The Long Goodbye
This is my last post from India.
This week has been a series of long, painful goodbyes to neighbors, friends, and places I've grown to love. It seems, with each final break, the moment I turn my back and walk away, a little piece of my heart breaks free from my body and remains behind.
This morning, as I fed the street dogs that live across the street--Scratchy and Gimpy--I found myself wiping away a stray tear or two. "I wish I could bring you with me," I whispered as they nuzzled my hands.
I found myself smiling sadly as I posed with, and then bought vegetables I didn't need from, my vegetable lady Vena.
I drank in the cacophonous colors of Rattan Pol--the vivid reds, purples, blues, and greens that don't exist at home--and relished the sounds, smells, and bodies that crowded the narrow streets.
I joked, for one last time, with Karsen-bhai, pretending that his scandalous jokes were, in fact, scandalous.
Last night, as we watched TV with the Shahs--the family across the hall that we've grown close to--I found myself mentally storing the sound of Lav, Bhoomi, and Parita's laughter.
I have been, truly, transformed by this experience. I feel, as I write these words, gratitude and sadness well up inside my chest. I am reluctant to leave this place; I fear I may never return.
And yet, a part of me knows I will. This place is home, now. These people and places belong to me now, and I to them.
This week has been a series of long, painful goodbyes to neighbors, friends, and places I've grown to love. It seems, with each final break, the moment I turn my back and walk away, a little piece of my heart breaks free from my body and remains behind.
This morning, as I fed the street dogs that live across the street--Scratchy and Gimpy--I found myself wiping away a stray tear or two. "I wish I could bring you with me," I whispered as they nuzzled my hands.
I found myself smiling sadly as I posed with, and then bought vegetables I didn't need from, my vegetable lady Vena.
I drank in the cacophonous colors of Rattan Pol--the vivid reds, purples, blues, and greens that don't exist at home--and relished the sounds, smells, and bodies that crowded the narrow streets.
I joked, for one last time, with Karsen-bhai, pretending that his scandalous jokes were, in fact, scandalous.
Last night, as we watched TV with the Shahs--the family across the hall that we've grown close to--I found myself mentally storing the sound of Lav, Bhoomi, and Parita's laughter.
I have been, truly, transformed by this experience. I feel, as I write these words, gratitude and sadness well up inside my chest. I am reluctant to leave this place; I fear I may never return.
And yet, a part of me knows I will. This place is home, now. These people and places belong to me now, and I to them.
Tina's Top Ten Holiday Highlights: Part I
Greetings and Salutations!
Steve, the Kid, and I recently returned from a little holiday to southern India--specifically Tamil Nadu and Kerela (see map below for specific details). Neither Steve nor I traveled south in previous trips, and we were traveling during the "high season," so we figured that Tamil Nadu would be a little less... crowded than Kerela or other parts of India. We made a list of things we each wanted from a vacation: Steve wanted to see a number of the important temples of the south, the Kid wanted to go to the beach, and I wanted to spend a night on a houseboat. With this vague plan in mind, we charted a course across Tamil Nadu and ultimately into Kerela (if you scroll down, there is a list of places we visited):
View India Holiday 2011 in a full screen map
As with most vacations (and especially those in which groups of people travel together), there was a bit of stress, some truly awful hotels, and a few meltdowns. However, the fun moments far outweighed the stressful. Over the course of the next week or so, I'm going to countdown my Top Ten Holiday Highlights. Today I give you:
10. Miscellany (aka the items that I enjoyed in part, but not necessarily the whole): The Chennai State Museum, Kailashnath Temple in Kanchipuram, ceiling painings in the Shivanataraj Temple (Chidambaram), the Nagaraja Temple in Alleppey, and the tiled floor of the synagogue in Kochin.
Watching Steve in the State Museum was like watching a kid on Christmas; camera clicking left and right, exclamations of excitement and wonder, and enthusiastically explaining the attributes of various statues, some of which he's only seen in the glossy pages of textbooks.
We made an error when visiting Kanchipuram: we went to the Ekambareshwara Temple first. Now, let it be known that this particular temple is very attractive for a new temple. However, all three of us agreed that the much older (as in 1300-1400 years old) Kailashnath Temple was way cooler. Unfortunately, by the time we got to it, it was just about dark. Fortunately, a nice guide with a "torch" (aka flashlight) showed us around. It was well worth it for the paintings inside the meditation chambers.
