Chennai

Monday 22nd Chennai

First I must apologise to Chennai Royal Enfield Bikers for not actually mentioning their bikes name, so their wonderful bikes were Royal Enfields.

Yesterday afternoon (Sunday) I reluctantly left Pondicherry by train for Chennai, in the 2nd berth, air con carriage, I met Ramesh and Kumar, they are Fire Cracker salesman travelling North, this is primed to explode with all sorts of bad puns, so I will side step all the jokes. Ramesh would like me to design a large extension for him in a village near Madurai. I say as long as he pays all my costs and fees, he suddenly seems to lose interest.

In Chennai I book into a nice hotel, I switch on the overhead fan, I hear the air con come on as my head touches the pillow..........................................I sleep well.

Monday morning it is raining a deluge, the avenue is flooded, women in sandled feet hitch up their saries as they go about their business. Cyclists peddle on regardless, the rain stops, but trees drop large drops into the many puddles. Outside my window a large coconut tree holds its coconuts up high like a mother holding a child.

I get a taxi for a day for twenty pounds, to visit several sites south of the city, including Mahabalipuram. The first is the Tiger Caves, 1300 years old, hidden by sand and recently uncovered by the Dec 2004 tsunami. They are large natural stones carved into large tiger heads, venerating Shiva. My guide has a white bar on his forehead with red spot, I ask him what its meaning is, the white bar is Shiva and the red dot is Parvati.

I then go to the Shiva temple by the Shore, again this was covered by sand, there is a jetty attached to the side, so once ships would have moored up alongside. All these temples are in the Southern Indian Dravidian style. Its good luck today, large white cranes fly over our heads, their long white heads and necks stretch forward their long legs trail behind, broad wings power them along. The shore is of course the Bay of Bengal. Their is a Chinese influence on the faces of the lions.

The Temple of the 7 brothers (only 700 years old) is carved out of a solid monolith of rock, its vast 50x 7 metres, intricate carvings in hard granite, these bas reliefs although aged by sea air still look precise and sharp. There is a large carving of Shiva and Parvati combined as one body, half man half woman. On her left, she has bracelets, a breast, curved waist, skirt, leg bracelet. The right side, the face is manly the shoulders broader, upraised arm has a knife, the chest and waist thicker, there is no breast on his chest, he has strong legs and the inevitable snake by his hip.

The local "Arts Village" has a large display of all the various styles of village home, thatched cottages, a lovely Hindu house with open court in the middle, definitely an idea for my house in England. Next stop is the Art Gallery, its packed full of some very fine contemporary Madras School of artists, I especially like the "Yoga" painting, by the name escapes me.

The taxi heads back to the hotel in snarled up traffic. I look forward to exploring more of Chennai tomorrow.