Days 8: Thursday, June 16th
After a week of work, a nice little break was in order. Poul recommended that we check out some sites down south.
Pondicherry
Colloquially referred to as "Pondy", Pondicherry is a former French colony founded way back in the 1600s. The city was divided by a canal which separated the French colonists from the Indians.
Unlike Austin and other American cities, the physical remnants of segregation have become vestigial. I mean, the colonists did literally pack up and leave...
Old, French colonial architecture and street design disorients you momentarily. Is this really India?
Pondicherry attracts a certain breed of devout yoga enthusiasts.
Mostly French followers flock to Pondy on a pilgrimage to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram shrine.
Sri Aurobindo was a Northern Indian who fought for Indian Independence, but had a spiritual awakening and decided to move to Pondicherry to focus on yoga and meditation. A French woman named Mirra Alfassa became an early devout follower. Sri Aurobindo put her in charge of the whole Aurobindo organization and referred to her as "The Mother". She went on to found an experimental/utopian community just north of Pondicherry called "Auroville". All the yoga and meditation seems to be working for the disciples we saw. It shows on their blissful faces, in their soft waves, and unwavering smiles.
We took a break from our excellent, home-cooked southern Indian cuisine to experience some more French-inspired food at the Cafe Coromandel.
Later that evening, we visited the beach. This beach was packed with people, but skin was nowhere to be seen. Even our modest-by-our-standards swim attire stood out. This was a clearly a keep-clothes-on affair. Some of us waded, but a few of the more daring on our team ventured out into the waves. They returned with some scrapes on their legs and feet, but smiles on their faces.
Days 9: Friday, June 17th
Mangrove Forest
The next day, we headed even farther south.
Some momentary motor trouble struck one of the cars, but Poul Luther just in the nick of time swooped in to save the day.
Poul took us to visit some houses rebuilt by CASA after the 2004 Christmas Eve Tsunami
Casa has built over 5,000 houses for socially excluded and otherwise overlooked peoples in India.
Along the way, we came upon a toll in the road. The toll collector walked towards our vehicle. As the window rolled down, the expression on the toll collector's face instantly changed. They recognized Poul from the Tsunami relief effort over a decade ago. The toll collector waved us through, free of charge.
Finally, we arrived at a dock where we hopped on a boat to take a cruise through one of Tamil Nadu's famous mangrove forests.
Mangroves acted as a natural barrier against the Tsunami. They protected some, but others were not so lucky. Kingfishers fluttered about as we weaved our way through the dense, watery thicket.
Temple
With some daylight left, we heard there was a large Hindu Temple in the city of Chidambaram known as the Thillai Nataraja Temple.
Hidden behind the bustling town, through a narrow alley, the sublime temple emerged.
Colorful beyond belief.
Funnily enough, this is similar how ancient Greek and Roman temples truly appeared prior to their paints' deterioration. Look it up. Our obsession with white, Greco-Roman temple-fronts is an archeological misunderstanding. Everything you know is a lie.
Anyway...
Inside is austere.
No photos allowed so here it goes:
You cross over a golden-silled doorway into a shadowy staircase that descends into a cavernous hall. An ebony forest, carved with other-worldly detail. The heat from the Indian sun causes sweat on your brow to form, a small simulation of the 10th-century masons' painstaking experience. The space is wide and tall, yet the muted colors and sparing splashes of light make it difficult to see where the space ends. Does it?
On top of the columns, the ceiling is supported by a trusty team of tigers and elephants. Ironically, the weight increases with altitude. Each tiger has freed itself, its broken shackles held loosely in their mouths; triumphant. On the backs of the tigers, the elephants extend their trunks, tirelessly supporting the many tons of stone ceiling above.
Around a corner, a long, imposing corridor leads the way out. Bats chirp. A row of clerestory windows illuminate the just the top of the passage with a haunting yet inviting soft pallid glow. Like a wispy spirit floating above, saying "hello!". Watching ominously, but happy that you're here.
We exit facing west, the sun shining perfectly through the gate. A Google maps investigation reveals that the entire complex is perfectly oriented along the cardinal directions.
We packed into the cars for the long ride back, stopping for dinner, of course.
We rolled into our cots, ready to return to the site the next morning!
Victor Butcher
PUC India 2019
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