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The tourist village of Mamallapuram

My last week in India (before the come-back in 2 months) began with a meeting of concentration within the Matrimandir, the giant golden golf ball of Auroville. After a short introductory session on Auroville, our guide, an Englishman of about sixty years, we ushered in the monument. With instructions to observe complete silence and don a pair of white socks. Via a corridor Access to the interior, we see a small fountain located below the Matrimandir. All around the Indian and European workers employed in the construction of gardens. They are also very detailed part of the dream of the Mother, the original dream of Matrimandir. Inside, a large empty room with white marble, lit by an orange light very diffuse. Two ramps opposite helically along the walls, provide access to the room concentration at the very top of the building. This is where we settled on white carpets arranged around a crystal optics, the center of a room round. Only one ray of light filter through the top of the room and just light up the crystal, which in turn reflects the light in the room. The session lasted 15 minutes in total silence. I have not really been able to concentrate but it allowed me to clearly see the scene. Unfortunately photo point was of course strictly prohibited.

A bus then brought me to Mamallapuram, where I still am today. It is a small city of 15,000 inhabitants on the coast, which is somewhat reminiscent of Hampi: dozens of small temples on a fairly large area, a landscape of huge rocks which hold in balance magically. The most famous is the Krishna Butter Ball, favored by tourists for photos deficient. In the same area is a relief of several tens of meters into the rock and carved depictions of deities and Hindu myths. Other temples are carved into the stones around, all in a small well-maintained park and crowded with tourists.
In the main street, dozens of small souvenir shops and jewelers are aligned in the middle of the many guest-house restaurants and comfortable lounge. We hear everywhere the sound of hammers and chisels, some stonemasons even offer introductions to passersby. At the end of the village, the beach is invaded by small fishing boats and men mend their nets. Their catches end up in the same restaurants for tourists. Walking a little further along the beach you can see the Shore Temple, a small temple began in the 7th century and dedicated to Shiva. The area around Mamallapuram contain other monuments and sights. I will rent a bike this afternoon to visit the Tiger Temple and the edge of crocodiles.

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The good life in Pondy

The week passed in the blink of an eye ... When one is asked, in a comfortable room a nice neighborhood, the days are linked! I took time off to go once or twice in Auroville bike. It's a good ten miles from Pondicherry, by taking a small shortcut a guy told me two masala dosas in restaurants. Auroville was founded in 1968 pa r Mother, a French woman who has followed the footsteps of Sri Aurobindo's spiritual companion, an Indian philosopher. Its launch was inaugurated by the President of India and representatives of 124 nationalities. It's supposed to be an international space belonging to no one, dedicated to progress and the spiritual search, but no religion in which everyone must be the willing servitor of Divine Consciousness (ie subtle).

like Auroville Center Parks with dirt paths that serve residences scattered in a dense forest. Homes meet the sweet names of Truth, Transformation and other spiritual concepts. The property is not supposed to have meaning for Aurovilliens yet fences between each field are real ... By cons I have not found that there is an atmosphere particularly strange or hostile, as I have read or heard. Central to this community of 2,000 members, the Matrimandir the soul of Auroville completed in 2008.
is a huge golden ball from 36 meters in diameter, which housed several meditation rooms. The monument is surrounded by gardens and is aired esoteric music worthy of the 3rd Meeting type. After a mini-rite initatique (reading of the Charter of Auroville, watching a video on the Matrimandir and a healthy dose of civility with the French support), I got the right to visit the interior of Matrimandir tomorrow morning: D Maybe I'll finally find complete freedom of thought to a new cosmic age reminiscent.

In the meantime, I went this afternoon at the market in Pondicherry, held every Sunday in the main street clothes of all kinds, some electronics, bags, toys for children and hardware mainly. The market is very crowded and hard from morning to evening. I did a little tour through the market
fish, and every good thought I really prefer to wait to be in Korea in a short week to sample the seafood Tomorrow, after my visit I Matrimandir take the road to settle on a small coastal town, Mamallapuram, famous for its temples (Amazing, huh?) And sculptor of stone.

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The two facets of Pondicherry

That's it, I reached the famous city of Pondicherry, former French enclave in Tamil Nadu. Conquered in the early 18th century, we made it there for half a century. I arrived yesterday evening, and I admit I was scared at first: waste galore, cockroaches, rats and alcohol-soaked wreck sleeping on sidewalks. Not really the "French Charm" described in the guide. Especially after 1 hour of searching I came across the most gloomy rooms since the beginning of my journey, a prison cell. With graffiti, cobwebs, not to mention the walls charred smell. In short, it's not terrible, but everything I had on hand.

