29/07/14
Today was a national holiday so in the evening Simi and Sathappan took me to see one of Trichy's most famous temples. The locals do most things late in the day here because it's cooler, so I got to walk through the temple grounds just as it was turning to dusk. There were a few different brightly coloured temples and 49 separate shrines. Simi was a great tour guide and told me stories of the different Hindu gods and their different names and incarnations as we walked around the temple grounds. My favourite story was that two of the shrine buildings that were next to each other are dedicated to a god (the name escapes me- there are so many) and his wife. Through the day these gods stay separate in their own shrines and at night the temple priests take ash from both shrines, mix it together and scatter it around both buildings so the gods can be together at night. The whole of the temple grounds smelt of the incense that was burning in every shrine combined with a delicate scent of Jasmine flowers.
Even through there were market stalls in every corner of the grounds and the constant beeping of scooters and cars, it was a very calming and spiritual atmosphere.
Today was a national holiday so in the evening Simi and Sathappan took me to see one of Trichy's most famous temples. The locals do most things late in the day here because it's cooler, so I got to walk through the temple grounds just as it was turning to dusk. There were a few different brightly coloured temples and 49 separate shrines. Simi was a great tour guide and told me stories of the different Hindu gods and their different names and incarnations as we walked around the temple grounds. My favourite story was that two of the shrine buildings that were next to each other are dedicated to a god (the name escapes me- there are so many) and his wife. Through the day these gods stay separate in their own shrines and at night the temple priests take ash from both shrines, mix it together and scatter it around both buildings so the gods can be together at night. The whole of the temple grounds smelt of the incense that was burning in every shrine combined with a delicate scent of Jasmine flowers.
Even through there were market stalls in every corner of the grounds and the constant beeping of scooters and cars, it was a very calming and spiritual atmosphere.
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