28 December, 2018 to 4 January, 2019 - Thanjavur, Chettinadu, Madurai, Kodaikanal - (India)
I really don't know if people change their habits based on catchy phrases, but there are obviously some in India who believe that to be the case. While some focus on social etiquette and responsibility, the majority of these appear along the roadside in order to change driving and riding behaviour. We have dubbed these the "safety rhymes".
Our favourite non-road sign is "Your Country will Salute if You don't Pollute."
Some gems from along the road:
- "Don't be Rash, Lest you Crash".
- "Text or Call can Wreck it All".
- "After Whiskey Driving's Risky".
- "Be a Safety Hero - Accident Zero".
- "Normal Speed Meets Every Need".
Another generic observation of India is the amount of employment that can be created when labour is cheap. Even the smallest cafes and shops seem to have small teams of assistants. Larger supermarkets have an employee on hand waiting at every aisle. We went in to one tall building and encountered a man employed to sit in the elevator and push the buttons for visitors. Mid range hotels have a host of staff, including security and doormen and porters and someone for this little job and someone who takes care of that. It is good to see that the owners of all these businesses, which could run with one or two less people each, see the value of employment from both a social responsibility as well as a service provision point of view.
So we have spent a week or so crossing around the southern state of Tamil Nadu. An overnight bus from Mysuru had us in Thanjavur for its old Chola temple and palace.
It's not our job to stop them!
Brihadishwara Temple
Also called the Big Temple, Tanjore
Inside Schwartz's Church
Is a comment needed?
Female and Male...
Lion-esque figures, Royal Palace of Thanjavur
Can we get a photo with you?
At least they did not all want to take selfies, one by one.
Bell Tower, Royal Palace, Thanjavur
and maybe it won't...
From there, we headed to the the region of Chettinadu. It is not a single town, but a small region of Tamil Nadu. The fortunes of some of India's wealthiest turned mid last century, and the hundreds, if not thousands, of mansions (some bordering on palatial) still dot the region. We stayed in one of the heritage homes.
Our room at The Chettinad Heritage
Nemathan Patti near Kanadukathan.
Breakfast at The Chettinad Heritage
We ate small amounts of so many things for both breakfast and dinner. We were staying at The Chettinad Heritage in Nemathan Patti near Kanadukathan.
Dinner at The Chettinad Heritage
Nemathan Patti near Kanadukathan.
Some of the Former Glory of Kanadukathan
The Chettinad region has thousands of mansions from eras gone by. They are in a variety of state of repair - a handful are immaculate and can be visited or stayed in, but many are ruins or close to. Kanadukathan has a good sampling of styles and has a couple that you can go in to.
Inside CVRMCT House, Kanadukathan
One of the Chettinad mansions that can be visited.
A vista over Kanadukathan roofs
Before including the photos from Madurai, I want to note the modern obsession with the selfie. Now, this is not an Indian thing alone, we know that, but Indians love to invite us to be included in their selfies. More on that later. However, I did not want to judge, but felt it a little unusual, when I saw a pair of muslim ladies with veils on taking a selfie - they may have been doing duckface, but we will never know.
In Madurai, we visited the palace. Signage indicated it was closed from 1:00 till 1:30. After looking around, and deciding to leave the palace at 1:10, we discovered that being closed did not mean being kicked out - it meant nobody could come in OR leave, until 1:30. So we had 20 minutes more to enjoy the building before being allowed out.
Carving above a Shop, Madurai
There were a number of beautiful details above shop fronts - if you kept your eyes up.
Panorama Inside a Palace
Tirumalai Nayak Palce in Madurai.
Selfie Time Again
Locals are frequently asking us to be in their selfies. Generally, guys want me in theirs, and girls want Jo. Sometimes, we are both included. But they don't want someone else to take the photo - it is always a selfie.
Imposing Columns and Arches, Tirumalai Nayak
Around the main courtyard in the palace of Tirumalai Nayak in Madurai.
Impressive Horsemen
Pudhu Mandapa in Madurai.
Seamsters in Pudhu Mandapa
The hall may have once been a temple - certainly a lot of gods and goddesses are represented on the columns. Note the triple breasted Meenakshi (pre marriage - one breast fell off when she got married). Now, the hall is dominated by tailors and seamsters, as well as traders of books and brassware. This market had a wonderful hum amongst the tall columns.
View over Meenakshi Amman Temple
This "temple" in Madurai is more correctly a number of temples in a compound. Photography inside is strictly prohibited, so we had to rely on these shots from a nearby rooftop to capture something of it. The tallest structures are the gates, and there is a glimpse of the gold dome to the right of the picture.
Another of the joys of modern technology that smart phones has brought, in addition to selfies, is mobile music. On long bus trips, for hours, we can be entertained by three or four different styles of music, all at once, as people near us each decide what they want to listen to. Mainly bollywood sounding dance numbers, but variety comes in the form of some sitar strings, and even from a bit of western pop. Although, it turns out when one song was interrupted by Queen singing "Flash", it was just the phone ringing.
So, on to Kodaikanal, a hill station, for our last stop in Tamil Nadu. Over 2000 metres in altitude, it was far more brisk than we had anticipated encountering. 6 degrees or so overnight, but pleasant high teens during the day. A couple of days here was great - a change of scenery with some nature, and a chance to get the blood pumping by putting our legs in to action.
Looking Down from the Heights of Kodaikanal
The plains are lost in a haze below.
Vattakanal Falls
A pretty stop on our walk to Dolphin's Nose from Kodaikanal.
Jo Standing on Dolphin's Nose
A rocky outcrop. The photo in no way shows just how high and sheer this is.
Me, Bravely Edging Out
Again, this is Dolphin's Nose. And again, the scale of the drop around the rock formation is not actually translated well in to pictures. But my not-so-at-ease expression may say a lot more.
500 Year Old Tree, Kodaikanal
This tree was so beautifully atmospheric. Standing at its base, looking at the twists and gnarls, the light seeping through the holes, it was easy to attribute spiritual qualities to such a thing.
It was not on any maps, and was not signposted. And the handful of locals we asked could not help us locate it. But I found some hints online to its location, meaning we could avoid paying a guide to take us here.
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