Exploring the Subcontinent: Trichy and Thanjavur: 5 Day Trip

We've recently returned from our trip down south of where we are currently located. We went in a large bus and traveled down the most fantastic highway I've encountered since coming to India. No potholes, no dirt road washed out by rain, a fewer amount of cows on the road, no chance of falling off of the side into a rice paddy. A luxurious ride, to say the least!

The first day, we headed to the Rock Fort at Trichy, which was amazing to see as it rose above the city’s skyline. Then we returned to our hotel and had an incredibly long dinner, over 2 hours of waiting for food, because several of the cooks were on vacation for Diwali. The next day we visited the Sri Rangam temple, which was amazing as it was built in the seventh century and is made of granite, with the super structure covered in gold leaf. There are two sects of Hinduism in India: those who primarily worship Shiva and those who primarily worship Vishnu. You can tell who worships which deity by the different marks drawn in ash or other materials on their foreheads after worshipping at their respective temples. The Sri Rangam temple was a Vaishnavite temple. After that, we headed to the Kallanai Dam, which distrubtes the water from the Kaveri River, one of the major rivers in South India, to the delta area to facilitate agriculture. After lunch, we headed to the second temple of the day, the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur, which was notable for the fact that every Indian person wanted a picture with the giant group of young Americans. A massive photoshoot was had that day. After finally escaping our admiring hordes, we headed to the Ideal River Resort, where we stayed for three nights.

The next day, we went to a limestone quarry, and proceeded to get lost about three separate times, much to the chagrin of those who desperately needed a restroom break. Reminded me of the China trip. The best part about the quarry, once we finally arrived, was that we were allowed to wander throughout the area and look for fossils! It was so fun, as I truly love digging in the dirt, and I spent about twenty minutes with a few friends digging up the perfect specimen of a sea urchin fossil! SO AWESOME. Then we went to what I believe is the smallest national park in the world, consisting of one petrified log. This was turning out to be an interesting day, though I really did enjoy driving around in the countryside and getting lost quite often. After lunch, we went to the gift shop at the Resort, which was run by several fellows from Kashmir who moved down to Tamil Nadu because of the conflict there. Then ping pong commenced!! So many tournaments were had and my team won at least five games that night. That's talent right there.

The last day we went to a museum and an ancient library, which housed old maps, books, and hand drawn images. I love looking at old books, so that visit was really awesome. The museum was full of bronze sculptures of Natraja, the dancing form of Shiva, and Parvati, Shiva's consort. There were also multiple statues of Buddha, Ganesha, and Vishnu. Hinduism is such a fascinating religion! Every sculpture came with a story and all of the deities are related in some roundabout way, represented in art. So much symbolism! We headed back to the Resort for lunch and then had some free time, so I went on my first nature walk out to the left side of the Resort, which is located in an extremely agricultural area right along the river. We ended up seeing multiple cows, peahens, a snake, iguanas, cool bugs, etc.! At one point, I heard some noise in a stand of teak trees and waited patiently for something to show itself. Lo and behold, a large bird landed on a tree branch and looked directly at me- it was an owl! We spent a bit of time down by the river, where the villagers were washing themselves and their clothes.

Several people headed back to the Resort, but the afternoon was still young and I really love exploring- after all, this was one of the first free days we've really had to do whatever we wanted. So I, and one other person, headed into the village. On the way there, we saw a peacock in a rice paddy (such beautiful birds!), several kites, what may have been an eagle, and multiple brightly colored birds. It was such a nice walk as we were passing by villagers working in their rice paddies, the sun was shining, and the temperature wasn't too hot. After arriving in the village and walking past workers harvesting their rice and displaying their most recent catches of fish from the river, we climbed the water tower and got an amazing panoramic view of the entire area. Then I bought some jasmine flowers for my hair from a villager, who then proceeded to take her hairpin out and attach the flowers to my hair with it. Such kindness! It was one of the best afternoons I've had on this trip and it was a great way to spend the day.

The next day, we headed back to MCC on Halloween, celebrating it by watching The Social Network on a projector screen and eating whatever candy and chips we could find. All in all, a great trip! Now, for some pictures.

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