Mamallapuram, Jan08

This is the first in a series of photo journals I will produce featuring photos from the 14-day 'south India' tour I joined in Jan/Feb 2008. The Imaginative Traveller tour began & ended in Chennai (Madras). The tour itinerary, including a route map, can be found here: http://www.trekescapes.com/trip-details.cfm?TripID=9690

This first journal features our first stop at Mamallapuram where we spent 2 nights. This small seaside village, (aka Mahabalipuram), is just 60kms south of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Once a ... (more)

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wt2 - An attractive 'gopura'
(an elaborate Hindu temple entrance tower). They are usually well...

wt3 - closeup

Village street scenes:
The street outside our hotel gate. There was a great French restaurant on the...

Another street scene

Sitting in the shade

The local banana-wallah
"Wallah" is a popular Indian word usually used to denote...

Tsunami rehab program office
The devastating 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed more...

Orphanage

One of the better buses

These are more typical
of Indian buses.

Bus load of friendly school girls
in town to visit the temples. Most of these girls are wearing the popular...

Carver's workshop (cw)
Mamallapurem is famous for its sculptors & there is a Sculpture Museum in...

cw2 - another one
Note the interior of the auto rickshaw.

A rock-carving 'factory'
I saw many children working there. I think some entire families live...

Factory from a distance
with the new lighthouse in the background. I think that's the old...

Lots of 'pilgrims' in town to visit
the temple complex. Note that these older ladies are wearing saris.

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article published 4/5/2008

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Welcome back!
As always, you've shown us the fascinating human and divine scenes and locales that visitors often miss, and you've given just enough background to hold our interest without overwhelming the casual reader. I'm looking forward to the rest of your articles over the coming months.
— Fred Perry, April 7, 2008

Yes Ben.....
Many of the Indians who migrated to Malaysia or Singapore in the early days to work on plantations came from Tamil Nadu, hence the same temple styles ;o) White ones or uni-color ones are rare. They most often look like multi-tiered, pastel-colored wedding cakes ;o)
— Lorraine Brecht, April 6, 2008

Thanks Rainy for a great article
I look forward to more of the photos from Southern India! The temple entrance tower (photos #22 and 23) are more like the ones I have seen in Singapore and Malaysia, except for the colours.
— Ben Hsu, April 6, 2008

Fabulous!!
Thanks for sharing, Rainy. I found the relief carvings extremely fascinating and paused a number of the slides to have a better look.
— Beth Warkentin, April 5, 2008

Excellent Pictures
Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram as it is called now, is one of my most favorite tourist spots in India. I have been there three times. Would definitely go there again when I go to Chennai next time. But did I miss the picture of the Shore Temple? That is a beauty, and if its picture is taken from the correct position showing a bit of the Bay of Bengal, it looks even better in the picture. (India has a commemorative postage stamp showing the Shore Temple of Mamallapuram.) Thanks for sharing your superb pictures. I shall look forward for more. Take care.
— Shoban Sen, April 5, 2008

Welcome home Rainy, I trust you had a good holiday - You've started off with a very interesting article, I liked the carved temples but I was particularly fascinated by the size of those boulders and the precarious position of them. Very brave goats. I can't imagine the health and safety people in this country would be very happy. Also liked the very colourful costumes the schoolgirls were wearing. Looking forward to more of your superb photos of your travels. Thanks. Tony from England.
— Tony Ethridge, April 5, 2008