Henna hands

Yesterday, as we were doing our evening speed-walk in the park in Hassan, we met 2 lovely ladies who invited us to their homes. So welcoming, nice and hospitable. We spent the evening with them trying lovely sweets (more tours of the park for us today...) and the daughter, Misbah, did Henna on our hands!


Misbah at work.

Look how nice! I am so happy with it!!!

Temples 3 and visiting Jain

Before giving into fatigue and a few more fresh nights (oh yes, at least 20, if not the forecast 13C) and lazy picnics in Hassan, we did what the guidebook said and made our way to the Hoysala temples in Halebidu and Belur. These are from about the 12th Century, so post Chola, but in a very different area - made of black stone that's apparently 'easy' to work and goes hard when oxydised, made in a star shape, and very very fancy!

The two towns are in beautiful contryside too - green, green trees and paddy fields, distant mountains and birdsong rather than rickshaw engines...

The temple in Halebidu was apparently never quite finished. The detail on both temples is amazing though, telling stories on one layer, decorating with another and showing elephants, warriors on horses and birds all over.

The columns used were 'turned' like you would a wooden banister post and added to this are rings of very detailled flowery decoration that are just wonderful!

This is the temple at Belur where the dark stone Hoysala building is surrounded by collonades and a spectacular white entrance gate (gopura).

From Hassan we also made a trip to Sravanabelgola - to see the statue of Gomateshwara, on top of a very steep hill set in, again, beautiful countryside. There are a number of Jain temples here and it's a major pilgrim site - the main one is on a hill up over 600 steps (luckily we got there early, we couldn't go up the other hill as the stone burned our feet after lunch!) and every 12 years they have a big festival to 'wash' the statue.

The statue is enormous and set in the couryard of a 'normal' sized temple, so looks even bigger! The shrines in the Hindu temples we've been to are usually quite small statues, usually covered in flowers so there's just a little head sticking out - this is something different! You can see anthills and vines growing up the legs of the statue - Gomateshwara spent so long standing meditating in the forest that it started growing up around him...

Down in the valley between the rocks, there are further Jain temples. The caretaker of this one grabbed us as we walked past and showed us around the peaceful enclosure. The main buiding houses a shrine and is similar to the other Hoysala temples, the little house behind houses another statue of one of the 24 Jain figures, all standing or sitting meditating.

Each of the 24 figures are identified with what they hold/things that accompany them, a bit like how we've been identifying the Hindu deities... but they're not dressed in dhoties and saris, they're all 'au naturel' like Gomateshwara. The Jain temples are different to the Hindu ones less in form than in feel - they're quieter, calmer, maybe because there are fewer devotees, maybe because of the meditation?

Still learning...

Mysore... home to great sweets!

Mysore - small, but beautiful town full of extremely nice or extremely odd people (mainly the former, you'll be glad to hear!).... a palace that is full of the most luscious decoration you have ever imagined, inlaid marble floors combined with many-pillared halls, etched windows, stained glass and a few chandeliers to finish off the effect - amazing! unfortunately, no pictures allowed.

The palace also lights up (over 1000 light bulbs, environmental nightmare - I like the idea of a slowly illuminating palace covered in low energy bulbs, might write them a letter..) on "sundays... and saturdays... and public holidays... and tomorrow night 'cos it's good friday" - we were lucky enough to catch the sight, disney meets moghul dynasty!

The palace is pretty by day too - here's Sylv looking lovely infront of the flowers!

We eventually gave in to a picture request from India's Evil Knievel in his performance outfit - due to perform wheelies and 'look no hands' manoeuvres on Chamundi Hill the next day. Hope it went ok...

After a tip off from Gemma who told us about it in Kerala many months ago, we also found where to buy the best Mysore Pak - a sweet vaguely reminiscent of shortbread but with more butter and less flour.... melt in the mouth caramelly sugar experience - and indulged most days. We didn't have time to take any pictures before it was eaten up (no fridge, surely it would go off if left in this heat for too long?!)... here are a couple off the web (where there's a u-tube recipe too!)

Cheery-eau from the goodlife for now!

What's a pallava? - temples chapter 2

Chapter 2 in our easy guide to temples starts in Mahabalipuram - just up the coast from Pondicherry. Again, pictures for those who don't want the details - if you fancy a little info, that's all I've included!

The temples and carvings at Mahabalipuram date from the time when this was a major port for the Pallavas - it's now a small fishing village with a large tourist trade and many identikit kashmiri shops. The carvings were stunning though and the sea breeze welcome!

The Shore Temple here pre-dates the Chola temples we saw in Tanjavur, Chidambaram etc. You'll see that the shape is similar, but these were made between 500-900AD. The site away from the sea is home to carvings on the rock face, others (the last picture here) are inside hollowed out rocks made into temples and decorated with wall scenes. They're not sure what the stone carvings were for but they might have been for worship (and some are curiously in line with the current temple of the town).

- another theory is that the craftsmen in the town were just showing off what they could do... there's still plenty of evidence of their skills, with workshops all over town and statues in different stages of completion everywhere!


From the coast we took the bus to Kanchipuram - city of so many temples! We went to the oldest first, an empty, peaceful, grassy park place on the edge of town and a great contrast to the one we visited later in the evening, where day 7 of a 9 day festival was well underway (think big wheel in the courtyard, candy floss and flashing lights!).

The old temple dates from the 8th Century and it was easy to see from the work and the shape what would be taken into the Chola temples. What was different was that the outer walls were not collumned walkways, but rows of little (very little!) cells for meditation, some facing each other and others facing outwards... it was a nice calm place, and the carving so detailled..

