TANJORE - THANJAVUR.

pop 215,314

We got on the locals bus early the next day to get out of Trichy as fast as we could after another sleepless night.

We didn't have far to go this time as the bus was directly across the road from the hotel so we loaded up and shipped out. This bus was a rickety old heap of junk but it was only an hour and half journey to Tanjore so it was fine for us.

We managed to get the back seat and with a pleasant conductor not barking orders at us we stacked our bags in the corner on the seat and settled down. Well so far so good.

The bus filled up almost instantly with people packed in like sardines. On the buses the capacity rules are always broken and more and more people are piled on to make that extra few rupees. The format on this bus was the same as the other journeys, the conductor collects your money (63p for both of us,) issues your tickets and then waltz' his way back and forth through the rows repeating the process, whistling now and again to signal to the driver that someone wishes to get on/off.

Off we went speeding through the villages and towns, this time there was no tarmac main road in sight, just dusty dirt tracks full of potholes and traffic. On the main roads there seemed to be some sort of respect for other road users but not on these. We were back to honking hierarchy, fast speed, faster breaking and a bumpy ride. We had a young lad sitting next to us trying his best to make conversation in pigeon English all the while trying to cover up the fact he was as drunk as a skunk. He kept moving in closer and closer to us trying to get a fondle of Steph and touch a bit of white skin, using his elbow to rub up her breast. This soon stopped after Steph showed him how she used her elbow, in his ribs repeatedly. Hopefully lesson learned.

We were then joined by a guy who was visiting his friends and family in India but he had been working abroad as an engineer. His english was amazing and he talked us through each village and it's history. He explained that Trichy was an industrial town and that Tanjore was a farming community. There were many universities between the two towns and Raj explained that in Tamil Nadu there is a very good education system (if you have the money to pay for it) and universities specialising in engineering and sciences cost around around $500 per year for a course and $1,500 to live on campus incl meals. They also have separate universities for women who would like to specialise in these subjects which gives them great opportunity in a country where women are still undervalued.

We arrived in Tanjore at the old bus station and were surrounded by beggars with their hands held out signaling to their mouths and holding their stomachs and hawkers with baskets of fruit, bags of peanut brittle, sweets, candy floss and randomly small cucumbers cut into flowers. We got packed up and made our way to the nearest autorick, bartered a fair price and loaded up for the short ride to the Valli Hotel. The autoricks do struggle under the weight of our backpacks we keep expecting to get in and be stuck on our backs with two wheels and the driver high in the air.

We wound our way through the dusty, heavily polluted, crowded streets and off down a quiet lane filled with garages until we came to a dead end and a little hotel tucked away in a tranquil garden. We viewed the room which was very compact but clean and took it straight away just for the peace and quiet alone and the thought of getting a good nights sleep.

We decided to go out and explore so we freshened up and secured our bags together with the bike lock (which has been a godsend) and made our way out of serenity and back to bedlam.

You would think we would be used to the sights, smells and sounds of India and to a certain extent we are but it never fails to amuse us to see a herd of goats trotting down a main road or a cow or two here and there trying to pinch food from the street stalls or gathered round a huge pile of rubbish dumped in the street fighting with the crows and stray dogs for the best leftovers. We will also always be shocked by the men found urinating, standing or stooping wherever they wish. A lot of India has this but we have been faced with a lot more (so to speak) since travelling Tamil nadu.

Another thing we have witnessed more of here is the street beggars. A higher number of people here seem to live on the streets and it breaks our hearts to see families with small children dressed in filthy rags living at the side of the road. I know we are advised not to give anything and the general attitude is they shouldn't have children, they should do this or that, but how can any of us judge when we have never been in that position. We all take things for granted if we lost everything we owned or circumstances changed we can claim benefits, ask our families, get a house from the authorities but there is no option for this here and the only way people can survive is by begging. No human being should be forced to live in these conditions and if we can help by just providing a meal then we can't say no. There is a risk that if you give money mainly to the men without families that they will spend it on alcohol and again people get on their high horse, but to be perfectly honest I don't blame them and we have all been in a position in our lives where we have got drunk to forget our problems or de-stress and we weren't facing a daily battle to survive. ( Ok rant over!!!)

One of the greatest memories I will take away from India is the elation on a six year old boys faced when we gave him a pack of biscuits and a bottle of pop. He took them from us and his face lit up he was beaming from ear to ear, he hid them behind his back quickly and walked towards the rest of his family he then whipped them out bursting with pride that he had got them some refreshment. We realise this doesn't solve the greater problem but it did give him a small bit of pleasure and that felt good.

There is a good road network in Tanjore center with many byways connected by two or three main roads Ghandiji road, East main road and hospital road. This is spread over an area of about ten square mile and the area we concentrated on during our stay as this contained the main sights. It is a busy town with lots of small shops and restaurants and the usual retail outlets. As with many of the Indian towns the buildings are small, dirty dwellings alongside larger glass fronted properties with a few modern hotels and large villa's thrown in for good measure. Its such a fantastic mix of architecture spanning a few centuries all covered with a layer of grime. The funniest thing is that India has climbed on the advertising band wagon and love using bright, brash marketing slogans on neon signs that hang from the side of every other building but none of them really relate to the products actually on sale.

