We are now in Tiruchirappalli, or Trichy…and are off doing more sightseeing this morning. First stop was Amma Mandapam, the holy bathing ghats along the Kaveri River. This place is considered one of the most sacred spots in the city. The dead are not cremated here but this is the place where people come to commemorate the departed.
The river was quite low here so people had to walk out across the sand bars quite a ways to get to the water. We didn’t go down.
This family is undergoing a ritual to drive out a family curse. The guide said that often the curse was infertility or illness and such. As much of the family as possible gathers for the ritual.
Nearby we visited the Sri Rangathaswamy Temple. References to this temple have been found in texts dating as far back as 100 BCE to 100 CE. The complex covers 155 acrers, has 81 shrines, 21 towers, 39 pavilions and many water tanks. The tallest tower is 240 feet tall (thank you Google).
Fortunately, we were able to take photos inside.
Some of the wonderful, colorful details.
People resting in the cool shade of a hall.
The tank in the complex. The water in this one looked much cleaner than many we've seen.
We couldn’t go into the inner most sanctums but we could see its golden dome when we went to a rooftop to survey the area.
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| Gold Dome is the Inner Sanctum |
The rooftop gave us a lot of good views over the complex.
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More Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
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Then we headed out on our drive to Karaikudi. We had a stop at one of the most unusual temples we have ever visited…Namanasamutharam.
The long walk to the temple was lined with broken, clay models of horses (and a few elephants).
The horses were placed there as part of prayers for a certain outcome (could be marriage, birth of a child, or any number of things). If the outcome occurred, then they would come back and destroy the figure. Some remained intact so presumably their wish was never granted.
There were quite a number of monkeys in the area…
some riding horses.
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More Namanasamutharam
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Along the way we saw this fort but didn’t stop.
We had lunch in a very basic restaurant in the village of Athangudi, where we are staying the night. Lunch was a thali that is common in India. It is a meal of several small dishes, chutneys, rice and a bread.
After settling into the hotel Paul and Tara headed out for a short walk around the village.
The village tank or water reservoir.
We are in the Chettinad region of India. This area is known for the rich merchants from the 19th and early 20th centuries who traded extensively in the South and Southeast Asai and became enormously wealthy. They primarily focused on banking, commerce, and business. They built huge mansions in this area. Many are still owned by the original families who often live elsewhere but use the mansions for special family gatherings.
It is estimated
that about 11,000 of these mansions still survive, about half the number from
it’s peak.
They stopped at one of the mansions in the village, the VVR Heritage House. The mansion is owned by a wealthy merchant family that no longer lives here. The house is taken care of by caretakers.
Beautiful woodwork.
Another mansion, this one in much better shape, but they couldn’t go inside. This house has 120 rooms and can accommodate 200 people. It covers two city blocks.
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