Leaving Chennai, we traveled south along the Bay of Bengal to Mamallapuram. In the early medieval period, this was the capital of the Pallava dynasty, which built many impressive temples. The temple complex known as the Panch Rathas (five chariots) is an archeological site with several temples and other statutes (including a large elephant) that were carved by master stone cutters from large boulders already at the site. Here's a view of a portion of the complex.
Next, here's a view of some of the intricate carvings of Hindu gods and animals on the sides of the temples at Mamallapuram.
We spent two nights at a resort called Temple Bay, which reminded me of a resort in Hawaii. It seemed quite out of place in India. Our free day there was a good chance to get over any remaining jet lag from the long flights (23 hours from LA with a layover in Chicago). I also had my first Ayurvedic massage, a traditional Indian massage using oils applied all over the body (almost everywhere) and based on Hindu spiritual techniques. Very relaxing and almost erotic!
Leaving Temple Bay, we traveled to Pondicherry, a former French colony that still has some French influence in its architecture and cuisine. This happened to be my birthday, which was known to the group leader because he had my passport info., so during lunch I was presented with a birthday cake. For the rest of the south India trip (9 more days) it became a running joke that any desserts, drinks, etc. were in celebration of my birthday.
Finally, after a long day of driving, we arrived at our next hotel. We were greeted there by this elephant, the first of many we met on this trip. Elephants are frequently used in India for festivals and all sorts of other purposes.
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