Holi – The Festival of Colors in India

Indian Color Festival Holi

About Holi Festival

Holi is one of the most important festivals of Hindus which is steeped in all the colors of the rainbow. It is celebrated in India to welcome the season of spring and end of winters. It is a two-day long festival celebrated with lot of gaiety all over India. On the eve of Holi, people gather to light a huge bonfire of the dried leaves and twigs also known as Holika Dahan. On the morning of the festival, people meet each other to apply dry and wet colors each other, play with water, and eat sweets together

Holika Dahan: The Holi bonfire

The main emphasis of the festival is on the burning of the holy fire or Holika. The origin of the traditional lighting of Holi is attributed by some to the burning of demonesses like Holika, Holaka and Putana who represent evil, or to the burning of Madan according to others. Traditionally a bonfire on the day of Holi, marks the symbolic anhilation of a demoness Holika the sister of demon, Hiranyakashipu, in Hindu mythology, while trying to kill, a devotee, Bhakta Prahlad .

This is akin to other festivals where effigies are burned, like Ravana Dahan on Vijayadashami (Dusshera) day, also in many other religions across the world, signifying end of dark or demonic forces.

 
Holi Festival India

Dulhendi

The next day this victory is celebrated as the day of Dulhendi.
Principal ingredients of celebration are Abeer and Gulal, in all possible colours. Next comes squirting of coloured water using pichkaris. Coloured water is prepared using Tesu flowers, which are first gathered from the trees, dried in the sun, and then ground up, and later mixed with water to produce orange-yellow coloured water. Another traditional Holi item now rarely seen is a where a red powder enclosed in globes of Lakh, which break instantly and covering the party with the powder. Regional rituals and celebrations

Festival of Colours Holi

People of Jaipur play this Holi festival with great zest and joy. Holi is celebrated on PhalgunPurnima or Poranmashi (full moon) in the month of March or April. In fact, the Holi played in the pink city is popularly known as Lathmar Holi. It is believed that the adorable Gopies had warned Lord Krishna and his friends not to step into the land of Barsana, their village, on Holi. But Lord Krishna did not listen to their ‘advice’ and entered the village with his friends, for this they were showered with bamboos by the Gopies. That is why Lathmar Holi is celebrated, wherein the womenfolk use bamboo sticks to hit the men. Poor men! It’s all a part of the colourful festival celebrations.





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Goa – Where Tranquility Is Always In The Air


Goa tripGoa has been a lot of things to a lot of people. While some have called it the quintessential party destination of India, others have fondly named it the ‘Rome of the East’ for its architectural window to the past, and a lot many agree that it is one of those rare places where tranquillity is always in the air. Goa is all that and much more. While siestas rule noontime in this languid city, hugging the western coast of India, by evening it transforms into this big celebration, alive and kicking, with a pulse of its own.


Churches in Goa


  • ·         When in Goa, forget the “Do as the Romans” rule, and simply be yourself! One of the most comforting aspects of this cosy little destination is that it is the most liberal places in India, giving you enough breathing space, as long as you stay within the law.
  • ·         While you will find yourself gorging on some aptly spiced seafood, Vindaloo or Vindalho is a local delicacy you must try. Made of pork, wine and garlic, the only word of caution for this irresistible curry is the Spice Factor!
  • ·         No trip to this erstwhile Portuguese outpost can be complete without a sip of ‘Feni’. One shot of this heady, cashew-palm liquor, and you will know why Goans are always so cheery.
  • ·         The best time to visit would be November to March, when the weather is cooler and the rains won’t dampen your mood or plans.
  • ·         No matter what your aim, take one day out to party the night away, and one to simple indulge in some “Susegad”! A term used by locals to describe their general celebration of life, characterized by simply ‘relaxing’, take a breather, kick off your shoes, find a shack or hammock, and soak in the sights and sounds of GOA!
Dona Paula statue in Goa

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When the Desert is Soaked in colour – The Legendary Pushkar Camel Fair


Pushkar Camel Fair Tour
Each year the dusty town of Pushkar comes alive in the Hindu month of Kartik, and how! Tourists and locals flock to this small town for a variety of reasons. While some are here to wash away their sins with a dip in the Holy Pushkar Lake, others are here to participate in the camel and livestock fair, and then there are those who are simply here to be a part of the celebrations and witness the various quirky competitions.

