Saturday, Mar 7th, Mysore, India

Greetings!

The Gommteshwara Bahuball Statue sits at the top of a mountain reached by climbing 650 stairs.  The stairs start off gently, and then it gets harder.  Especially in socks.

Built in 981AD by Chavundaraya, an Indian military commander in the Western Ganga Dynasty, it is carved from a single fine-grain white granite rock.  The largest monolithic statue in the world, it is dedicated to the founder of Jainism.

Of all the major Indian religions, Jainism has the strongest austerity-driven ascetic tradition, and  is an essential part of the mendicant's spiritual pursuits.  Ascetic life may include nakedness symbolizing non-possession of clothes, fasting, body mortification, penance, and other austerities.

Jainists take vows of: non-violence to any living being; a belief in a many-sided reality; and non-attachment to worldly possessions.

Later in the day after lunch at the Cafe Garage (great spring rolls and sweet corn soup), we drove to Somanathapura, and the Keshava Temple.   The temple, built in 1258AD by another general, is surrounded by a large courtyard which frames 64 shrines, two entrances, and the main temple complex.   He also built four other temples in the area, three of which have were destroyed in the wars between the Hindu kingdoms and the Muslim Sultantates in the 15th century.

A platform circles the temple, and the carvings and reliefs are to be read in a clockwise direction (follow the elephants at the bottom).  The elephants are not an exact copy of each other, rather show different natural expressions and playfulness.  Some show elephants in war, throwing enemies, while others show them teasing the riders in front.

Inside are columns depicting lotus stems and flowers, which were completed on site using elephants and horses to turn the stones on lathe-like wheels at the base.

Returning home, our hostess (Yamuna) gave us a cooking demonstration, which led to a wonderful dinner afterward and a walk through her garden.  Clearly, her mother, husband, and staff complete the team which presents this homestay.  The Gitanjali Homestay is not to be missed, and we will miss it dearly when we leave on Monday.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Saturday, Mar 7th, Mysore, India.

Friday, Mar 6th, Mysore, India

Greetings!

After breakfast this morning, we drove to Mysore where we will stay until Monday.  The family home which is hosting us is in the Kodagu district, within the Western Ghats of the southwestern state of Karnataka.  After its merger with neighboring Mysore district, it is about the size of Sonoma County, with a little more population.

We are staying in a home which has ancestry from the Kodavas (formerly referred to as Coorgs), land-owning agriculturalists with martial customs (a warrior community), whose dynasties ruled the area from 1600 to 1834.  Among other accomplishments, the group claims partial responsibility for the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, where we were recently. 

The crescent necklace on the woman in the picture is called a Kokkethathi, worn by married women.

Sorry, the palaces we went to had prohibitions on cameras today, but I'm told there will be no restrictions on tomorrow's locations.

Thursday, Mar 5th, Kabini, India

Greetings!

Here's an easy way to track a Bengal Tiger.  Drive along a reserve road until you find one waiting for you up ahead.  Stop and let her show herself off to you very regally (check out the many album photos).

We're going out again after lunch today by boat, so there will be more to this post later.

It's 7:45pm, and we're back from the lake.  No tigers drinking from it, but elephants, a crocodile, and lots of birds.  Time for dinner.


To see all of the photos taken today, click on: Thursday, Mar 5th, Kabini, India.

Wednesday, Mar 4th, Kabini. India

Greetings!

This morning, we were driven down the worst mountain resort road by the best driver on staff in the best jeep they had (what a relief).  It's really a shame the impression you take away from a spectacular stay is such a bad road to it.

Our great personal driver (Bijou) drove us three hours up further into the Western Ghat to the Nagerhole Tiger Reserve for our stay for the next two days at Kaav Safari Lodge.  On the way, we passed an elephant being taken to a temple festival, and another being given a bath in a stream.

We arrived at the Lodge, had lunch, and boarded a large safari rover.  Our guides gave us binoculars, told us to turn our phones and voices off while on the tour, and to keep our arms inside the large open-air windows (the trees are close, and the driver will be chasing things).  That seemed funny to me because there were quite a few cameras on board that had three foot long 400-600mm lens which I was sure were going to hit tree limbs.  I was glad I was bringing a cell phone camera.

Pat's hope for the trip to India was that she would be able to see a tiger.  Today, we saw a large male leopard, a pack of wild dogs and their cubs, lots of spotted deer, wild boar, several Gar, many colorful bird species, and a Bengal Tiger.  We were so fortunate to see all of the large predator animals in one outing, and are going out again tomorrow morning early by rover, and again by boat in the afternoon.  We are so having fun!

