvati, his wife, and Ganesha, her son. (Ganesha in part represents that all humans and animals are part of the same spirit.) With endless repetition, I am beginning to identify some gods by their symbols. This is made more difficult by each one having several symbols and a number of avatars. Shiva is associated with snakes, particularly cobra. The museum also has a number of lingams, of which we will see many more tomorrow.

Lunch was in an ultra-modern, large restaurant with an excellent buffet featuring a wide variety of Indian foods both vegetarian and non, a few Chinese dishes and a few Western. Attentive and friendly waiters served the soup and appetizers. Although some people really liked the “Indian bread”, I didn’t as it had little flavour and a heavy texture. I saw them making it by drizzling concentric rings of dough on to a griddle to shape a five-inch flat bread.



Returning to the hotel, V___ offered to include anyone who wanted in his walk around town. D___ and I were enthusiastic, although the others wanted to nap. The walk was longer than I expected, from 3:00 – 5:30. At first V___ was in search of two shopping malls. The very near one was Spencer Mall, which was a bit dim inside with a fair number of customers for the sari, jewelry and clothing stores. I stopped to look at some scarves, was lured in and successfully bargained for a lovely pale turquoise and pink shawl, down from 2000 rupees (ridiculous) to 400 - he would not go lower. Now V___ was interested in finding Express Avenue, for which he received contradictory directions. I was struck by how easy it is for him to approach men in the street and quickly ask and move on. With minimal retracing of our steps, crossing a huge intersection without being run over (there were lights, which helped), and avoiding being run down by speeding tuktuks on the side streets, we discovered the big new mall, which is not on Express Avenue but which is named Express Avenue.

Lots of young men and women and families were strolling in the mall, enjoying the holiday. Some of the stores were American or European chains, such as Levis. This didn’t interest us. As we left the mall, D___ somehow struck up a conversation with a doctor and his son, who wanted their photo taken on the son’s iPhone. Photos and extended greetings all around.

Now V___ wanted us to go Marina Beach, which required a tuktuk ride. He speaks Hindi and quickly arranged for us to squeeze into the passenger seat of a three-wheeled transport scooter with a yellow-cab canopy and body. We rushed through the traffic of cars, tuktuks, motorbikes, and buses. Hard to believe I was actually taking such a risk and enjoying the company that enabled a behaviour both bizarre (to me) and common (to Indians).

At our destination of the Gandhi monument, we took photos and walked out onto the sand – maybe about 400-500 yards across. Many vendors of ice cream, kid’s rides, balloons, and other seaside amusements were doing a desultory business. The beach wasn’t as crowded as I expected. We walked up to some long, narrow fishing boats with their wooden anchors stowed – possibly drag anchors. For the most part, people pursued their own interests and left us to pursue ours.

Now V___ wanted to go to San Thome Basilica again, which we could see in the distance. Like many churches, its tall spire disappeared as we came closer. We walked for about twenty minutes. All directions from passers-by encouraged us to continue straight on, until we recognized the school attached to and across the street from the basilica. This time we could go inside because there was no service on yet. Folk art carved panels depicting the life of Jesus reminded me of the church of the Black Christ in Panama. The church was more brightly lit than any I had ever seen, and it had a relatively simple nave.

Finally we took another tuktuk to the hotel, which was farther away than any of us thought. Now 6:00, there was just time for a brief swim in the deep dusk in an ultra-long outdoor pool. The buffet dinner was extensive with many Indian vegetarian and non-veg dishes. I fell for the mutton curry – very tender meat and well flavoured.

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Photos

Kapaleeshwarar Temple
detail

Pongal kolam
Chalk designs seen in public and home places

Comments

[Randie]

Thanks for sending this along, Judith. I will be interested to keep up with your successive blogs!