14 Nov 2024
An early start, but worth it to get time at the temples before they close at 12. Avoiding the cows on the motorway, we drove through the outskirts of Chennai and through padi fields and palm trees to reach Kanchipuram, the town of a thousand temples. We stopped for coffee which was good.
Hareesh, our guide, was full of information about the history of the town, it's prominence as a pilgrimage location within India and about the three main temples we visited. His English was excellent, and we learnt more about the Hindu faith and rituals, and made offerings ourselves with his guidance .
Of particular interest was the 3500 year old mango tree which defies biologists and produces four different fruits!
He took some lovely photos of us in the way, and we also visited a centre to see silk weaving and a family silk business.
A great trip, made better by a super guide and driver (who guided us safely through some "interesting" traffic).