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Published: February 20th 2015
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The Sriraganatha temple at Trichy (all these Tamil towns beginning with the letter T gets a little confusing) is supposedly the largest Hindu temple in the world. It is also part town and part temple, there are seven rings of walls with of 28 gopurams. You enter the temple proper at the fourth ring – shoes off and your feet are immediately scorched on the baking hot stone flagging. People everywhere sitting on the floor picnicking.....there is also a temple elephant who looks rather agitated, poor thing, as she takes the proffered rupees off the devotee, slaps them on the head with her trunk in benediction, and then hands it to her keeper. It might be a beautiful temple but every single structure is covered in scaffolding and sheeting and swarming with workmen. The innumerable Vishnu shrines are all denied to non Hindus......so we can see none of the priceless treasures, or we can peer at the inner shrine over the heads of the devotees. Still, it is so big we are over an hour in there.
There is a famous temple built on a rock outcrop in Trichy also, but with the heat building and David's wonky ankle, we
give that one a miss – 400 steps up without shade is not an option. So we set off for our heritage property in Chettinad. On the way, we stop to visit the fort at Thirulyam. 100 rupees each to get in, and 50 for the cameras (the latter, we suspect, going straight into the pocket of the ticket seller) and we set off up. The fort confirms the rule we are beginning to form that there is an inverse correlation between the cost of entry and how interesting a site is. The fort is built on a big rock outcrop, Even the guidebook says it is of inferior construction, which thesis is supported by how little there is left of it. We climb the steps in what is now the midday heat, sweating under our silly, but in this case highly practical hats. At the top, there is a brick mound in the centre of a fortified wall. Is that really all there is? Closer inspection reveals a tiny shrine cut into the wall of rock and accessible by a metal staircase. Sara gets halfway up the stairs, far enough to establish there is no point going any further.
Chettinad is the home of the Chettiars, a once prosperous banking and business community. It is also known for its local cuisine, architecture, and religious temples. The area is also known for its 18
th century mansions. Our hotel is one of those, now converted. The mansions are all characterised by wide courtyards and spacious rooms embellished with
marble and
teak. The basic design comprises a "thinnai" which is an enclosed courtyard surrounded by family rooms. The walls are smooth and are made of special plaster. This technique keeps the interior of the house cool during the hot and humid Indian summers. High ceilinged, airy and well ventilated, the house has one courtyard near the entrance which leads to the imposing main door, made of wood with extraordinarily intricate carvings of mythological figures.
Checking in is a strange experience as there is no reception desk. We sit down and the lad on duty at the door scuttles off to find someone more senior. A cold towel and welcome drink arrive, then eventually a third person with necklaces who eventually takes us to our room. This hotel is a welcoming oasis of calm in a way the last
one was not. We abandon any thought of going for a walk and settle down to relax for the afternoon.
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