Kanchipuram

Today we took a road trip to Kanchipuram to see the SriEkambaranathar Temple where they were having another festival. This is a working temple with 5 worship times a day. It was quite crowded with pilgrims; extended families fo children, parents and grandparents there to pray were sporting their best attires so it was a great day to visit. We were not allowed in the main sanctuary but there were plenty of shrines for us to see as well as the famous Mango tree that is 3,000 years old. They renew it with slips and cuttings when necessary so it doesn't die.

On the way to the festival we stopped on the road to see a place where they dye and weave silk into threads and then weave fabrics. The work was quite intricate. Two little boys followed us around asking us to take their pictures in various locations. We were happy to oblige.

After lunch we saw another temple from the 8th Century that is now a museum and a World Heritage site. It was built by the king of the Pallavas and was built out of sandstone so it could be carved quicker so that it would be finished within his lifetime. The sandstone has weathered considerably but has been restored in part. both temples are dedicated to Shiva, the God of Destruction. There were many relief panels of Shiva and his consort Paravati. Fantastic composite animals decorated the colomns and pilasteres. In order to get to these temples today we drove for an hour and a half through small villages. We litterally drove strait through their village. The road was right up next to some of the houses and schools. Cows, goats, and chilren were in and around the road- it's amazing we didn't hit any at the speed we were going!

At the end of the day we swam in the Hotel pool- the Radisson. It is the longest and cleanest pool I have ever seen. It is built like a lagoon with trees and islands and waterfalls. I did a few laps which felt good, the water was splendid- probably about 85 degrees.