To see all of the photos taken today, click on: Wednesday, Mar 4th, Kabini, India.

Tuesday, Mar 3rd, Wayanad, India

Greetings!

Today's agenda included a bamboo craft cooperative, forest farm, kindergarten, home cooking demonstration and lunch, tribal music village, and a temple.  I'm still trying to delete extra photos.  At the Uravu Indigenous Science and Technology Study Center.  A nonprofit which has assisted a hundred family artisans to train 5,000 others in products using 50 bamboos species.  Mats from looms to cell phone sound amplifiers, these villagers are finding every possible use for a resource they have plenty.  They have fewer, and our luggage is a little heavier.

The farm family we visited are an example of many in Kerala.  Educated professionals, as many are in the state, they have chosen to make self-sufficiency and wholesale distribution of their farm products a complement to their application of other professional skills.  The variety of cooking and medicinal herbs, seeds, fruit, and nuts grown on their three acres astounded us.  We even got were able to see their large koi and other tropical fish they were raising, just before one of our hosts left to teach fish hatchery practices.

Kerala is well known for having one of the  highest literacy rates in the world, and a centerpiece is their decision long ago to support a school system starting at three years of age, with breakfast, lunch, and health care included.  We stopped by just as most of the staff were fetching lunch, and they really weren't prepared to host two foreigners.

Our next stop was a family who shared their home to provide their garden ingredients, hospitality, instruction, and a great meal with us.  Be sure to watch this mother and son team create a deeply inspiring set of dishes that were one of the best lunches we've had.

Next, we visited a Paniyar village   Brought by a 3rd century AD Malabar king from the mountainous region to the north east, this hunter-gatherer tribe has remained outside of the greater Indian society until recently.  We were treated to several musical ceremonies on drums and flutes they had made.

Finally, we visited the Maniyan Kottappan Temple in Kalpetta during a break in a festival being held there.  The temple design illustrated clearly the blending of Buddhist and Hindu designs into a unique Kerala style.


To see all 198 of the photos taken today, click on: Tuesday, Mar 3rd, Wayanad, India.

Monday, Mar 2nd, Wayanad, India

Greetings!

Heading northeast from the coast, into the mountains of the Western Ghat, we met up with a guide for the day (Suresh Kumar) who honored our request to pass on another tea plantation in favor of the Pookode Lake.   In the course of helping us identify and gaze in wonder at lots of plant and animal life which thrive in and around the lake, Suresh also gave us much to consider about the social, religious, and political aspects of Indian life.

Arriving at the bottom of the road to Wayanad Wild, our hosts transferred our luggage to a rugged jeep for the drive up the mountain to our lodgings for the night.

Once again, hats off to the tour drivers of this country.  The road to this resort is among the most memorable we've been on.  Do not attempt to drive here by yourself.  But do come here.  This property is owned and managed by a company who has built its reputation on providing the highest quality, environmentally-supportive experiences possible.  There are several good videos on their website and on YouTube.  Watch them, and you'll see why this is a good fit for us.

To see the few other photos taken today, click on Monday, Mar 2nd, Wayanad, India.

Sunday, Mar 1st, Calicut, India

Greetings!

In 1498, Vasco de Gama landed three ships full of soldiers near here intent on routing the existing Arab, Chinese, and Jewish settlements, and securing the sole authority to buy fabrics which he would trade in Indonesia for spices grown there.  Eighty years earlier, Portuguese ships had sailed around the coast of Africa establishing trading rights for gold, ivory and pepper.  Extending their control during the time when Europe was devastated by the Black Plague, they added slaves, tobacco, and tea to their cargo.

India proved to be Vasco's last journey, and he died on his third voyage here in 1524.  But the Portuguese occupation lasted 150 more years, and Portugal provided the formula for the Dutch East India Company in 1663, and the British East India Company in 1814, to spin local materials into what the world knows now as Calico.

But though we saw textile-making (Tasara Weaving Center), and boats and ships today, our journey led us north along the Kerala coast by train.  Calicut is Kerala's second largest city, and is its economic engine.  After being supported by our wonderful set of drivers in Kochi, we reunited with Bijou at the Calicut train station, and picked up Nirmesh Kumar as our guide for the day.  His knowledge of Calicut helped us grasp the complexities of its multi-cultural/religious/linguistic communities, and he and Bijou navigated quickly through the crowded Sunday traffic and shopping districts.

We just finished dinner at The Raviz Hotel, and saw some of the many beautiful eagles from our 11th story window (a little too dark), but will try again tomorrow morning before we leave.

To see the rest of the photos taken today, click on Sunday, Mar 1st, Calicut, India.