Coast to Coast - Southern India
Southern India
On our journey through Southern India, we saw diverse landscapes and had many experiences. Whereas the north had large cities well-known in the west, the south was a bit more off the beaten path. India has 36 self-governing states and territories much like the US. Each state has a unique geography, demography, history, culture and language. We visited two on this trip starting in Tamil for several days then onto Kerala.
In Chennai, we visited prominent temples featuring intricate figures of the major hindu gods. Some of the temples were large, many were small, some were quite old, others not as much but all were active with visitors and adorned with offerings of marigolds and other flowers. In one, we even participated in the local tradition of smashing a small coconut against the wall for good luck. Inside this local temple, we saw hundreds of statues of Ganesh the elephant god of good luck and fortune.
The city is located on the southeastern coast on the Bay of Bengal. The beach offered a glimpse into the local maritime activities. We found an active community of fishermen who would go out with their nets every day, while on shore, their wives would be selling their catch. There were plenty of people at the beach but apparently in India, most people don’t swim. Of course, Mark stuck his toes in, because he could.
Rice is a main crop in southern India. It is a very labor intensive crop as it is difficult to mechanize much of the process. While we passed many rice fields, we were able to stop at one close to the road where women, very colorfully dressed, were bent over busily gathering the newly growing rice shoots into bundles for transplanting. They worked very quickly but watching them gave us all a sore back.
Pondicherry & Madurai
In Pondicherry, a little further down the east coast, we had a local guide give us a tour through the French Quarter. It seems this area of India was a French colonial settlement until 1954. While there, we visited the local ashram for a meditation session, saw a few more colorful temples and visited Auroville on the outskirts of town. Auroville is an experimental township established in 1968 to “realize human unity in diversity”. Men and women of all countries live in peace and harmony above creed, politics, nationality and caste. The community is still going strong with 3300 residents. We were able to visit the gardens and see the big dome where community members can gather to meditate. The rest was off limits. It seemed a bit cult-like to us but who knows.
Leaving the coast, we headed inland (west) to the city of Madurai. Madurai presented historical landmarks, including Meenakshi Temple (hindu) dating back to 1200 CE and The Thirumalai Nayakkar palace. This temple complex – there are a dozen buildings, is a very active and an important place in the life of the local citizens. Each of the tall pyramid-like structures is covered with thousands of colorful carvings depicting the hindu gods. Inside the buildings we saw many families seeking blessings for weddings, births, deaths, pregnancies and any other major life event. Decisions are prayed over and offerings are made to the gods in the hope of good outcomes. We learned a lot about the Hindu religion and Dharma, Vishnu, and Shiva as well as their wives, animals and stories. My favorite is Genesh the elephant god who is over the entrance of most temples.
The Thirumalai palace, built in the 17th century, had many roman influences, and was designed to impress European trading partners. All religious beliefs were covered as well – domes for the Catholics, arches for Islam and statues on the roof for Hinduism. Somehow it all seemed to come together. While it is currently being renovated, it was easy to visualize its former glory.
After visiting the architecture, we had an opportunity to get closer to the city. We each climbed into a bicycle rickshaw to navigate the local roads and feel the rhythm of local life as we navigated by vibrant local markets. At one point, we got out to wander among the vegetable and fruit stalls. Did you know there are 6 different kinds of bananas?
Thakeddy
We continued our westward drive leaving Tamil, heading over the mountains, leading up in elevation to the town of Thakeddy in Kerala. The cooler air was most welcome! Our destination – a spice plantation where they grew black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, cloves, red chili, nutmeg, tamarind, cocoa, vanilla, and coffee - all the essentials for Indian cooking. After a delicious lunch, we were guided through the gardens to identify the various plants. The plantation and lunch shed light on the intricacies behind blending Indian spices. Very interesting! We also had a local home visit for a cooking class which offered hands-on experience in crafting various regional dishes including various curries – too many to name. Recipes from our guide might help us make some of these when we get home. One takeaway was that coconut oil and indeed coconuts feature prominently in southern Indian cooking. Yum!