Undeterred, I explored the town today, I realized that I had spent the night in the western part, ie the Indian side. The east, the French side, is completely different, it is quite disturbing. It's clean, green, quiet. The street names are in French and several "restaurants" have taken up residence. So I searched for a new home in Pondicherry East, and after a few hours and many failures (too expensive or full), a sign saying "Rooms Available" caught my attention. Apart from this sign, no indication that this was a hotel. A little Indian girl saw me hesitate and told me to come in French! This is the villa Labourdonnais eponymous street. An Indian family living there six months a year, from the other half of the year in the 18th arrondissement. Their rooms are excellent, they are almost small studios with a kitchen and even a fridge! So I went to a room of darkness to a very small apartment in a quiet clear (see comparison of the two moods in the picture ...).

I spent my 3 days between the bus temples and cities. Thanjavur me that much, finally a temple substantially different! Built by the Chola dynasty around 1010, the Brihadishwara Temple or Big Temple, is a huge pyramidal tower ("Vimana") home to a sanctuary where Hindus come to pray. The center, a linga of 4 meters in height. Foreigners are admitted into the sanctuary for once, it's nice:) The pyramid in question is at the center of a large courtyard surrounded by a wall, with galleries all around. The galleries are home mini-linga, numbering 250, with various paintings of gods or sacred writings on the walls. A big bull Nandi is installed at the entrance of the complex, and full of mini Nandi sit on the outer wall.

Earlier in the day I visited the lobby of the hearings of a former royal palace Nayak, dating from the 16th century, and some small adjacent museum. This hall had the grandeur to be used, with its painted ceilings and colorectal NNES decorated, now it serves notice to the pigeons and weeds threaten to invade. Yesterday, visiting a German retiree of Chidambaram, Nataraja Temple called, more conventional: 4 gopurams colored complex with 4 doors, a large square in the center and a series of temples located around a room with 1000 columns or unfortunately the photos were prohibited. We still have to attend a small ceremony dedicated to Shiva. An hour later I was on the bus to Pondicherry.

During my trip to Pondicherry East, I walked along the beach, on the "walk". I will return tomorrow, I will have more time now that I have found a stable home. I must also explore the surrounding beaches and the city-experience Auroville, about ten kilometers.

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The Rock Fort and temples of Trichy

Rameswaram did not want me, so I left sooner than expected. All the hotels were arch-armored impossible to find a room in the city. The 3 / 4 of the hotels do not allow non-Hindus, and that's hardly the other receptionists condescended to look at me when I asked a room. I arrived without knowing the eve of a religious festival, the guest house was booked to capacity for four days to come. Some people had even set up encampments on sidewalks and in lobbies of hotels. After two hours of fruitless search, I decided to go my way and go directly to Trichy, my next destination.

7 hours later the bus, so I landed in Trichy, Tiruchirappali for friends. This is an important city of Tamil Nadu, with its fort perched on a rock and a huge Hindu temple, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. At the risk of further abuse to a user of superlatives, this temple is supposed to be the largest in India. It covers 60 hectares, has 21 Gopurams (these towers with floors decorated) and 7 concentric walls. Dedicated to Vishnu, it was started in the 10th century. Throughout the years, many dynasties have been involved, and the last and biggest Gopuram (73 meters) was completed very recently, in 1987. I have walked for an hour or two, but unfortunately the hearts of temples is reserved for Hindus. I had to settle for field already very impressive, even if the items are worked less and less decorated than the temple of Madurai. Part of the complex is part of the city, there are shops and houses built against the walls.

Earlier in the day, I visited the Temple Jambukeshwara. This one is dedicated to Shiva and his consort Parvati, he has 2 or 3 and a central temple Gopurams partly submerged, also prohibits non-Hindu ... Much smaller than the other temple, is both quieter and less crowded. The last major attraction in Trichy is the Rock Fort. Originally a temple carved into the rock in the 7th or 8th century, it was fortified and enlarged by the Nayak dynasty. It is located on top of a rock 83 meters coming out of nowhere, the surrounding landscape is absolutely flat. Two temples are housed, one reaches the highest by a staircase of 450 steps. People are massed at the top to observe Trichy, its river Cauvery River and the towers of the temples we saw in the distance, beyond the River. It's a nice city, despite the difficulty here also to find a home. Tamil Nadu, with all its temples, was a region of very important pilgrimage for Hindus, I guess that's why the tourist accommodation is undersized. The era of Rajasthan where the touts harass you for you to go to their hotel seems very far away ...