Perched on the edge of the desert, the small town of Pushkar is situated 11 kms from the city of Ajmer in Rajasthan and stands separated by the “Snake Mountain” or “Naag Pahaar” as locals call it. It stands well-connected by rail, air and road. During the five days of the fair, the town welcomes over 50,000 camels, and more than 2,00,000 tourists. The camels are brought in to be traded off or compete on the basis of their best features, beauty, speed and even tricks.

Pushkar Fair Attraction 2013
The five days between Kartik Ekadashi and Kartik Poornima is when the Pushkar Fair is held, which usually fall during the months of October – December, and are considered to be quite auspicious. Legend has it that on the day of the Kartik Poornima, a full moon night, the Hindu God Brahma created the Holy Pushkar Lake by dropping a lotus flower after the completion of a ‘Yagya’ or prayer ceremony. This also happens to be the reason why the town features the only Brahma Temple in the world and that the word Pushkar translates to lotus.

The Brahma Temple is characterized by a red spire and a Hans (goose) overlooking the entrance; the goose being the official carrier of the Hindu God. The temple is dedicated to the worship of Lord Brahma, considered to be the Creator of the Universe in the Hindu Trinity of Gods. The temple of his wife, Goddess Savitri is perched on a hill top, which happens to be an hour’s trek away. The Temple of Savitri offers a breath-taking view of the Pushkar Lake as well as the surrounding dunes. The Varah Temple, also in Pushkar, is dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishnu, considered to be the preserver in the Holy Trinity of Hindu Gods.




pushkar fair tour india

Attractions at the Pushkar Fair include a good mix of competitions that range from sporty to entertaining and even downright amusing. Flocking the fairgrounds, along with an assortment of tourists, are decorated camels and livestock. 

The main competitions include a tug of war, camel race, cricket or kabbaddi between locals and random foreign tourists, puppet show, best Indian bride, longest moustache and turban tying.

The Pushkar Fair is definitely an event of a lifetime, and should be part of your holiday in India if you choose to travel during the last quarter of the year!


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Jaipur to celebrate Teej Festival on 17-18 August 2015

Teej is one of the most widely celebrated festivals of Rajasthan. Swings, traditional songs and dancing are the unique features of Teej celebrations in Rajasthan. Women perform traditional folk dance dressed in green coloured clothes and sing beautiful Teej songs while enjoying their sway on swings bedecked with flowers. Teej is celebrated with immense fun and fanfare in the capital city of Jaipur. On this day, women and young girls wear their best clothes and adorn themselves with fine jewellery. They gather at a nearby temple or a common place and offers prayers to Goddess Parvati for well being of their husbands.
Teej festival



















On the occasion of Teej, markets in Jaipur are stocked with trendiest women accessories and clothes. Most of the fabric clothes display ‘laheria’ (tie and dye) prints. Sweetshops keep different Teej sweets but ‘Ghevar and Feeni’ is the main sweet of the season. All over Rajasthan, swings are hung from trees and decorated with fragrant flowers. Women both married and unmarried love to swing on these swings to celebrate the 'Sawan festival'.

The traditional Teej procession with all its regal pomp and pageantry, will start on 9 August in the 6 pm (time is subject to change) from the Tripoliya Gate (City Palace), winding its way through Tripolia Bazar and Chhoti Chaupar, Gangauri Bazaar to wind up at the Chaugan Stadium. The procession will also leave next day at the same time. In the procession of Goddess Teej, right in the front will be folk performances like kacchi ghodi, Kalbeliya, Algoza, Bahrupia, Gair, Bail Dance and Chakri dance, among others. In the procession the tourists and the visitors will also be able to witness a large number of bands, ornamented camels, mounted police on horses, women in traditional dress with Kalash and Dhalet Chobadars.

