Day One: Visit to Kanchipuram

Today, I visited Kanchipuram with two of Brian's coworkers and some other family they had in town. We had a great time visiting this small town known for its ancient temples.

It was a two-hour drive to get there, and once we arrived it was almost noon when the temples close for an afternoon break. We had enough time for three temples, but ended up only seeing two because one was closed for a funeral.

The first temple was really big and had several pyramids. The intricate design on each was really an amazing thing to see. There was a large pond in the center of the temple with lots of fish. There was a really cool tree at this temple which was a wishing tree. People hang little wooden beds or fabric on the tree in hopes of getting married or having children. The tree was so colorful and it was a really cool sight.

The best part about this temple was the elephants. They had a painted elephant right when we walked in and he was so pretty! The elephant was giving blessings by tapping our heads with his trunk. After a good tip, the elephant minder told me to step up closer to the elephant. He gave me a really good blessing by resting his trunk on my head and then blowing hot air at me. It was really kind of gross, but an experience I will never forget!

They had two more elephants in the back getting "baths and makeup" and they said I could ride one for 100 rupees (around $2). I wanted to until I saw how sad the elephants looked. One had a huge gash in his leg that looked fresh and bloody. Their skin was discolored and didn't look like an elephant should look. I said no thanks and gave a good tip in hopes that they would use it to care for the elephants.

The second temple we visited was pretty small, but pretty. It was a square and all of the walls were full of designs. No two sections were the same. One cute little part had a little bed, so we all got up there and took pictures. There was also a big cow statue outside that we climbed on for photos.

I had read a lot about temples and these visits weren't quite what I expected. We did have to remove our shoes (we walked in socks), but other than that there were no rules. We didn't have to cover our heads, refrain from touching things, etc. as I would have expected in a spiritual place. Other than the few tourists, there were mostly just beggars and not many Indians there for worship. Our driver did tell us that we were there at an off time and that it is very busy on the weekends because people have to take off work to drive there.

Kanchipurum is also known for its silks, but because it's pretty touristy, they are overpriced. Our driver told us we could buy the same silks for a better price in Chennai, so that's one thing on my list to look for now!