Journey Across Southern India

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Saturday, 22 December 2018 - Traveled from Pondicherry to Mahabalipuram and met our guide Delish to explore the ancient Shore Temple and nearby UNESCO-listed rock-cut sites with 7th-8th century Pallava carvings, admired the Five Rathas and the massive "Descent of the Ganges" relief, learned about the spiritual and maritime history of the temples by the Bay of Bengal, enjoyed lunch on the beach with the sea views, and then said heartfelt goodbyes to our guide Sandosh before heading home.

We are off to Chenai.

india2018 — Virginia Ann and Cal outside the hotel on our last day in India

india2018 — A long ride early in the morning

india2018 — In Mahabalipuram. we met our guide, Delish and toured the Shore Temple - 8th Century AD during the Pallava Dynasty

india2018 — We toured another Unesco site, an 8th Century structure. This is a harbor town and very close to the water's edge. Fishermen used to say they could see other temples below the water. This is now an archaeological site and the first structural temple in India. This site was compared to Angor Watt in Asia. The temple without the structures is pre-historic.

india2018 — At the time the temple was built the area was a thriving port, and the sailors would use the temples before heading out to sea and when they returned. There were docks right at the temple's edge.

Marco Polo and the European merchants that came to Asia after him called the site Seven Pagodas. One of these is believed to be the Shore Temple. The temple probably acted as a landmark for navigation of their ships. As it appears like a Pagoda, the name became familiar to the seafarers.

india2018 — A monolith sculpture of a partly carved and partly sculpted lion with a hole in its torso is erected within the compound wall of the temple complex. A miniature image of Durga is sculpted on the back of the image, which is a depiction of Durga as Mahishasurmardini. The open mouth of the lion is inferred as a representation of its role as the favourite mount of Durga. A female guardian with a bow is also carved on the leg of the lion.

india2018 — Romans used to come to Pondicherry and from here another 2-hour ride to Kanchi Puram.

Cave rock temples surround the big temple.

The salt in the ocean has washed away many of the details carved in the stone.

We could see a sacrificial place where antelope were sacrificed at the base of an idol.

india2018 — The Shore Temples configuration is of the two Shiva shrines with the small Vishnu shrine in between illustrates an attempt to balance the different, competing religious requirements.

india2018 — Women pilgrims from all over India see the ocean for the first time and wade in.

india2018 — Nandi is represented all over the area - as Shiva's transport.

india2018 — A whole row of Nandi weathered by the elements.

india2018 — The smaller rear temple contains a relief carving over a black stone. The front of the temple is missing as this would have been well inside the temple originally.

india2018 — A lone rock sitting a way from the Shore Temple

india2018 — Detail of the weathered temple carvings.

india2018 — A very weathered Ganesha

india2018 — The sanctum of the larger temple.

india2018 — The Lotus symbol is considered auspicious for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jain religions. The numbers: 3, 5, and 7 are important in architecture.

Micah stone is embedded in the temple structure so when light shines on the temple, the micah stones reflect the light.

The carving of the wild boar is considered the third reincarnation of Siva.

india2018 — A small reservoir with an idol with a fishtail.

india2018 — We drove a short way to the Ratha Temples. The artists used naturally occurring blocks of diorite and granite in sand, carving legends in stone. The best-known are the five monolithic structures projecting above the beach, known as the Five Rathas or the Pandava Rathas

This lion is one of the sculptures created out of a single rock.

india2018 — The temples may have been trials for creating other temples as they are not finished.

india2018 — Stone carvings cover the temples

india2018 — Inside one of the temples was this very well preserved carving.

india2018 — 7th century bull sculpture near a ratha.

india2018 — The upper floors of two of the rathas (temples).

india2018 — Nakula Sahadeva Ratha and its standing elephant - virtually impossible to get a picture without a tourist.

india2018 — Five monuments are carved on the site which began in 630 AD and work continued for 60 years and the site is still unfinished today. The carving started at the top and then worked its way down. The rock reliefs date back to the 7th Century AD

This is Bhima Ratha. Its incomplete interior was probably intended to house a reclining Vishnu. Unlike the other rathas, the temple has no inscriptions or sculptures. This woman stopped sweeping to pose for the picture.

india2018 — This Dharmaraja Ratha - cut out of a rock - which is just amazing to consider. Basically the rock was removed to reveal a temple. The temple is incomplete.

It is the tallest of the rock carvings with a height of 35 feet

india2018 — Krishna carving is a complicated cave, with large panels depicting Hindu mythology and the culture of 7th-century Tamil Nadu.

The walls of the pillared hall depict village life woven into the story of Krishna. Krishna holds Goverdhana Mountain, under which there are people, cattle, and other animals, in one section. In another section, a young man holds the hands of his beloved and pulls her in the direction he is going.

india2018 — A stone carving on the pillars of Krishna mandapa

india2018 — Descent of the Ganges is a 96 by 43 feet open-air rock relief carved on two monolithic pink granite boulders. Many of the figures carved are life-size.

The legend depicted in the relief is the story of the descent of the sacred river Ganges to earth from the heavens led by Bhagiratha. The relief contains over a hundred figures

india2018 — Figures in the cleft in the rock are covered with nagas (serpent deities), in anjali posture.

india2018 — In one interpretation, a figure in the relief who is standing on one leg, is said to be Arjuna performing an austerity Tapas to receive a gift from Shiva as an aid in fighting the Mahabharata war. The gift, which Arjuna is said to have received, was called Pasupata, Shiva's most powerful weapon.

india2018 — The elephants shown in relief are unique in the fact that the detailing includes the baby elephants behind the life-size elephants.

The elephants represent a herd moving towards the river to drink water. The male elephant carving precedes that of its female partner. There are all several little elephants around the adults.

india2018 — Virginia Ann and Cal at lunch on the beach with the Bay of Bengal in the background. Another fantastic seafood meal at the Taj Fisherman's Cove resort and the Bay View restaurant.

india2018 — Traveling to India is about getting out of your comfort zone. It transcends you from the expected and predictable to the unexpected and beyond imagination. It is a spiritual awakening that opens the mind and soul to other faiths and beliefs. It is a personal transformation in which you learn more about yourself, your partner, and the people you encounter along the way.

As we pose outside the airport with Sandosh, it is a tearful goodbye. He has been with us for most of this trip and is a fantastic guide as well as a safe driver in the sheer craziness of India's traffic. From herds of goats on the road, to camels, Tuk Tuks, and mopeds -- we saw it all!

As they say, "all good things must come to an end," and we are grateful for the incredible sights, prayerful sounds, and vivid colors we saw along the way.

We give thanks to all we encountered, for sharing your special place, for opening your hearts to us, and for making this journey incredibly memorable and one we hold dear forever.

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