The oldest templet was very quiet and not used very much anymore. The next day we took a cycle rickshaw (comical journey communicating with the driver with no english and fighting the urge to get out and push uphill at least..!) to the largest temple outside town, where the Pallavas work has been added to and the temple is still very much used. We didn't get to see muich here as the temple brahmins were not so open about letting non-hindus (read: tourists) into the inner courtyards. The thousand pillar hall (a special building for weddings and other ceremonies) was open though and a great example of the detail and fanciness of the pallavas... this chain is cut out of the rock, the corner pillars were decorated with not one but 3 horses and there were quite a few nauthy pictures in there too!

In the evening, after a long chat with Florence, a French traveller who we keep bumping into, the innner shrine came to us as the gods were taken out for an evening visit to the town. Lots of music, flowers and brahmins - sunset outside the main temples entrance, centuries old carvings and buildings.... lovely!!

The Two Temple Tarts xx

We've been to the Zoo!!

We went off the tourist trail yesterday: we went to Mysore zoo! So much fun and so peaceful. Green, full of trees, away from any traffic noise and for once we were on the other side of the fence ;-) The lion was much more interesting to look at than us!

Here are a few pictures. First a few interesting signs ;-)

Not only will the animals eat you, but above all, you might make them sick. And if the tiger leaves enough of you, you will be punished ;-) Maybe thrown to the lions?

Yes, that's the toilet sign. We are slowly being converted to the benefits of the 'indian style' toilets actually. More details on request.

Some of the animals which turned their heads around in the right direction for us:

And this last one for my mum:

there's a place where...

As much a reminder for us when we finally return... and a gentle one for you too...



Whatever you're up to on a Sunday night, you can be sure that on the beach at Mamallapuram, as the light begins to soften after another bleaching bright day, the spaces between the fishing boats and their nets will slowly be filled. As the sun sets behind the village, the group of girls and the group of boys will be taking turns playing on the bouncy black rubber buoy that the sea brought in. A young lad will come to join the boys, sent by his mum with his little brother who's just walking and who will be promptly buried to his waist by his brother's friends. There'll be a group of older lads playing cricket and shrieking each time the ball is hit, watched by two brothers as they take a break from walking their dad's sandals along the beach on fishing lines. An older fisherman is proudly walking a dog, watched by tens of strays weighing up the situation. Another group of girls dancing are as if they're on the telly and a couple more strays are settled in piles of drying nets to watch them. The fishermen are picking slowly through their nets, no longer caught under the palm shelter that protects them during the day. A cotton-clad tourist struts semi-confidently across the sand, wondering quite what his foot will find next and a lone women walks along the shoreline, keeping her head down and trying to enjoy the evening light too. Neither are noticed by the family of the sandal-walkers, dad stretched out on a net, mum sat nearby, boys running and girls playing in the welcome breeze...

Au revoir Puducherry...

As we prepare to prise outselves out of the Daily Bread boulangerie that serves Pondicherry, some reflections on a nice but rather odd town.....

We've spent over a week here - housed and fed on the edges of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and finding out titbits of information about the institution and it's sister project Auroville. The difficulty in finding out more information than the guide book provides about either rather adds to the oddity of this place - feels rather secretive and exclusive, feeding you just what 'they' want you to know. That said, we were determined and managed a day cycling round Auroville to get a feel for the place yesterday and spotted the Matri Mandir, golden golf ball at its centre... and the obligatory visit to the scary Kali temple on the way! Two forms of worship to strong women - one a meditation centre, the first building of Auroville in the 70s, another the site of live sacrifices to the blood thirsty goddess..

The Ashram opens its refectory doors to feed all those staying in its guesthouses and we've been feasting on nutricious meals for the last week, a welcome break from spice and fat, as it's all very much rice and vegetable stew with brown bread, curd, porridge and fruit, or combinations thereof - we've seen many of the Indian guests sneaking pickle jars out of their bags to spice things up, while we make ourselves a treat by combining curd with sugar and lime juice for pudding and enjoy feel even more healthy than our curry diet has left us in the last few weeks! Amazing how nice it is to spend less time thinking about what, when and where our next meal will be - already used to not shoping and cooking our food, not having to choose where and what to have is the next step - maybe we'll just eat plain rice from now on!

Anyway - when we're not at the dining room, we've found a breezy hideout on the sea with nice views of the coast

We've been to the botanical gardens where, among the remains of the fun train and (no longer) musical dancing fountain, there are some amazing trees, and a selection of curious individuals, Cyril the Nostadamus scholar, some photo-happy children and a white-shoed singer from the Tamil Nadu religious TV Channel warbling among the trees (spot his red shirt behind the baby's left hand)!

This is our lovely Cannon Ball Tree - smells beautiful, has the most detailled flowers coming out of its trunk, and produces cannon balls too (look to the left of the trunk!)

Some corners were rather like home, until we looked up and spotted the enormous bats! Then there were the silk-cotton trees which were HUGE! Very nice to wander among the trees and get away from the traffic for a bit..

Evening walks are along the seafront - closed to traffic and full of people enjoying the breeze. There are lots of people taking purposeful evening strolls, looking like their doctor told them to and they're taking their 'medicine'. There are lots of families wandering up and down, more at the weekend. We've been approached by sellers of the usual seafront fare - candy floss, flowers, ice cream, watermelon, plastic guitars (with strings that work), drums, posters, tupperware adn stickers.... if only we had more room in our rucksacks!

On saturday night the police band were playing next to the Ghandi memorial which was covered in children using the well designed plinth as a slide (!) and Sylv managed a snap of the stars:

Off up the coast tomorrow morning (after a chocolate croissant!) - prepare for a return to the temple pictures...