Formerly known as Madras, Chennai is the
cultural center of Southern India. This fascinating coastal city is a heady
blend of ancient and sacred structures, stately colonial-era buildings and
churches, and modern-day sensibility. By many accounts, Chennai was founded as
a British city as the fortifications of Fort St. George were built in 1650 on
uninhabited land and only later surrounded by the structures of old Madras. The
British remained in the fort until India’s independence in 1947. Today, the
fort’s walls enclose government buildings, the historic St. Mary’s church and a
museum. A highlight of Chennai is the brick-red Madras High Court, a splendid
example of Indo-Saracenic architecture with Mughal touches and domed cupolas.
It was a very interesting
dock today. There were police, immigration and the Navy all over the dock. They
put rugs down, took up rugs, put out tents, took down tents, it was quite a
process. In ports in Australia, China and now India we are having to go through
face to face immigration for everyone on the ship. That means you have to get
off the ship, go through there terminal and go through immigration before you
can do anything else. What we found out after a day here, they waste a lot of
paper and a lot of stamp ink.
Also on the dock was a band.
No dancers, just a sit-down band. They are sitting on something that tourism
would put up to tell you the rates for all the tours. No rug for them.
First thing in the morning,
we went out and got a taxi and road around the town for a couple of hours. We
went by a street fish market and some vegetable stalls. Also, the normal street
art or graffiti.
I took a couple of pictures
at one of the places we stopped to shop. None of this would fit in our
suitcases.
After this exciting morning,
we came back to the ship, had lunch and went on our tour for the afternoon. It
was a tuk-tuk ride to a temple. After this morning’s outing, I did not get the impression
that Chennai was as dirty as we remembered India to be. However, after this
afternoons tour, we realized we were in India – dirty, hot and smelly.
We get to our tuk-tuk and
meet our driver. I believe he said his name was Morgan.
We drove from where they
picked us up for about 40 minutes to a temple that we were going to see. Here
are some pictures along the drive. This beach, Marina Beach, which we do not
have any good pictures of, is the second longest beach in the world, next to
Miami. We were told not to go in the water as it was so dirty. I did get some
sand.
So, we arrived at the temple.
The Hindu temple, Parthasarathy Temple is a structure that was
dedicated to the Lord Krishna upon its completion in the 8th century. The
temple is named for the five sacred wells located nearby whose waters are held
in higher reverence than those of the Ganges River. However, today, all of
these waters are very polluted. We could not take any pictures inside, but could around the
temple. This are pictures from around the temple. The aroma was “wonderful”.
And, this is the outside of
the temple. Notice in one of the pictures our guide with the lollipop that says
37, and as part of our entourage is a cow.
And then we were on our way
back to the ship. In these pictures, one is of their war memorial to honor all
the soldiers from all the wars they have been in and one is their stadium.
Then
we were back at our ship and we both took well deserved showers. Now, two days
at sea and then we are in Cochin. We have decided no more temples.
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