Sitting arrangements for tourist will be done on the terrace of Hind Hotel, opposite Tripoliya Gate on 9th and 10th August during the traditional Teej Procession in Jaipur.

If you are in Jaipur during these dates you can surely recommend then this colorful & musical extravaganza. 


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International Kite Festival and Rann Utsav in Gujarat

International Kite Festival in Gujarat – Uttarayan



Uttarayan is celebrated every year on 14th January, known as Makar Sankranti in other parts of north India, and Pongal in Tamil Nadu, and continues on the 15th.

The festival of Uttarayan is a uniquely Gujarati phenomenon, when the skies over most cities of the state fill with kites from before dawn until well after dark. The festival marks the days in the Hindu calendar when winter begins turning to summer, known as Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan. On what is usually a bright warm sunny day with brisk breezes to lift the kites aloft, across the state almost all normal activity is shut down and everyone takes to the rooftops and roadways to fly kites and compete with their neighbors.

Kites of all shapes and sizes are flown, and the main competition is to battle nearby kite-flyers to cut their strings and bring down their kites. For this, people find their favored kite-makers who prepare strong resilient kite bodies with springy bamboo frames and kite-paper stretched to exactly the right tension. Lastly, the kites are attached to a spool (or firkin) of manja, special kite-string coated with a mixture of glue and glass to be as sharp as possible for cutting strings of rival kites. Production of kites and kite supplies can be seen on the streets of Ahmedabad beginning in November, to get ready for Uttarayan, and nowhere more so than in Patang Bazaar, the special kite market that appears in the old city. For the week preceding the festival, it is open 24 hours a day for all kite lovers to stock up for the festivities.

Parents who normally find their children hard to get out of bed for school will find them setting the alarm for 5 am on 14th Jan., to get up and start flying kites in the ideal pre-dawn wind. The atmosphere is wonderfully festive, as whole families gather on the rooftop, special foods like laddoos , undhyu or surati jamun are prepared for eating over the course of the day, and friends and neighbors visit each other for group kite-flying fun. Often people look out for which of their friends has the optimum terrace for kite flying and many will congregate there. This leads to many social gatherings that would not otherwise occur, as one person's brother's friends meet their classmate's cousins, because they have all gathered on the rooftop of the same mutual friend. People often find themselves marking time by Uttarayans: "I met you three Uttarayans ago, right?" is a not uncommon phrase. At night, kite fighters send up bright white kites to be seen in the darkness, and skilled flyers will send aloft their tukkals with strings of brightly lit lanterns in a long line leading back down to the rooftop. From early morning to late at night, Uttarayan provides lots of fun and beautiful sights to remember for a long time.

Since 1989, the city of Ahmedabad has hosted the International Kite Festival as part of the official celebration of Uttarayan, bringing master kite makers and flyers from all over the world to demonstrate their unique creations and wow the crowds with highly unusual kites. In past years, master kite makers from Malaysia have brought their wau-balang kites, llayang-llayanghave come from Indonesia, kite innovators from the USA have arrived with giant banner kites, and Japanese rokkaku fighting kites have shared the skies with Italian sculptural kites, Chinese flying dragons, and the latest high-tech modern wonders. A master kite maker and famous kite flyer Rasulbhai Rahimbhai of Ahmedabad trains of up to 500 kites on a single string have come to be a classic attraction. Almost every known variety of kite can be seen in the skies over Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, from box kites to high-speed sport kites, from windsocs and spinsocs to hand-painted artistic kites.

