What a delightful city. Tangore, aka Thanjavur, is small and easy to get to know. There's a laidback atmosphere here, yet I see many signs of a progressive city. First of all, very few men are in dhotis! The roads are wide and not choked like other cities. in fact most of the traffic seems to be two wheelers - bicycles and motor bikes. I walked around quite a bit and wasn't hassled even once! This city is full of dignified, respectful, warm people. I wonder if it's because of their stunning temple! The Brahadeeshwahar Temple is 1000 years old, built during the Chola Dynasty. The Cholas revered the arts and much bronze scultpture was created during their reign. The temple's facade is a beautiful light orange sandstone. Of course, there are carvings of the gods and goddesses and there is a huge Nandi (the bull) carved out of a single black rock. Inside the temple, in the sanctum is an enormous lingum that worshippers pay their respects to. The lingum is a phallic symbol celebrating human fertility. Given that this is exactly the cause of India's problems and indeed the world's problems, I don't get it! Exploring the temple which is set in beautiful landscaped grounds is peaceful because there aren't thousands of visitors. This isn't a pilgrimage center so there aren't the huge bus loads of devotees from all over India.
Tomorrow I'll be in Pondicherry, my penultimate stop. I wonder what awaits me there!
2 comments:
Ermila! Your descriptions are so vivid, the language so active that I am right there with you! The things one smells there (sometimes odors other times aromas); the sights of glory and then colorless immobile poverty;and the sounds. I can hear the grating noise on your worst day of illness, and then the soft tones of the next day.
My own memories of India are rather faded, so I think you for these new ones. Janis
Ermila,
Glad you found a place you enjoy. With Pondicherry you will find it to be another hustle and bustle city with a twist of foreign flavors. The foreigness is due to Aurobindu and his followers which span the globe. He was quite a brilliant philosopher that inspired many modern day thinkers. He had a devout disciple, called Mother, which sought out to create a city built upon the philosophy of Aurobindu, called Auroville. It is about a 1 hour car journey north of Pondicherry and I HIGHLY recommend you visit it if you have time. I found it much more appealing than Pondicherry and it allowed me to reflect more on his teachings than Pondicherry itself.
Post a Comment