Mahabalipuram.

This is our last day in Chennai. We went to Mahabalipuram. This is a beach town, on the eastern coast of India. The ocean it faces is the Bay of Bengal. I remember this town clearly from my earlier travels. The town has improved with time. It is still the hub of artisans. The students of sculpture attend a school for 5-7 years learning their craft from masters and then a group open a store together. I like to patronize places like these. This way the artisan is the recipient of monetary gains rather than a shop keeper. I wasa glad to see that this place has improved with time. Granted it's busier than I remember it. Many more tourists. Along with the tourist dollar, improvements have been made. The historical sights are well manicured and trash is kept to a minimum.

We saw cave carvings done in 3 B.C. The progression of cave reliefs and the building process was clearly demonstrated in temples. Most of these are not and were not meant to be living temples. Temples must face east for them to be a living temple. Most of these faced west. They were 'practice temples'. The artisans were perfecting their craft. Tough way to practice..in granite! Another reason these beautiful monuments still remain is because they were not living temples. There was nothing for looters to steal.

Another thing I noticed in Mahabalipuram was the number of families out for a day at the beach. Too often the images we see of India are so negative. Today and on many other days, I have seen families spending time together, laughing and enjoying each other's company--positive images. We saw so many school children out for a day excursion, all well dressed and being playful. The guide and I both agreed, more people need to see a balanced picture of this incredible country.

After the ride back to Chennai, we went to visit a museum where we saw one third of the collection of bronzes of Shivji and Parvatiji. There was also a serene looking bronze of Buddha.This was a wonderful day. As an artist I appreciate hand made work. I will always come back to Mahabalipuram. Gene too enjoyed this excursion. He is getting very good at remembering all the stories of the Pantheon of Gods. He'll be able to give a talk on Hinduism better than me.

Tomorrow we go to Goa, it's on the west coast of India. Rest and relaxation are in order. I plan to tan, tan, tan. Swim, swim, swim. I have no idea what Gene will do?!

I am looking forward to the beach.

Sunita.