Kanchipuram.

Today we were off to Kanchipuram. It took about an hour and half to get there. On the way we stopped at a small village. It was weird to see the village nestled in the middle of large manufacturing plants. South India is a haven for companies like Nokia, Hyundai, IBM and so on. We saw large busses with the Nokia logo filled with people, they were workers being transported from home to work.

The village life is fast disappearing in India. Going are the huts with thatched roofs made out of palm leaves. The village we saw did have little houses with the Palm leaf roofs. Very simple. One room houses. In the middle of the village was a fire pit where the meals are cooked. Another hut was for the animals, mostly goats. There was also a calf, the mother was grazing in a field nearby.

We got to Kanchipuram to see the oldest temple in this town. A large complex, pretty impressive. After that we went to another smaller temple which is now more like a museum rather than a living temple. A living temple is where people pray. This temple did have frescos painted on the carvings.

Then we stopped for lunch, its' so great to be able to have so many veggie choices. Gene does have a tough time with the spice level of the food. The food in the roadside cafe tastes authentic. Unlike a lot of the food served in the hotel restaurants. The hotels cater for non Indians.

We also went to a weaving cottage farm. Kanchipuram is famous for it's hand woven silk. Beautiful sarees, scarves, wall hangings, table runners etc. are available. The weaving process is fascinating for me. I have made a few things on my loom.

Well, tomorrow we will be going to Mahabalipuram, a town which I visited over ten years ago. I am anxious to see what it looks like now. I remember how the whole town was filled with artisans creating sculptures out of stone. Ancient art being practiced today.
Until then,
Sunita.