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Big
temples and sarees your mother wouldn't wear
Kanchipuram is famous for its temples and its silk sarees. There
were certainly alot of temples out in Kanchipuram, a 1.5 hour drive
from Chennai. However, it didn't seem that the stores selling the
silk sarees were terribly concerned with pleasing the customer.
Ajay's mother (and myself as well) were horrified when the merchant
pulled out a famous Kanchi silk saree that had a border of Ashwari
Rai's (very famous Indian actress) portrait. We did much better
in Chennai not not only on the designs but the prices as well. I
guess they leave the tacky sarees in Kanchi for the tourists to
buy.
Then there are the temples. Hustling is common at the privately
owned temples. Understandably, the temples are the main tourist
sites and thus people who want to profit from the tourists congregate
there. Honestly, I didn't mind it, and the guidebooks seem to place
too much emphasis on not being taken in by them. However, you have
to be a complete idiot, deserving to be taken advantage of, if you
can't figure it out on your own. You politely turn them away until
you find a guide you like and who fits your price. It's that easy.
Our first temple was Kamakshi Amman. Kamakshi Amman is smaller than
the other two, but boasts a very old and intricately carved marriage
hall in addition to a gold plated dome over the inner sanctum. The
temple also had two very friendly temple elephants who would give
bless you for a rupee coin. (They would pat you on the head.)
Sri Ekambaranathar was tremendous and exceptionally large. Surrounding
the inner temple structure was a courtyard full of worn stones fallen
from the giant gopuram above. Rather than having a frame to which
lightweight exterior materials were applied, these gorpuam were
made of thick carved stone with a reinforcing frame inside. However,
time is not kind here, and the worn, decrepit state of scuplure
programs betrayed the scant funds available for preservation. Sri
Ekambaranathar was good to fisit. Our very knowledgeable and friendly
guide took us around to all the different shrines, arranged a pooja
with one of the priests, and gave us intersting details about the
temple. It was also highlighted by a group of singing and dancing
devotees making their way around the temple, arriving back at outter
courtyard where they promptly broke into an animated and complex
dance.
The final temple was the best. A state run temple, the Kailasanatha
was very old and well preserved. The detail of this temple was breathtaking.
Obviously alot of work went into its creation. In the niches between
pillars, flakes of the original paint still survived from the 8th
century. It was quiet, low-key, and very pleasant.
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