old tiger's Blog

reached Madras via Egmore Railway station..
no place in retiring rooms..so went to YMCA..
cheap..bunk bed system..like in a youth hostel..
first day..since it was already noon..just strolled..
along Madras central railway station..nice building..
very hectic city in fact..typical Indian..
made a walk on Mount Road..main central shopping street..
went into government tourist office..friendly helpfull staff..
booked a conducted sightseeing tour for next day..
and also visited Marina Beach..a huge beach..
one could get fresh fish there..roasted or grilled...mmhh..
it's a funny sight to see South Indian ladies going into the sea..
fully clothed..conservativ rules..that's India as well..
took some fish at the beach..and walked back to the center..
I had a nice discussion with my room mates..all Kerala folks..
about Indian cinema..Madras also makes movies..
but..they agreed..Bollywood rules in India..
it was about the Indian leading female stars...
always a good topic in India..Indians are movie freaks..
in these days it was Hema Malini,Zeenat,Shabana Azmi even..
they were the leading female movie stars..
so day 2=conducted sightseeing tour through Madras..
nowadays..Madras is called Chennai..things change,you know??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai
crazy Tiger

Well..between Chidambaram-Madras lies Pondicherry..
I did NOT visit this place..which is a shame again..
that's why..I do this posting..before I do the posting Madras..
believe it or not..but Pondicherry was a piece of France within India...
I met some folks who went there..they said..it's like France..
in the roaring sixties(1968)the *ashram*from Sri Aurobindo.
was founded here..they called it Auroville..
Aurobindo was a Bengali poet/philosopher..
some local French origin residents..namely Mirra Alfassa..
became very interested in Aurobindo's teachings..
later on she became known as the *Mother*
ashrams usually turn out sometimes into commercialism..
look what happened in Pune with shri Rajneesh ashram??
in my opinion..Indian philosophy should be absorbed individually..
Auroville is in fact a town about 9kms..from Pondicherry itself..
it's a place where international folks come to meditate..think.
and live together..I've heard nowadays some 1700 folks..
try to live together...and work on peace of mind...
it's like a commune project..if interested..
see weblink.. www.auroville.org
Aurobindo and the mother are both very much associated with
Pondicherry..if you're into yoga/meditation..visit Matrimandir..
so..peeps..i'll try to find some links on Aurobindo..
after the music stops..click the link..
http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/flash.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Aurobindo
and..I'll meet you all in Madras soon..
crazy Tiger

A bustrip in India..is always an adventure..
and it's different every time..always interesting..
the trip by bus from Thanjavur..lots of stops..
since it was no express bus..but..this way..
one learns to see typical Indian village life..
Chidambaram lies on the bay of Bengal..
the coastline is called the Coromandel coast..
in Chidambaram..again...main thing to see=a temple..
this one was dedicated to Shiv Nataraj..
http://www.indiantemples.com/Tamilnadu/chidchid.html
needless to say..it's all very impressiv..i got some mark
of ash on my forehead while visting..often a sign of respect.
towards the visitor..the usual touts hanging around trying..
to get you into a conducted personal sightseeing tour..
it's all a matter of *baksheesh*=bribery..don't give in to it..
Nataraj is associated with dance..in this temple one can see
some images of foot and hand gestures of Bharat Nathyam..
which is an Indian dance style from Tamil Nadu..
I witnessed some performance once from this dance..
not in India..but in Belgium..Antwerp has got a concentration
of Gujrati's involved into the diamond industry..cutting...etc..
one day..we were invited to a dance evening..the Bharat Nathyam
dance involves very complicated graceful eye movements..
and mudra's=mudra's are gestures of the hands..difficult??
the dress is fabulous as well..try to see this once..
so..in Chidambaram..I just visited this temple..
and took a night train direction Madras..where I stayed 3 nights..
in the YMCA..i made excursions to Mahabalipuram(shore temple)
Madras is the capital of Tamil Nadu..crowded..hot..but very much
Indian..I liked this place..it has changed name..it's called Chennai
now..yip..nowadays..India changes as well..modern times,you know??
Tiger

Trains are slow in India..the slowest were passenger trains..
no idea ..if they still exist??nowadays India got express trains..
very fast trains etc..on a passenger train..you can expect
anything..very crowded..and packed with *saman*(luggage)
you'll meet the poorer class of India on these trains..
the *gaon wallah's*=villagers travelled that way early 70's..
so...Thanjavur..only 55kms..still over an hour journey..
Thanjavur..has got this great temple called Brihadisvara..
http://www.indiantemples.com/Tamilnadu/brihtanj.html
it was a Shiva temple..impressiv..but..after so many temples..
they began to look a bit all the same to me??
I noticed a *nandi*=bull..and a lot of sculpure work as well..
it's a very ancient temple..I just wandered around a bit..
inside this temple complex..decided to go to Chidambaram..
bus trip of a few hours..will tell you later on..
Tiger

Tiruchirappalli is called Trichy by Tamilians..
http://www.trichy.com/
there's a river called Cauvery running through town..
it's a rather big town..I recall it was damn hot as well..
temperatures easily soar over 30 degrees Celsius in Tamil Nadu..
one gets used to it..but it's a sticky heat sometimes..
I visited both Rock temple and another one called Srirangam..
it's amazing that both temples are a city in itself...
with pandits(priests)doing puja ceremonies..
some parts of both temples are not allowed for non Hindus..
it always stunned me how they could built all these architectural
marvels..it's unbelievable really..the Srirangam temple was about
7kms..out of town..busride of course..around 20 *gopurams*like
in Madurai..inside this temple are shops,even a bazar..very hectic
life in there..lots of ceremonial activities were going on..
and some of them..are only for the eyes of devout Hindu's..
folks walk around barefoot..with strange markings on their foreheads..
priests usually wear a *rudra*some kind of talisman??
some priests put a white kind of string around their neck..
I used to have a rudra..given to me in Assam..it was supposed..
to have healing power..rudra in glass of water overnight..
then drink it..etc..one has to believe in it really..
http://rudrarudraksha.com/therapy.htm
http://rudrarudraksha.com/mala.htm
after all this buzz..went back to the railways station..
I got a retiring room..with private shower,toilet etc..
Indian toilets were very funny..a hole in the ground..
you cannot sit really on an Indian toilet...and no toilet paper..
usually a small silver pot was next..use your left hand..
well..I used my right hand..booh..and that's against the rules..
but nobody saw it anyway..bwaahah..crazy Indian rules??
I took some *masala dosa*food..looked like an Indian pancake..
I was gonna go to Thanjavur next..bit over 50kms from Trichy..
again temples to be seen..yes..of course..that's India..
Tiger