Meenakshi Temple in the daylight

We went again to the Meenakshi temple, the same one where we saw the night ceremony 2 days ago. We went to the main sanctuary where the gods were put to bed. I was having a little heat stroke and almost passed out but my fellow travellers poured water over my head and down my throat and I felt a little better and continued on.We go to the 1,000 pillar hall where the sculptures are larger than life and seem to jump out of the pillar they are a part of. In the side isles there is an exhibit of classic bronze statues. On we go to the marriage mandpa where we encounter a "baby shower" in progress which we are encourage by our guide and just join i. It is a celebration by friends and family of the girl for her first pregnancy. There blessings and flowers and small gifts given to the girl by each of her friends after the priest gives his blessings. We are given bracelets and candy as guests and later are asked to send photos as we are the only ones there with cameras.
From there we cross the valley to the mountains in our big bus. Crops of grapes, rice, sugar, and palm cover the fields. We make a sudden climb up the Eastern Ghats to the top of the mountains, through the jungle to our new abode in the Periyer National Tiger reserve. along the road we slow down to see the many families of monksys hanging out in the trees and along the walls. The bus boy throws them some treats and there is no sharing happening there!

The rooms are small buildings staggered up the hillside.We get the closest one by the pool and are very happy although there is no time for anything but a dip while were here. We went to a martial arts performance and then a classical dance exhibition by a 10 year old who was fantastic. We are thrilled with the slight breeze and the relative coolness here, no need even for air conditioning!