We made our way along Ghandiji road following the signs that said "Big temple", we guess they couldn't fit "Brihadishwara Temple" in. The sight that greeted us was magnificent and we immediately understood why it is a world heritage listed temple.

It is a temple complex rather than a single structure and carved in a beautiful sandstone that changes colour depending on the light. We stepped inside a courtyard bustling with families and worshippers picnicking on the lawns in front of the main entrance. We sat a while removing our shoes and taking in the different views of the carvings, this is when we were surrounded, the families had lost interest in the temple and we had become the main attraction. We posed for many photos seizing the opportunity to take a few of our own and answer the obligatory questions of "Where you from?", "You married?", "Children", "How many brothers and sisters?" and the main one Rod gets "Are you Stone cold Steve Austin?".

This is the funniest thing. Indians are well into WWF Wrestling and there is a wrestler called Stone Cold Steve Austin who just happens to have a bald head and a beard and is of course well built and muscled. Everywhere we have been all over India Rod gets stopped at least ten times a day and asked if he is Stone Cold.

We broke away from the crowds and made our way into the main complex. The first sight that you are drawn to is the 13 storey Vimanam (centre tower) which stands at 66m high which is unlike most South Indian temples where the Gopurams are usually the highest towers. The Kalash that sits at the top of the Vimanam is engraved out of one huge mass of stone and is said to weigh around 81 tons.

The intricate detail of each hand carved piece of stone is a sight to behold and one we would never tire of admiring. The walls were all etched with writing and we were told that the Rajaraja (meaning the King of King's) who had the temple commissioned had the names and addresses of all his dancers, musicians, barbers and poets inscribed into them. (that's one way to remember them all.)

One of our favourite parts was the statue of Shiva's sacred Bull "Nandi" that is 6m long & 3m high and faces the inner sanctum.Created from a single piece of rock it weighs 25 tonnes and is one of the largest Nandi statues in India and it is really cute.

We can understand why many regard this as the crowning glory of Chola Temple architecture from the condition and quality you would never believe it was built in 1010. We spent a good few hours admiring the artforms and the magnificent stone carvings. The work was not unlike the other temples it was the material that was different and although it wasn't decorated with the usual gaudy colours we preferred the subtle more subdued palette that the sandstone created reflecting red's, oranges, yellows and even pinks as the light changed and the sun dipped.

With hunger getting the better of us we begrudgingly made our way back out into the cloud of fumes and dust and went in search of a restaurant. We passed quite a few local eateries but all were closed we presumed for Diwali. We eventually found a small place tucked away from the main road with the usual set up of metal tables and chairs. We found a seat and were given a menu, great we thought we get a choice. We should of known better. We tried to order what we wanted and were told they didn't do any of that and only had a choice of Masala Dosa, fried rice and Poori with Sambar so guess what ... that's what we had and we enjoyed every last mouthful it was delicious and only 2.50 for both of us to have three courses. A great end to a fantastic day.

Yes,yes, yes Wooh Hoo, A good nights sleep and wake up to a hot shower, we don't want to leave!!!

We decided we would stay another night and make the most of the amenities and visit the Thanjavur Royal Palace which sounded so grand from the description on the tourist leaflets and in the book.

Feeling refreshed and clean for the first time in 4 days we strode out and followed the signs back into the centre and towards the palace. Everything seemed a lot busier confirming the public holiday was officially over.

We passed the flower stalls and I was again given a flower for my hair, the previous day it had been a carnation today it was a beautiful Red rose. It was a special touch and one that made us feel welcome. We grabbed a bhaji from one of the food stalls and headed towards the palace in good spirits.

Well the book described decaying grandeur, the reality was just decay.

We entered the palace (or so we thought) from a side entrance that had a man sitting outside demanding 100 rupee's (about 1.60) we paid up and entered a shabby looking building with pink exterior walls and dirty, dank inside walls. The whole place stunk of urine and bat poo and was too dark to view anything inside. We made our way outside and onto the maze of terraces. There was not a lot to see here either except for a view of a detailed tower rising high in the air in the distance. We amused ourselves for a while taking photos and joking around until the "museum" was opened and we were shown glass cases full of ancient artifacts (that could of been the same modern artifacts sold in every craft shop in town). We made the most of nothing and left feeling cheated. The man at the door pointed us in the direction of the palace art gallery and we decided we would go and check it out as it couldn't be any worse. Arriving here was when we realised we had been done "Big Time". This was the entrance to the grand part of the palace with extravagant carvings and a close up view of the rounded tower. The external artwork was impressive and the bell tower had panoramic views of the city. Unfortunately it was closed and we only got to view it from the outside. Just our luck. We haven't had a good run with palaces but we did get to see a part of village life in the surrounding area so all's well that ends well.

We found another locals restaurant, this time there was no menu or anyone that spoke English. We muddled through and ended up with Sambar rice on a banana leaf. We are enjoying this magical mystery tour with food but would really like a meal of our choice now. On the way back we found a bakery and picked up a couple of Veg puffs and a fruit slice, perfect.

We spent the rest of our time in Tanjore making the most of the fast Internet connection, walking for miles around town people watching and chilling out and catching up on some much needed rest.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and would recommend a visit.