Rann Utsav



A plethora of varied hues, profusion of design, superfluity of culture, cornucopia of music and dance, all together in the arid lands of Kutch creates a mosaic of exquisiteness which reflects the identity and spirit of the region. Kutch, one of the most ecologically and ethnically diverse district of the state is a celebratory land of art, crafts, music, dance, people and nature. During the full moon night of the winters amid the awe-inspiring and contrasting landscape each year a three day festive extravaganza brimming with hospitality, vigor and traditional flavor of the area is hosted and known as the Kutch or Rann Mahotsav.
This month long carnival organized at the various locales within Kutch takes one around the natural grandiose while introducing the visitor to the indigenous cultural and ethnical flavor of the people. Semi parched Grasslands of the Banni hosts the most magnificent display of vernacular architecture as the exhibition platform for the varied range of arts and crafts of the region. While an array of folk music and dance performances organized in the shimmering moonlit landscape provides the most enchanting experience. The colorful fairs held near the beach or the banks of a lake swings one with the spirit of festivity, fervor and flamboyancy while the organized tour around Kutch is an ideal occasion to be part of the region and experience the zeal and uniqueness of the people through a celebration of life!


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Unique India Tour Review - By Cat


We left Jaipur on a six hour journey to Chatrasagar, a small town on the edge of the desert.  None of us knew what to expect, as we were going to be staying in tents – a sharp contrast to the five-plus star palaces that we had so quickly become accustomed to.  


Our guide Raghu assures us that there is running water – whenever we need water, he will run and get it!  He tells us not to worry, that this place is DAMN AMAZING.


Any anxieties about what to expect were immediately forgotten the second that we hit the road, and India high way driving Anxiety overshadowed all of our other anxieties (including the snake phobias that some of the women had and the shopping phobias that the men continue to suffer from – seriously, mention the word ‘shopping’ and, like Pavlov’s dogs, the men reflexively lower their arms to the groin area and cover their pockets).


I know that I have already described the Indi(an) 500 experience, but the India highway driving on the road to Jaipur experience kicked up the adrenaline a few thousand cc’s.  For much of the journey, we were on a highway that is very similar to the road to Hana in Hawaii – only instead of ocean and lush greenery, we are surrounded by clay shoulders still flanked by dilapidated corrugated tin-roofed shops interspersed with people, cows, goats and sheep, donkeys, camels, and motor vehicles.  The main predator is the one lane road that is occasionally challenged to accommodate all of the above, going both ways.

I vividly remember my first experience on a windy one-lane road in Israel (with hairpin turns around obstructed-view stretches). Of course, having only travelled on twentieth century two-plus lane highways, we had no clue as to what would happen if two cars racing in opposite directions met in Mexican standoff fashion.  The guide said that there was only one thing to do – pray.  And that is what I did throughout this journey.


I hadn’t realized that the rest of our group were also religious – but every few minutes I heard shrieks of ‘oh god’ (and maybe even a few hail Marys).  All the while, our hero driver Sanjay calmly continued on his drive, playing that loud Indian highway music (different tones of horns beeping away).  I later find out that different tones and cadences indicate the different actions that are required – like get out of my f*ing way, move over one inch so that we can comfortably pass with a five centimetre perimeter between us, change the angle of your vehicle so that its trajectory path is 45, not 90 degrees).
At first I would have described the auditory experience as a cacophony of horns.  But on these trips, I would say that it is more like an opera – with the beeping of the horns serving as the dialogue that is sung in operas.


Raghu tells us that the highways we will travel are graded in different levels – I think it was 1 to 5 (small one lane-ers surrounded by mud and gravel  graduating up to modern divided concrete highways).  One thing that stands out in memory is the fact that no matter how modern or how divided the road is, and no matter how developed or sparsely populated the area – there were no breaks in the chain of people, animals, and vehicles on either side of the road.  So far, I have not seen one foot of completely open space in India.


At one point, a woman with leathery brown skin and a dust-covered sari was sitting cross-legged in the middle of a highway, cradling her infant/toddler son.  At first, I thought that this was Indian style hitch-hiking and that she was waiting for a lift.  But then she looked up with those gaunt brown eyes and that desperate expression, and pointed to her son.

I wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but then she stood up near the window and kept pointing to me and then to her son, indicating that her son is starving and I could help feed him at least one meal.


