Tamil Nadu – Thanjavur

After a day and a half on trains, I arrived at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. It feels quite different than Kerala, a different green, a different vibe. It’s also known for temples, lots of them! Old and new.

The most famous temple in Thanjavur – Brihadisvara Temple (aka big temple). It’s dating back to the 11th century during the Chola period. Like many old temples, they are still being used for worshipping.

An hour away by bus, there is another town with many temples (old and new): Kumbakonam with many temples integrated in busy city life.

I was blessed by a temple elephant, for money of course. The way it works: You give the elephant some money, it hands it over to the owner and then touches your head gently with its trunk.

There are a lot of markets with vegetable vendors, very colorful! And you can smell curry leaves everywhere.

Other impressions walking around.

I was fortunate to experience a small temple celebration at my homestay. It was very generous by the owners to include me. The celebration was conducted by Brahmins and quite a spectacle with burning many offerings in a makeshift fire pit in the house! They don’t seem to have smoke detectors in Indian houses 🙂

Some more pictures from the homestay.