Today I had two objectives. Back to Mylapore to visit the temple while it was open and the Chennai lighthouse/Marina beach.
When I arrived at the temple it was busy and as Inwas taking off my worn Berks a man said don't leave them there. Leave them at the counter. Another man stopped and concurred. I know the counter is going to cost money and I'm doubtful that there are too many women in India who wear a size 40. On the other hand, I don't want to be barefoot for the rest of the day, so I left my shoes at the counter and got a numbered token.
The man who first spoke to me starts ushering me I to the temple and at that point, I realize he is more than just promoting the shoe safety, he must be a guide. I go along with it because I would like more information about this temple.
First there is the main pyramid loke tower covered in brightly covered figures. To me it's sort of a representation of the Tower of Babel, but to a Hindu, it shows more than a thousand stories about their traditions, because as this man is saying Hinduism is not really a religion. The statues need repainting about every decade as they fade quickly in this unforgiving climate.
this temple also has Shiva and his wife Parvati. Shiva can be seen head on but Parvity is hidden so she can only be glimpsed on a mirror or via a sideways view. Next he showed me a sort of decorated breezeway. The people sitting here, he explains, are waiting for their next meal. The temple serves theee meals a day to indigent people.
The decorations include the seven chakras, or energy centers of the body, which I know about from my yoga practice. There is also a sort of U shaped symbol that is key to Hindus and like
Mona Lisa eyes, no matter where you stand, it seems to be directed at you.
Then there was the ornate Hindus only temple where I was not permitted to enter. For a mere 1000 rupees, he will go on and bless the Koch and Whitcomb family names. The money goes to feeding the poor, or at least so he says and I really hope that is true.
From there he shows me another minor temple
In the complex and a 300 year old tree. People will hang trinkets and pray there hoping to manifest what they seek-- marriage, children, etc. I laid my hand on a branch and made an ask myself.
Behind there were tied up cows. If your cow gets loose in the city, you can be fined and or your cow confiscated. These cows are kept to provide milk for the food program. I'm not quite sure how that works because they don't have calves.
That was the end of the tour and for 20 rupees ($.24), I'm reunited with my sandals. Then it is off to store to pay the guide by credit card. He is not happy with what I paid him, but as I said to him, I didn't ask him to guide me. It must not have been too low a nimber because he didn't put up a big fuss.
As I walked back to find my driver I was accosted by a persistent begger trying to sell me coloring books of all things. Fortunately, I was able to find him easily and we were off to the lighthouse on the way, we passed the food stalls and rose milk stand where Akshaya and I had been two weeks before.
The light house is not historic or particularly interesting from an architectural perspective. And I had to pay extra for the cell phone which is a recent development and more for being a foreigner. However did they know? The view from nine floors up , is awesome as is the breeze, which makes it work the price of admission. 50 rupees.
After I descended, I strolled around the ground and voila there is a museum. It is not large, but it shows the different technologies used over the years to create light. From burning rags to preasurized fuel and air( lighting like giant Coleman lanterns.
They also had a fresnel glass there. I almost stepped on a pile of five finger kittens. The guard said the momma cat was smart to have them there. She allowed me to take a photo of them even though no photos were allowed.
As I walked to the beach and refused several auto drivers, I found my driver, but told him I was going to talk to down to the ocean. I did. It due that in Fort Kochi due to all of the trash. Here there is some trash, you don't have to wade through it. The water was warm and felt so good. I believe they think it is cold this time of the year and I'm sure "my" lake in Minnesota never gets this warm.
Back to the compound for a nap and off to work at 5:30, because my "hosts" want me to do a video promoting their product. It's a little dicey because I've developed a lot of prototypes with their platform, but my boss then pulled funding so we don't actually have anything in production. I believe in the product though, so I was happy to try to give them a plug.
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