What can I say about these two places located in central Tamil Nadu? Perhaps slight disappointment might be the way to go. Unfortunately, the seemingly never-ending rain in Trichy made seeing the sights very difficult. I had originally planned to see the Rock Fort and the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in one day, and then take a trip to Thanjavur the next. Three nights total. Yeah right.
First of all, my hotel cost me the most money I've had to pay thus far...it was the cheapest I could find at 360 Rs a night (about $8). Luckily it had a television, because the persistant downpour outside made going outside difficult. In addition, the fact that the hotel had room service also proved a plus, particularly when I got sick. Yes, once more, a cold overtook me. I often partook of the restaurant's great bhel puri and phav bhaji while I attempted to feel better. This was after my trip to Thanjavur. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The first day, I traveled to the Rock Fort. The rain wasn't so bad, but it made going to the Temple all the more difficult. The Rock Fort, which is found right in the center of the sprawling Trichy, was an easy climb to the top. The views would, of course, have been better if it hadn't been raining. I spent the rest of the day in an internet cafe out of the rain.
The next day, I decided to go to Thanjavur. Of course, leave it to me to spend the only nice day in Trichy in another city. The two hour ride to Thanjavur was uneventful. The Brihadishwara Temple, known locally as the "Big Temple" was a nice complex with mandapas and gopurams of styles completely different from elsewhere in South India. First of all, the towers and temples were all brown, instead of white or painted. And they were definitely old. The complex had a nice feeling of spirituality to it, which was ruined by loud speakers spouting out discussions and encouragement for the workers attempting to renovate the temple. I appreciated the purpose, but the constant loud talking really hurt the serene atmosphere. From there, I walked to the old Tanjore Palace Complex. Most of it unimpressed me. However, once I entered the ancient library's museum, everything seemed worth it. The museum had an amazing collection, including one of the world's smallest palm manuscripts, with the Ramayana written on it, a detailed depiction of Chinese torture techniques, and other fascinating things. And then, after this, I climbed up the precarious Bell Tower, which offered me a great view of the city and the Big Temple. In all, I spent 4 hours in Thanjavur, which equaled my traveling time. I think Thanjavur was worth it.
The next day, I fell sick. And the rain was coming down, though not too heavily. Still, while I could have gone to the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, I chose not to put my health to risk. So, the day was pretty boring...another 360 Rs down the drain. Now, I could have left Trichy without having seen the temple, but Lonely Planet described it as perhaps India's largest temple complex, at 60 hectares and with 7 concentric courtyards. So, I waited for the next morning. And when it came, the rain was downpouring like mad. I almost felt that all was lost. I had wanted to visit the temple in the morning, and then leave for Madurai in the afternoon. No such luck. The rain finally stopped, and I was feeling better, so I risked it. After the bus journey through Trichy, I approached the entrance. The gopuram was amazing. at about 65 meters high, it was by far one of the largest gopurams I had ever seen. Unfortunately, that feeling of awe simply couldn't last. As I walked under that entrance, I was taken aback by the fact that nothing had changed. There were still restaurants and regular shops, streets going off in all directions with people driving both four and two-wheelers on them. Sure, it was all enclosed, with gopurams supposedly at the ends of each street (I didn't walk to see), but nothing felt different. It was simply an enclosed town. Only when I got to the final entrance did the actual temples start. And I had to wander before I found something I felt comfortable going into. And it still wasn't all that comfortable. Darshans took about 45 minutes in the lines...I really didn't want to wait for that long to see a god or goddess I had not even ever heard of. Unfortunately, this feeling remained. The temple simply didn't seem spiritual or religious to me. I really had a hard time finding any sense of the holy in this whole mess.
The one redeeming factor was my great enemy: the rain. As I was getting ready to leave from this inner complex, I looked up to notice that the clouds signaled a great storm. I ran under a covered area, pulled out my windbreaker, and put it on. I knew what was coming. And the moment I even looked out from the covered area, I saw the rain come down with an amazing force. Dry ground became lakes in a matter of minutes. Stuffing my bag under the windbreaker, I ran out, barefoot, through the many small gopurams, which were now stuffed with people avoiding the rain. People thought I was crazy. I thought I was trying to get away before I would have to swim out. By the time I reached the final gopuram, the main entrance, the rain had passed. I walked barefoot through the ponds, and had a blast doing so. The rain saved my trip to the temple.
I didn't leave that day, because by the time I returned to the hotel, it was simply too late to head out to Madurai. So, I left today, and found my way to a hotel charging a lot less (but still a bit, I think). I met a guy, Wolfgang, from Germany. We'll probably go to the Temple and perhaps the museum tomorrow, and then I may join him for a couple of days in Kodai, before I head down to Kanniyakumari. Hopefully the Sri Meenakshi Temple won't disappoint!
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