Madurai and Kodaikanal

Because he realized we would need breaks from Hyderabad and the Ellaa Hotel, Jon set up a few weekend getaways for us. Our weekend trip to Madurai and Kodaikanal was one of these getaways and it was a refreshing change of pace. Our first stop was to Madurai to see the temples there. Madurai is at the southern tip of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. It was a busy and hot place, but the temple complex was well worth the stop. The Meenakshi Sudareswarar Temple was built in the 1600s and is a good example of temple art and architecture in this area of the country and we saw similar smaller temples during our travels in this area. The temple is dedicated to Parvati and her consort Shiva.

The outside of the temples were very colorful and interesting. There was a lot to take in and I found it hard to capture in pictures. The colors on some of the temples we saw outside of Madurai were more faded and not as colorful which made me wonder how they kept up the temples in this complex.

A colorful ceiling in the temple

 Jon next to a carved pillar

The inside had a lot to offer in color and design.

We saw a lot of worshipers and pilgrims in the complex while there. 

There were several lingam in the temple since Shiva is also worshiped here. 

Lingams represent the divine energy of Shiva, but they have been interpreted as a sexual symbol 

since they are phallic. 

 I am not sure why this elephant was in the temple complex.

 He hid behind a pillar when a noisy group of pilgrims came through.

There were a couple of different bazaar areas in the complex and they were as colorful as the temples. The sellers here were not as aggressive as others we have encountered.

Views on the way to Kodaikanal. It was a misty morning and quite lovely. We saw a lot of agriculture along the way too. There were terrace gardens everywhere.

My favorite part of this getaway was Kodaikanal which is a mountain resort area at 7000 feet. Kodaikanal was established as a hill station in the 1800s. The British (or Britishers as they are called here) created hill stations at high altitudes in order to get away from the heat and disease in the cities. American missionaries and European missionaries along with the British established Kodaikanal. We saw more Christian churches here than anywhere else in India and our drivers usually had crucifixes in the car instead of a Ganesha. The ride up and back was a big part of the pleasure because of the windy misty mountain road and beautiful views. I don't think I did a very good job capturing how spectacular the views were.

We rode in a small car and I don't think I would have wanted to ride in a bus since the road was so narrow in some places. There were monkeys all along the rode, especially at tourist stops. They were pretty bold and did not hesitate getting on cars. I caught one trying to look at himself in a mirror.

Monkeys were all along the road

A monkey trying to look at himself in the mirror.

The monkeys did not hesitate getting on vehicles and even tried to 

get inside if they saw something.

Our resort was lovely with views and a lot of beautiful gardens, although the room left a lot to be desired. We saw poinsettia bushes or trees which surprised me since I did not know they grew this way. Most of the flowers were varieties that we are familiar with. I saw hydrangeas, which seemed to be a lot bigger here than in Maine, azaleas, flowering maples (a lot bigger than the one I have), and roses.

Hill Country Resort

This resort area is a popular honeymoon spot and we saw a few young couples here.

I did not know that there could possibly be such a cool place in this country. We were actually cold enough for jackets and a hat while in Kodaikanal. Jon was trying to stay warm in bed with the thin blankets provided.

A big attraction was the Pine Forest which Jon and I found odd. A lot of people got out to look at the trees I guess. There were a couple of stuffed tigers there oddly enough, despite the fact that they don't live in this region.

There were plenty of bazaars and sellers along the mountain road and at major stops.

We even stopped at a wax museum. Most of the displays were religious.

Gandhi with his spinning wheel - Could not have a wax museum without him 

 This figure had a needle, crack pipe 

and hookah going all at once. No wonder he looks so bad.

The Last Supper - their faces seemed too cheerful

This trip was a refreshing break from the city. It was a place that seemed more like home to us than anywhere else we have been. We needed this break because we are both getting very homesick.