Wanderlust

Thiruvanamalai Saddhu at Shiva Temple

Sorry friends, this post is back dated. Clearly it has taken me quite a while to put this blog post together. **FYI – Blog posts will be more frequent as soon as my travel writer extraordinaire (Andrea) is on the scene**

There are far too many “must see” temples and villages to experience for one mere mortal. Anticipating its immensity, I intentionally reserved large blocks of the calendar to India. Yet I still have the undeniable feeling that I’m merely surveying the tip of a vast iceberg. BUT, I’m not finished yet!

I experienced my first sleeper car on the overnight train from Goa back down to Bangalore. I shared my compartment with two young Indian couples. They were nice, but when they learned I was American, their courteous small talk turned into a relentless barrage of prying questions. It seemed impossible to quench their thirst for knowledge.

Making friends on the train.

To them, any question was fair game. From the itemized purchase prices of my camera equipment, to the intimate details of my romantic life. I didn’t divulge all my secrets, but it was admittedly amusing to see their eyes bulge out of their skulls while learning about anything American. The Q&A inquisition went on into the night, until alas I had to raise my white flag of surrender and retreat to the overhead bunk.

I ended up spending Christmas day traveling – by train and by bus. It hardly seemed like Christmas at all in Hindu land. The scant evidence of the holiday amounted to a 5-foot inflatable St. Nick in the hotel lobby, and something resembling a Christmas tree at the Catholic church across the street. But thankfully, by the miracle of Skype, I was able to call and talk to some loved ones back home. That in itself was the best gift I could have gotten.

Thiruvanamalai and Mt. Arunachula.

So I have criss-crossed back through Bangalore and over to the southeast state of Tamil Nadu. I have been drawn to the small, unpretentious, yet spiritually potent town of Thiruvanamalai (Tiru for short). It’s known as something of a hidden gem in small circles of travelers and pilgrims. I found Tiru to be especially beguiling. So much so, that I decidedly extended my stay (ahh the beauty of planning itineraries on the fly).

Chanting of sacred scriptures rise up and fill the air above the local ashram. Mysterious sadhus clad in orange garb rove the area seeking alms. The town is also home to one of the largest temples in India. All is overshadowed by the venerated Mt. Arunachula, where it’s an auspicious act to circumambulate the base and visit all 9 of the temples along the way.

Arunachula temple map

Scrambling up the blessed mountain requires that you remove your shoes (a compulsory sign of respect), and if you comply you can visit a cave where a great swami (Ramana Maharshi) lived and meditated for 19 years. I must admit however, that one of my favorite rituals was visiting the Manna Cafe each day for breakfast and dinner… the best food I’ve had so far in all of India!

Beyond Tiru, I bussed over to the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The Lonely Planet, aka travel bible, spoke very highly of an artists’ enclave by the name of Mamallapuram.

Thiruvanamalai locals

Although it’s on the coast, it’s not a beach destination. It’s more renown for it’s rock carvings. It seemed nearly each and every native had a hammer and was chipping away at a small piece of soapstone or a monumental piece of granite. They were extremely skilled in the art, which no doubt was handed down to each subsequent generation within their families. Also, a fortunate stroke of serendipity landed me in Mamallapuram during a traditional Indian dance festival.

I scored a front row seat where I gaped at the mesmerizing

Thiruvanamalai jeweler

display of dance moves and goddess-like costumes.

From there I hired a car to get to the Madras airport and said goodbye to South India.

The plan was to rendezvous in Delhi with my new traveling companion… Andrea: my luminous albeit jet-lagged girlfriend.

**Note – as I write this, an enormous camel with jingle bells and colorful regalia just cruised by (quite swiftly I might add) the door of my internet cafe. Wow, this is definitely not Colorado.**

Shiva Temple elephant blessing

Back alley of Thiruvanamalai.

Traditional Indian dance fest.