I have a flashback of the scene at the airport upon our arrival - one child approached me for money, and since I didn’t have any rupees, I pulled out my pack of jolly ranchers and gave him one.  Then…. out of nowhere, five other kids swarm me, waving their hands to grab at a candy; having divvied up all the candy, I pulled out the gum, and then ten more came to swarm me.

It was really an uncomfortable experience for me, because they kept on moving with me as I made my way to the bus, many of them coming back for seconds.  In any case, I wondered whether my gut reaction to give the mother some money would bring on a swarm.  So I gave Ragu a few rupees to give to her, and she summoned up the energy to thank me with a smile.


            As we approached small towns along the way, the roads opened up and the normal floods of people surrounded us.  We noticed that there were many more cows on the road than we had previously seen in the larger towns, and Raghu explained to us that this was the rush hour for cows that were returning from a hard day of roaming from house to house, where they were fed chapatis and veggies.  In fact, it is a daily ritual for Indian women to bake chapattis – some for her family and some for the cows.


Seriously, even though the cows are owned by a family, they are fed by villagers as they roam around, and chapatti is one of their staples.  Ragu reminds us that the expression HOLY COW! is not only the expression of disbelief that most comes out of the mouths of most foreigners when they arrive in Delhi.  It is a reality – each and every bovine is a Holy Cow, and it is a duty (and an honor) for Indian people to feed them.  At the end of the day, the cows return home to their rightful owners, creating a cow-jam on the road.  We speculate that this is the origin of the response that our parents would give when we asked them how long we would have to wait before we got some toy or whatever, and they replied – ‘you can wait ‘til the cows come home’.  The cow-jam is joined by a camel-jam (they, at least, travel in single file, led by their owners) and a sheep jam being herded by a red-turbaned shepherd who is slowly moving the flock of sheep along their path, undisturbed by the loud honking of horns) and an occasional elephant-jam.  There is a unique riff with a special pitch of beeping for animals – it’s a little less urgent and more respectful a sound than most other tunes.



            We finally arrive at our destination – any reservations about sleeping in a tent on the edge of a desert were quickly dispelled.  Although we thought that it was a mirage, it was a real oasis.  Treed surroundings with a small camp of ten or so large white tents (each with a wood floor and comfy bed and a large bathroom) set atop a hill that overlooked a glassy CLEAN lake.
We arrived in time to climb a hill to watch the sunset – mother nature in her splendour – calm and serene – for me, it is some reassurance that what some of us refer to as god (or Vishnu, or perfection of being, or mother nature) really does exist in India.



For once, I felt like this part of the journey was an Eat-Love-Pray experience (no shopping in site). My suspicions were confirmed when we were greeted by Favio (he called himself Raj, but he was as handsome as Julia Robert’s Favio – six and a half feet tall, light brown skin accentuated by shoulder length black shiny hair and the most beautiful eyes).  Apparently, I wasn’t the only one whose heart was taken – another of my new sisters had later commented on how beautiful Raj’s belt was, and we all chimed in together that in order to have gathered that much detail, she must have been staring at that region of his beautiful body for some time.


We wash the grime of the road off our bodies in our luxurious tents, and dine on the most delicious dishes that are prepared with ingredients that are grown on the property.  The next morning we wake up to experience the beautiful sunrise on the lake, and we head off in jeeps to visit the farm and crops that surround a small village.


Although I have been through several small villages in different countries, this is the most unique one I have been fortunate enough to witness.  First, we visited a very small school of children, and were taken by how sweet they were, and the fact that they were all attentive and respectful of the teacher (they sheepishly turned to smile at us discretely so that the principal would not see).  We came just in time for morning exercise, and we noticed that there were about fifteen uniformed children sitting outside the group on the ground.  Apparently, they were late for class, and were separated from the rest of the class, as they were going to be punished after Morning Prayer.