Now, the Shiva Nataraj (the Dancing Shiva)Temple at Chidambaram was...not my favorite. I refer to it as "the Poo Temple" for the simple fact that there was more poo laying about than I was comfortable with. Let me make one thing clear: there is a LOT of poo in India. One must, on any given day, dodge various consistencies of animal feces on the street or sidewalk and it is not uncommon to see a small child popping a squat on the side of the road. Simply put, everyone poos in India. However, one does not expect to encounter large turds in places of worship. Large turds that I, personally, am not convinced were not adult human in nature. An initial sighting of a pile of the aforementioned poo set the mood for the whole temple. That being said, the ceiling paintings, which we were *technically* not allowed to take pictures of (and which we ceased doing once we were informed of such) were pretty awesome.
I was not permitted to photograph the last two items, the Nagaraja Temple outside of Alleppey and the tiled floor of the Jewish Synagogue in Kochin. They appealed to me because of their uniqueness.
The Nagaraja Temple contained over 30,000 naga (sometimes snakes, other times half-snake, half-human creatures) images and is presided over by an elderly priestess... something that Steve has only heard of in Nepal. The temple seemed to abound with contradictions: many snakes in India are poisonous, for example, yet the temple is where childless couples go to pray for fertility. In nearly every enclave there were little stone "houses" with holes--my hypothesis is that these are places meant to encourage snakes to stick around the forest areas. For more information, see here and here.
The Jewish Synagogue in Kochin represents a branch of Jewish history dating back to the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine in 70 AD. They came to Kerela and were granted the right to create and maintain a Jewish principality within what is now modern-day Kochin. They became an integral part of the merchant and trade class of India for approximately seven centuries (~11th century to ~17th century). Now, mostly due to migration to Israel,there are only six Jewish families left in Kochin. The synagogue is unique in the fact that it's floor is comprised of hand painted white and blue Chinese tiles, no two alike, from the mid-1700s. More information here and here.
Steve, the Kid, and I recently returned from a little holiday to southern India--specifically Tamil Nadu and Kerela (see map below for specific details). Neither Steve nor I traveled south in previous trips, and we were traveling during the "high season," so we figured that Tamil Nadu would be a little less... crowded than Kerela or other parts of India. We made a list of things we each wanted from a vacation: Steve wanted to see a number of the important temples of the south, the Kid wanted to go to the beach, and I wanted to spend a night on a houseboat. With this vague plan in mind, we charted a course across Tamil Nadu and ultimately into Kerela (if you scroll down, there is a list of places we visited):
View India Holiday 2011 in a full screen map
As with most vacations (and especially those in which groups of people travel together), there was a bit of stress, some truly awful hotels, and a few meltdowns. However, the fun moments far outweighed the stressful. Over the course of the next week or so, I'm going to countdown my Top Ten Holiday Highlights. Today I give you:
10. Miscellany (aka the items that I enjoyed in part, but not necessarily the whole): The Chennai State Museum, Kailashnath Temple in Kanchipuram, ceiling painings in the Shivanataraj Temple (Chidambaram), the Nagaraja Temple in Alleppey, and the tiled floor of the synagogue in Kochin.
Watching Steve in the State Museum was like watching a kid on Christmas; camera clicking left and right, exclamations of excitement and wonder, and enthusiastically explaining the attributes of various statues, some of which he's only seen in the glossy pages of textbooks.
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| Krishna from the Vijayanagar Period |
We made an error when visiting Kanchipuram: we went to the Ekambareshwara Temple first. Now, let it be known that this particular temple is very attractive for a new temple. However, all three of us agreed that the much older (as in 1300-1400 years old) Kailashnath Temple was way cooler. Unfortunately, by the time we got to it, it was just about dark. Fortunately, a nice guide with a "torch" (aka flashlight) showed us around. It was well worth it for the paintings inside the meditation chambers.
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| Shiva Nataraj (aka Dancing Shiva) |
I was not permitted to photograph the last two items, the Nagaraja Temple outside of Alleppey and the tiled floor of the Jewish Synagogue in Kochin. They appealed to me because of their uniqueness.
