Today was Republic Day in India, so we decided to head out of town to lay low and stay away from the parades. As I was going down for breakfast, I could hear yelling. When I got to the lobby the entire staff was outside lined up in military fashion (they had even spray painted lines in the parking lot, so everyone was lined up in military precision) and they had a military looking official barking orders for the raising of the flag. As soon as the flag was raised the staff came running in and got back to work! I commented on our server’s India flag sticker on his vest and within moments we were all given an Indian flag pin to wear for the day.
We hired a driver to take us to the sun temple at Konark, Puri, Raghurajpur and Pipli. He is young and likes to drive fast. The drive to Konark was fast and heart stopping. They drive on the highways like they do in town – pass whenever you can, beep often and don’t worry about oncoming traffic so long as you have about one second to swing back into your lane. The drive wasn’t too bad if you didn’t look out the front window!
It was nice to get out of the city and drive through the countryside. We say rice paddies, banana trees, palm trees, water buffalo, small villages with people living in houses with thatched roofs, roadside goat butchers, a million little shops and people everywhere. We drove over 100 km today and I don’t think there was ever a 100 metre stretch where there wasn’t another person on the road.
When we arrived at Konark our driver found us a guide and we were off. The temple was built in 1250 and took 12 000 craftsmen 12 years. It is made out of three different kinds of stone. In 1906 the temple was filled with sand to keep it from collapsing. There are 700 year old iron beams holding up some parts of the temple. The temple faces east and the rising sun shines through one temple to the doors of the main temple. It’s amazing how accurately they placed everything. The base of the main temple is a huge chariot with 12 wheels (think time) pulled by 7 horses (think days of the week). Each wheel is a sun dial and our guide accurately told us what time it was to the minute using one of the wheels. There are bumps around the edge of the wheel for each minute, just like a watch face. Amazing. The architecture was quite stimulating. Here are some photos:
It was very hot during our time at the sun temple (who knew?) and the sun gods laid a good burn on all of us. Murray was prudent enough to wear a hat. I burned my entire head, neck and arms. At least I’m not a translucent blue anymore! Murray and Tish took the opportunity to belly up to a coconut bar for a drink and some fresh coconut to eat.
After Konark, we drove to Puri, which is a resort village on the Bay of Bengal. Because it is Republic Day, there were people all along the treed areas of the coast having picnics with family. At Puri we went to the beach and stuck our feet in the Bay of Bengal. The water was beautiful – clear and warm! We walked the beach for a while and just enjoyed the sun, the waves and all the very friendly people along the beach. There were people selling all sorts of goodies, camel rides, and these great lifeguards:
After lunch in Puri (which was awesome) we headed to a little artist village called Raghurajpur that Tish wanted to visit. Well, village it was. The road into the village was barely one lane with a steep drop into a river below. Our vehicle just fit. Once there we were met by the locals who took us into a house. The fellow we met said he was a teacher and master artist and was teaching the students how to do palm leaf etchings and paintings. We had the opportunity to watch one young man do the cutting into the palm leaf. After that, it was off to the sales room and the very well rehearsed pitch began. They began by showing us a 500 year old (really, I’m sure of it) example of palm leaf etching, followed by a demonstration of the process, followed by example after example being pulled from trunks. We looked at many of them and finally Tish bought a palm leaf etching and I bought a painting in tribal style that is painted on silk. When we went back downstairs, other little shops suddenly opened and it was then I realized we should have shopped around a bit. The stuff we got is excellent quality and it was a great adventure. Coming out of the village we met a big truck that had to back up to let us pass and then we drove through a market not designed for a vehicle our size and the thousands of people there. It was pretty cozy squeezing through the street!
We ended our day in Pipli, another artisan village. The Pipli are known for their needle work, palm leaf etching and painting and silver filigree. Our gift from the workshop is going to be something we would like from Pipli. We scouted the place out and all found something to buy when we return tomorrow.
We then raced (literally) back to the city and returned to our hotel. We had a great day!
Tomorrow, we meet with the commissioner of education, go to Pipli to purchase our gifts and we’re still tossing ideas around for the remainder of the afternoon.
Last post tomorrow!
I can't tell you how much it means to me to read your posts. It is exciting (and very reminiscent)to hear about your adventures with the traffic, hotels, the challenges of mobile phones, media, ceremony...it is all so familiar! I'm sure that Deb was told how she was transformed to great beauty when she wore a sari! And to have the attention of all of those women to dress her! Awesome! Travel home safely! My best to Murray, Deb, Tish and the gang. Make sure Murray explains the joke about the Sun Temple being a high point!!
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