We were all worried that there might be some type of public caning ahead – we all sighed in relief as we watched them pay penance – fifty jumping jacks!  On one wall, there were about ten names and numbers painted on the stone, and we asked Raghu to find out what that was.  He told us that that was the ‘donor wall’ and the numbers were the donation amounts (no more than a few hundred dollars each).  We asked our guide if we could collectively contribute $1000.00 – not just for a spot on the donor wall, but because we were all moved by the sparseness of the learning environment (they had one computer for the school – not for the children to use, but just as a demo to show them what a computer looked like).



Raghu asked the principal if they would accept our donation and he replied that they did not accept donations (we didn't even ask for a tax receipt - honest).  So we asked if we could buy some books or pencils, and were again told that they had everything they needed at the school and that they really did not want to change a thing – because they were happy with what they had.



As we walked through the village, we saw that the villagers really were happy.  There were smiles on faces, and children that were being cared for by mothers, fathers, and grandparents.  The village was planned with civil-engineering foresight – the shops that emitted smoke were situated far away from areas that were populated by the people, etc.



We watched a demo of pottery-making (a large stone wheel that was turned by hand – providing the potter with both a workout and as effective an instrument as any modern wheel.



The artist who painted the pots with a precision and uniformity of design used white Lyme that she painted on with a donkey hair brush (yes, the Lyme hurts at first, but she becomes immune after the first thousand pots).  There was a pit in the ground that served as a barbeque for the kiln.  Apparently, the pots last for six months – so everyone gets new pots for Diwali and for the holiday in August, and they throw out the old ones in the pit – pretty efficient, if you ask me.  There were trades of all types in the village (the potter, the baker, the shoemaker).  The sight that was most hilarious (fortunately, we were able to stifle our belly laughs until we got back to the bus), was the ninety year old scrawnily bearded white haired barber who was sharpening his razor and showing us his tools.

Okay, that might have been not THAT atypical in India – but get this – the guy was blind!!!! And every time he tried to put his tool away into the right hole in the box, he had to try three different spots before he found the right spot.  SERIOUSLY!  Raghu asked if anyone wanted to be a volunteer for the demo that would prove that he still had his barber mojo – even though he had retired from formal practice and was merely doing a few jobs here and there on the side.



We tried to convince Alex to volunteer to take the shave….. but no go.  We were actually happy – we wouldn't want Alex to be in any harm’s way.  He and Raghu have been the heroes of the trip – both having planned each and every step of the way with the company manager, making sure that every detail was attended to so that we would have a 100% DAMN AMAZING experience.



We all thank Alex from the bottom of our hearts, and Harriet – for being a tour operator widow these past several months.  We left with brimming hearts – reassured that there are still communities of people that live happily in harmony, with minimal needs that are cared for by wise planning, hard work, and the fruits of Mother Nature.  It was like a trip back through a time warp, visiting what might have been the ancient beginnings of a kibbutz.



            After our return to our oasis and a wonderful meal and good-byes to Favio, we are sad to leave this peaceful haven.  Raghu assures us that our next accommodation will be even more amazing… and he is right.  Hours later, we have jetted through the time warp several hundred years, and we arrive at a 7-star estate – fifty acres of beautifully manicured grounds, marbled statues, beautiful infinity pools – 87 rooms staffed by at least 870 people… I can’t describe it, and I am actually embarrassed to admit that I have stayed in this lap of luxury.

That was trumped by having fourteen people who started the journey as three sets of two or three couple/friends and evolved into a large, close, happy and loving family (only without the dysfunction!).  THAT was trumped by being blessed with a DAMN AMAZING head of the family – Raghu, who tirelessly found the best deals at the most unique stores, gave us options for tour sites (he didn’t even show an iota of disappointment when we were palaced out and asked to skip the famous Crystal Palace), polled our every whims and wishes, leading us through amazing experiences with the warmth and attentive caring of a grandparents (only he’s only 30, really cute, has the best white-teethed brown faced smile in the world, is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable, and one of the warmest people ever).  We all howl when he cracks up hysterically every time he makes a joke – his laugh is very unique and it is TOTALLY infectious. 



