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VietnamSri Lanka, India, Bangladesh
Marina Beach in Chennai,
the 4th biggest city in India
Hindu pilgrims came to the
beach
Kapaleeswarar Temple from
16th century
Gopuram of Arunachala
Temple in Tiruvanamalai (in Tamil Nadu)
Thousands of Hindu
pilgrims arrive every day in Tiruvanamalai
Tiruvanamalai is one of
the holiest towns of Tamil Nadu
Arunachala Hill behind the
temple is regarded as the physical manifestation of Siwa
Women visit images of
Nandi bringing flowers. They touch the stone, praying for fertility.
One of the main streets in
Tiruvanamalai
Krishnagiri fort, sitting
on top of a hill made of huge boulders
The whole site is called
Gingee and was built in 15th century
Krishnagiri fort
Looking from Krishnagiri
towards Rajagiri fort (steep mountain on the right)
On the way to Rajagiri
fort
Monkeys can be aggressive
when they see something they want, like bottled drinks
Whole families come to the
fort, but hardly any foreigners
Panoramic view from
Rajagiri fort (notice Krishnagiri fort on the left)
We were invited for
Christmas to this village, where 600 Christian families live
Life is pretty simple
here, especially for the elderly
Midnight mass in the local
church
Only women inside, because
there wasn't enough room for everybody
A cow was killed for
Christmas (I thought it's forbidden in India but I was wrong)
Next day, 2 Santa Clauses visited all houses in the village, singing and dancing
Another holy temple -
Chidambaram. Amazing Hindu rituals take place inside, especially in the
evening
Thanjavur. The main temple
has a 62m-high vimana, the tallest in India
Temple in Thanjavur is
visited mainly by tourists, not pilgrims
Thanjavur. Procession
around the temple, with music and dancing
Munnar in Kerala. We
arrived on New Year's Eve and struggled to find accommodation
Top Station 34km from
Munnar. We hired a moto taxi to get here in the morning
Tamil women weigh their
tea leaves before bags are taken to the factory. They are paid per kg
Tea estate where we spent
all day just walking around
Tea plantation
Chinese fishing nets in
Kochi
Backwater trip in Kerala.
It's nice but nothing spectacular
Mysore in Karnataka state.
Noisy town, like most of India
Maharaja's Palace in
Mysore, built in 1897
Every Sunday night, the
palace is lit up by 50,000 lights (for 1 hour only)
Devaraja market in Mysore
In this market, tons of
flowers are sold and later used for religious purposes
Everyday situation
Incredible India
Organic rubbish is
recycled straight away