Linda: Mamallapuram, January 2,3

Linda: Mamallapuram – January 2

Mamallapuram is a seaside resort town on the Bay of Bengal. It has several very old temples from the 8th century AD as well as a dance and music festival. We are planning to stay here for several days, partly to rest, partly to let Patrick work, partly to see the dance and music festival.

We’ve been here a week, completely immersed in Indian culture and seeing only a few Westerners, which has been rather surprising. Today, we checked into a guesthouse. “Don’t need reservations. Plenty of room. Lots of room.” This particular guesthouse was what is sometimes called a “backpackers”. It was absolutely brimming with people that I thought was left behind 30 years ago. Dreadnaughts, afros, tie die, and that slightly glazed look euphemistically called “laid back”. After a week of Indian dress and Indian clothes, I had quite a culture shock! And some women were scandalously dressed – spaghetti straps and baggy pants! To see how a foreigner sees is a rare glimpse, and it was a strange experience to be somewhat on both sides at the same time. At any rate, we managed for a day as it was our room was clean, but the owners were not hospitable and the room was not comfortable. Bucket baths with hot water carried in from outside is not a first choice. Fortunately, we had better luck the next day. Two lovely rooms – for less that our hippie pad.

The musical concerts here have been mixed as far as quality but fascinating as far as content. There are two hour long concerts each night on an open stage, under the stars. The backdrop, which you will see in the photos (still working on that) is one of the rock cut carvings. It is carved into the side of the hill and depicts Arjuna’s penance. The story is part of one of the foundational epics of India, The Mahabharata. The five sons of King Pandu, through no fault of their own, are robbed of their kingdom by their cousin. They try to avoid warfare through compromise, but in the end war is unavoidable. Arjuna, the middle son, goes to the mountains to fast and pray, asking for divine guidance and grace in order to right what was wrong and restore the kingdom to one of balance and goodness. On the background, one can see an emaciated Arjuna, standing on one leg. Shiva is to his left, granting his wish, and he is surrounded by other gods and goddesses who also come to bear witness to the rightness of his pleas. To Arjuna’s right is a Naga, or cobra god that lives in the water. At one time, a natural spring ran down a fissure, covering the Naga with water, thus immersing the statue in its natural element. The figures are incredibly beautiful.

As mentioned, the concerts are in front of this spectacular set of carvings. There have been folk dances from many places around India, with people in their tribal costumes using tribal instruments and dances. The drum has been a significant factor in the tribal dances, as well as horn and singing. The women dancers from Rajasthan were stunningly beautiful with their wide skirts and veils, covered in mirrors that sparkled in the light. Such a vibrant, happy dance. In the dances of Rajasthan, one can clearly see the origins of both Middle Eastern Dance and gypsy dance. Grace, movement, beauty, simplicity of style, strong rhythms.

Today, Eleanor rested, Patrick worked, Matthew was on his own, and I was left to wander the streets of Mamallapuram and ancient temple sites on my own. Of all the sights we’ve seen, this site has reached my heart the most. Instead of being constructed, most of the temples were carved out of the living rock. It had all the elements of the temples we have seen, but each shrine was more isolated. Each had its own world. There must have been 10-15 temples dotting the top of this hill/mountain, including an enormous tank on one side. The photograph only shows an extremely small portion of the tank or pool. 1000 meters? More? Measuring under the open sky is difficult, but it took many minutes to walk along it. The feel of this place was one of utter simplicity and oneness with nature. Despite it being in a city, the area still had a feeling of wildness and reminded me of Cappadocia, Turkey, that vast area of Christian spiritual communities from 1000 years ago. There were steps, cut into the stone, leading onto a rocky perch. One can easily imagine a sage of old, sitting on this perch for decades, content in their inner thought and in the outward beauty. There were a variety of shrines in the area, all unique, and most with spectacular carvings of the various deities on the walls and backs. Even the floors had some simple geometric sculptures. In several places, the carvings were missing. One could still see their outline on the walls, but the statues themselves are probably gracing a museum, far from their home. They must have been truly exceptional. One can see it from what remains, and from the knowledge that the people removing them probably took the best examples.

Besides wandering ancient temples with their air of … I was going to say quiet contemplativeness, but it wasn’t quiet. There was something very vigorous in the lay of the land. It was spread out and active rather than closed in and passive. Both are possibilities.

Mamallapuram is a shopper’s paradise. It is overpriced, but it has good examples of things from all over India. This area is especially know for its stone carvers. Lining the back streets, one can see stone carvers, using electrics saws, it is true, but also the chisel and sanding that one would expect. And, the quality of what they are producing is breathtaking. It is a pleasure to see the old crafts continue. The shopkeepers do keep up a steady invitation to browse, but are not particularly pushy. Striking up a conversation is easy and always interesting. I have yet to explore the beach. Maybe I will, maybe not.

PS: Because of the foreign tourism, restaurants are top notch and I’ve actually let my food guard down a notch and ate fresh fish. And French fries! Back to idly, utthapam, dosai, and South Indian thalli – all of which I like - soon enough. One does have to check the water bottles, though. Several had caps that were already opened – something I had not run across yet. Proprietors will refill water bottles with tap water and sell them to the unwary. Again, my thanks for the information on that particular problem!