 All of the above is hugely trumped by INDIA – an amazing country of at least ten different countries within, with different dialects (several hundred of them), vastly different foods, cultures, religions, standards of living…. mostly, a throw-back to a century or so, with no real sense that it will ever modernize to the point of having a Boston Pizza, phone wires don’t intertwine like spaghetti strands sprawling from roof to roof, or roads that don’t carry chaotic swarms of people cows, sheep, scooters, camels, elephants, cars, tut-tuks, rickshaws, buses, trucks, and whatevers… 



            It is our last day of this journey.  We spent yesterday in Udaipur – the City of Love – a beautiful city of 700,00.  It approximates what we would think of as a ‘normal’ of city in a non-North American country.  For the first time in almost two weeks (with the exception of Chatasagar), there is no pervasive smell of urine and cow dung… no fog or smog - only blue sky, sunshine, and fresh air.  We laugh at the stocks of Imodium, alka-seltzer, diaper wipes, toilet paper, power bars, Astronaut Food (like the freeze dried Beef Stew that Brian thought that he would eat after a few days of starvation because he did not want to risk getting sick from Indian food – he gave it away to one of the guides in the first week of the trip), etc. that is still in their original packages.  We wonder if Superstore will let us return them when we get home on Friday night.  We have all been deeply moved by this wonderful country, and vote for a change in the acronym INDIA to Incredible, Not for believing, Damn amazing, I want to come back, Awe inspiring INDIA.



Namaste
Cat


The Charming City of Chennai, India



It was an unplanned trip to Chennai. I was in South India – the last leg of my India tour – but then my tour guide- Sam suggested that we take a detour and spend some time in Chennai. I’m glad I agreed.  The city will welcome you with clogged traffic, hot weather, smog and lots of people around but there is something humble about the city that actually will make you like it instantly.
kapaleeswarar temple in chennai
Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai

Sam (Sambuddha) filled me in with a little history of the place. The city was a seat of power for many South Indian kingdoms through centuries. Then there were the British and the French colonial forces.  Today it is counted as one of the four metros cities of India. It’s an urban conglomerate with a maze of well connected roads and transport. The culture is strikingly different than any other Indian city and it is refreshing break.

It’s a city of intricately carved Hindu temples and structures, palaces. The Marina Beach boasts of being the longest stretch of beach in the country and it is beautiful. There is also the Covelong Beach and the Elliot’s Beach.  The city is not just about temples; there are some beautiful churches we well. San Thome Cathedral, Velankanni Church, St Mary’s Church are a must see. If you can, spend an evening in a Bharatnatyam dance recital. It is a classical dance form and very popular in this part of the country. From Chennai you could go site seeing in nearby places like Mahabalipuram, Dakshinachitra, Fort St George and Government Museum. Go on a small bazaar walking tour in the city – it is a great experience.  Witness how the craftsmen create such wonderful 12 yards of gorgeous silk saris.

The food is simple yet surprisingly mouthwatering. From crispy rice pancakes called dosa to soft and fluffy rice cakes – idlis with a side of sambar and hot chutney- it’s a treat for the palate. One flavor that you will definitely find in the food is coconut. From coconut sweets to banana chips fried in coconut oil, Chettinad Pepper Chicken cooked in coconut milk!  The filter coffee has a special edge to it. The people around are nice and friendly. It’s a pretty sight when you spot women wearing beautifully dark colored saris that look outright comfortable and easy to manage. Their long hairs are adorned with pretty white flowers. Don’t even think of trying to learn a phrase or two of Tamil just for laughs or to make communicating easier with the locals; it’s not going to happen.  The good thing – most of them understand English.
santhome cathedral church chennai


From the Senate House to the Kapaleeshwarar temple  War Memorial to Theme Parks, bars, pubs, cafes, movie halls on one hand, humble little eateries and temples and crowded busses on the other hand go hand in hand. You get the best of both worlds and that is what makes this place so special. My trip to Chennai only lasted four days but I can say I had a great time.

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