My next step, Thanjavur, is at a ridiculous hour and a half bus. I will need a day or two to visit (a temple and a fort), before heading to Pondicherry, the Upstate.

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The southern tip of India, although not top

Excepted its geographical location, Kanyakumari, the southernmost town of India, has not much interest. That does not prevent the cohorts of tourists and many Western Indians to go: it's true that it's still funny to say that was really all across the country. Some come from afar to this: a father explaining to me by example that came to Delhi with her children, or nearly 40 hours by train, just for that reason. Well there is not really anything either: some churches (including one under renovation, scaffolding Indian support), a small temple dedicated to Devi, and especially the 40-meter statue of a poet Tamil. Conducted in 2000, it stands on a small island opposite the port. It required the collaboration of 5000 workers. A small ferry made the crossing every 10 minutes is barely 400 meters from the coast. Besides, another tiny island that was built a memorial to Indian philosopher of the late 19th century, named Swami Vivekananda (unknown to the battalion in my case ...). Coincidentally, I found my hotel in the Dutch with whom I had a few days hiking in Karnataka, as what the world of Western tourists is small. The picture is taken from my hotel room.

the evening I went to see Sunset Point the sun setting over the Arabian Sea, alongside hundreds of Indians. As soon as the sun disappears, and while the colors are still wonderful, all the Indians evacuated the area quickly. I was one of the few to enjoy until the end ... I'd be gone as well see the sunrise this morning but it soon, too soon. Anyway I had a bus at 7:30. So I did 9 hours of bus today, towards Rameswaram. This city is located on an island just across Sri Lanka. It is connected to India by a large bridge. It is a place believed to have been important in the Ramayana, hence the high number of pilgrims who travel. I had to make a dozen hotels before finding a room available. Along the way, in the plain of Tamil Nadu, we met many salt marshes, as in Gujarat. In the area of poverty is particularly acute, the 3 / 4 of the houses are woven palm, although precarious. I understand better why tsunamis are so much havoc in the region: / I'll try to rent a bike tomorrow to go to the tip of the island where, according to the guide, is a superb beach. Anyway, for the bus, the water looked almost transparent, it promises:)

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Madurai Traditional, colorful and lively

The visit took me back to Madurai India in a more traditional, less affected by Western civilization, and also poorer. The city of one million inhabitants is very busy, traffic and the noise is intense. Small Hindu temples are hidden in every corner, little brothers of the huge Sri Meenakshi Temple, No. 1 attraction the city. Madurai is the temple built around 16th century inspired by the Dravidian architecture. The British East India Company - definitely everywhere - the old fort was demolished in 1840 and built 4 major streets forming a square around the temple and delimiting the old city. So, it's pretty easy to spot in the center Madurai, convenient for exploring the many markets: flowers, spices, vegetables, but also a market for kitchen utensils, books and fabrics housed in a temple. Small narrow galleries lined with stalls run through the main hall of the temple, the Hindu deities carved ceilings and mix with shops. In the lanes to the fabric, the designers at work are aligned, focused on their machine. Here the seam is a people business.

Sri Meenakshi temple has a dozen laps in the story called "Gopurams" up to 50m high and covers an area 6 ha: so that it plenty to do when the visit. In the complex, except those towers finely carved, painted in every color, there is a tank room "with a thousand columns" housing a museum and many galleries with ceilings painted bright colors. The faithful are very numerous, and parts for worship are forbidden to foreigners: / As in Hampi, a sacred elephant harvest tickets of Rs 10 in his trunk. Upon leaving, I told myself that I would have done so to take a guide, I'm sure I missed a few rooms given the sheer size the monument ... In the surrounding streets, beggars and harassers are numerous. Some children threaten tourists with a kind of whip rope snapped on the ground that they are hoping to scare them and collect a few rupees. Needless to say it did not have the desired effect on me: p

Madurai also has a 17th century palace, the Tirumalai Nayak Palace, built by the ruler of the moment. There are only a few rooms, of which the main hall, the dance hall (serving here as a small museum) and a courtyard surrounded by a gallery with huge columns. The building has a few domes and ceilings painted quite impressive. But the majority of visitors were interested in something else: in the courtyard, shooting was coming. The assistants were trying to install rails cameras, lights and any other equipment. I walked out in a small half-hour to reach a large square tank called Mariamman Tank. is the venue of the Float Festival in late January. Pray for the faithful make a boat at the center of the tank where a temple is located. In normal times, the tank is empty and serves as a cricket ground ...

The next step is the southern most point of the Indian subcontinent, Kanyakumari. 6 o'clock bus from Madurai lead me tomorrow.