The Nagaraja Temple contained over 30,000 naga (sometimes snakes, other times half-snake, half-human creatures) images and is presided over by an elderly priestess... something that Steve has only heard of in Nepal. The temple seemed to abound with contradictions: many snakes in India are poisonous, for example, yet the temple is where childless couples go to pray for fertility. In nearly every enclave there were little stone "houses" with holes--my hypothesis is that these are places meant to encourage snakes to stick around the forest areas. For more information, see here and here.
The Jewish Synagogue in Kochin represents a branch of Jewish history dating back to the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine in 70 AD. They came to Kerela and were granted the right to create and maintain a Jewish principality within what is now modern-day Kochin. They became an integral part of the merchant and trade class of India for approximately seven centuries (~11th century to ~17th century). Now, mostly due to migration to Israel,there are only six Jewish families left in Kochin. The synagogue is unique in the fact that it's floor is comprised of hand painted white and blue Chinese tiles, no two alike, from the mid-1700s. More information here and here.
Modhera Sun Temple (WARNING! Picture heavy!)
Well, it's been a long time since I've posted. I've been busy applying to PhD programs (both Literature as well as Literature and Creative Writing), getting ready for my cousin, and planning for the holidays. As a result, there isn't much to report--Steve continues to work on his research (it's going mostly well), I became a first time auntie (shout out to my nephew--can't wait to meet you!), and life continues in the A-Bad. It's gotten "cold" here--high of 84 in the middle of the day, low of 50 at night--I know, poor us! However, 50 is now cold enough that it warrants layers and socks and shoes... which makes us SO SCREWED when we get home. **Sigh** And I already hated winter!
In the meantime (and as a sort of... obscene gesture at winter) we went to Patan for some manuscripts. Along the way we stopped at the Modhera Sun Temple--one of three such temples (of consequence) left in India. The temple was built in 1026 AD by the Solankis (the dynasty that Steve studies) in honor of Lord Surya, the Hindu Sun God, from whom they claim divine lineage. The temple was sacked twice (first by Mahmud Ghazni, an Afghani ruler who raided temples to collect money to fund his war in Afghanistan/Iran) and later partially destroyed by Allauddin Khilji, a Turk; he raided the temple during his conquest of Gujarat and subsequently destroyed the Solanki line and worship at the Sun Temple. The temple is in remarkably good shape despite how weathered some of the sandstone is; here, take a look:
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| Sun Temple proper is positioned in such a way that during the equinoxes, the sun would shine into the temple and directly onto a statue of Lord Surya. |
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| Tank for bathing and royal weddings in front of temple. There are a total of 108 shrines around the perimeter of the tank |
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| Vishnu sleeping on Shesha (the snake) prior to creating the world |
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| Sun Temple Meeting Hall--dance hall, marriage hall, hall where the Solanki's held court, etc. |
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| The stones were cut and placed next to each other, joined by a thick wood pin. |
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| Shiva, Lord of the Dance |
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| When a demon took over Hell, Heaven, and Earth, Vishnu appeared before him as a dwarf. He said, "give me as much land as I can cover in three strides." The demon granted his wish and Vishnu promptly turned into a giant and with three strides, he covered Hell, Heaven, and Earth. This depicts his third stride from Earth to Heaven. |
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| Loving the pot belly! |
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| Steve doin' his thang... |
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| Steve droppin' some knowledge on the Kid... |
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| A rare depiction of Brahmani (a female depiction of Brahma) with three heads |
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| Sex Ed Kama Sutra style... |
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| Popular myth says that this particular pillar was shattered by the mighty sword of an invader. More likely, there was an iron deposit that worked its way out and then was forcibly removed. |
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| Boo-yah! Amazonian archer to the rescue! |
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| Monkey see, monkey do! |
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| Even medieval women enjoyed their pedis and manis! |
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| One of the goddesses--Saraswati or Lakshmi? |
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| Door guardians |
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| Where there's guano, there's... BATS! |
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| Snakes on a Column! |
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| The Boy and I standing in what would have been one of the original gateways to the temple |
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| Me & the Kid |
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| Crazy eyed Ganesh |