In the evening, we attended a martial arts demonstration with swords, knives and shields. Apparently, this practice originated in India a few thousand years ago. While the show was definitely for tourists, it was entertaining, nonetheless.
Munnar
Moving on to Munnar, we headed into the Ghat mountains and the land of tea plantations. There were several things we learned about tea. The plants were brought over from China in the 1870s. There is only one type of plant to grow tea leaves. The plants are much smaller than expected – think bushes rather than trees. Only the top 3 leaves on new growth shoots are used in making tea. Picking tea leaves is a labor-intensive process. Different teas (white, green, black etc.) result from different processes in the factory. All leaves are withered, rolled, tossed or crushed, oxidized, heated, dried and sorted. Different temperatures and times are used for the various products. From picking leaves to the finished product, it is less than a day. We visited a tea processing plant and stopped by the side of the road in the mountains where workers were picking leaves. Each bale was expected to be 25 kilos or more. Beautiful scenery but another backbreaking job!
Tea plantations were quite large and owned by Tata, India’s largest conglomerate. Plantation workers were provided free housing, children’s education, and medical care as inducements to stay. When we visited a neighborhood, we found simple but adequate accommodations, most with satellite dishes. While it did seem reminiscent of our old southern plantations, the workers we spoke with seemed happy about what was provided.
Kochi
Continuing west, we found ourselves in the Kerala Backwaters, a network of brackish lagoons, canals, interconnected lakes, and rivers, probably similar to US bayous all near the Arabian Sea. The backwaters have been used for centuries by locals for transportation, fishing, and agriculture. We boarded a cruising vessel for a restful night on the more inland waterways, tying up on the shore after a few hours. As we moved upstream, local life moved around us, much like life on the bayou. Supposedly there is a lot of bird life in the backwaters, but they were well hidden from us!
Finally to the Arabian Sea! We continued westward towards Kochi. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful clean beach. Mark rented a towel and dove into the warm waves! At a local fishing village, we saw several cantilevered fishing nets actively fishing. The nets would be lowered into the water for a few minutes then a crew of 6 men would bring the nets back up with the help of several large stones as counterweights and offload any catch. When the nets were raised, the arms supporting the nets came together to make a huge basket. Fish caught today would be sold the next day. Mark tried his hand at helping raise the nets. Not too tough once but if you’re doing it every 5-10 minutes for 8-10 hours, it would not be an easy job.
Kochi is a town of historical significance as a spice trading center from antiquity trading with the Romans, Arabs, Persians, and Chinese. The Portuguese, followed by Dutch and then the British all had a colony here beginning in 1503. Today it is home to the Southern Naval Command of India and the Coast Guard, a large shipping trade as well as many maritime industries.
Culture-wise, we took in a Kathakali performance, which is a major form of classical Indian dance. One of the things that distinguishes this type of story is the traditionally all male actors as well as elaborate and colorful costumes and makeup. The actors’ make-up is applied on stage for all to watch before the performance. The story is typically based on a folk story or religious legend with very few spoken words. There was a villain, a kidnapped woman, and the rescuer. Facial expressions, hand gestures and music told the story. All in all, an interesting evening!
Since it was colonized by Europeans for several centuries, you find there is also a diversity of religion. Christians exist alongside Jews, Muslims and Hindus. Two historical sites we visited included St Francis Catholic Church, in Fort Kochi with Vasco de Gama’s original grave and the Thekkumbhagom Synagogue built in 1580. We also enjoyed walking down the bustling Rose Street in the old town which seemed to capture the city’s commercial vibrancy.
The journey through Southern India encompassed a diverse range of destinations, historical landmarks, and cultural encounters of this fascinating region. But, all country visits must come to an end. Now we’re off to Thailand!
