108 Sunday 4/1/2018 Chennai (Madras), India

Day 108  Sunday 4/1/2018  (Happy Easter)  Chennai (Madras), India  8:00-6:00 

Ship location  Quay 1-2  Miami to Chennai  25,421 Nautical Miles

Formerly known as Madras, Chennai is the cultural center of Southern India.  This coastal city is a blend of ancient and sacred structures, stately colonial-era buildings and churches, and modern-day sensibility.  By many accounts, Chennai was founded as a British city at the fortifications of Fort St. George in 1650.  It was built on uninhabitated land and only later surrounded by the structures of old Madras.  The fort’s walls enclose the government buildings, the historic St. Mary’s Church and a museum.  A highlight of Chennai is the brick-red Madras High Court, an example of Indo-Saracenic Architecture with Mughal touches and domed cupolas.

Included Tour  City Tour and Religous and Historic Landmarks.  Visited Chennai’s most treasured monuments during this city tour.  Drove along the marina, an elegant seaside promenade, to the tree-lined avenues of Mylapore, the old Indian district.  Visited the quarter’s temple and then continued to the St Thomas Basiica.  Built in 1504 and rebuilt in 1893 in the neo-Gothic style, it is said to contain the remains of St. Thomas the apostle.  Explored the Fort St. George Museum, said to be the first British Settlement in India.  It took about 15 years to build in the mid 1600’s.  Browsed its rich collection of memorabilia from the British and East India Companies, and the Raj and Muslim administrations.  Visited St. Mary’s Church, India’s oldest surviving British church and the first in Madras.  It was built in 1680 to serve the needs of the colonists.  

St. Thomas Basilica on Easter Sunday.  The saris the women wore were especially beautiful.

Tuk-Tuk and Temple:  An Afternoon in Chennai  2:30-5:30  A picturesque beachside tour and visit to a temple.  We began our tuk-tuk ride at Fort St. George.  We rode along the promenade of Marina Beach.  This is the second largest city beach in the world.  People do not go in the water because of the undertow.  We passed ornate Indo-Saracenic buildings and statues and monuments of heroes from Tamil culture, including revered Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose.  We passed food stalls selling murukku, a kind of crunchy pasta and other Indian snacks.  Then the bus took us to Parthasarathy Temple.  The temple is named for the five sacred wells located nearby whose waters are held in higher reverence than those of the Ganges River.  

Parthasarathy Temple. 

Floral strands for shrines.

This woman was sewing on a treadle machine on this 100 degree day.  

Many modes of transportation

Saw many modes of transportation

My Tuk Tuk driver.

This day was close to 100 degrees as the man in the back of the picture was ironing stacks of  shirts.

This girl would come running past me and then turn around and run back the in the direction from which she came.     Then she would run towards me again. This time she brought a friend, so I took their picture.  

Door to the temple.  

Notice this man is pedaling by hand.  

Carts and saris

Drummers played the welcoming music.  

Chennai dignitaries waiting to be welcomed on the ship.  We were given a rose upon our arrival.   I also chose to have a welcome dot of paint on my forehead.  

Ghandi Statue on the main thoroughfare.  

St. Thomas Basilica

The bus driver took a wrong turn onto this alley.  He then backed up for an entire block before he could find a turn to get us out.  

This cow with the beads was the "best dressed" cow.  They wander the neighborhoods and some of them were very bony.  

Cows eating garbage.  This was not a clean neighborhood.  

Notice the broom the woman is using.  These brooms have been prevalent in many countries of Asia.  

This was the entrance to the alley where we went to the temple in the morning.  We had to take our shoes off to go into the temple.   When we came out, my friend Ray discovered his nice gray Nike sneakers were gone.  I was thankful my sneakers were still there.   There was no picture taking in the temple.

Yes, cows roam the neighborhoods.

Trishaw and an old motor scooter,  

Parthasarathy Temple.

Leis for the shrines

Arrival in Chennai, India

FACEBOOK Chennai, India was formerly known as Madras. First, we traveled along Marina Beach which is the second largest city beach in the world. Nobody swims there because of the undertow. There are many statues and monuments of heros along this drive. I saw many modes of transportation throughout the day including horseback riding, cart and horse, hand-pedal tricycle, bicycle/cart combos, motor scooters, trishaws, motor vehicles and also rode in a tuk-tuk doing a tour. We visited San Thome Basilica (1504), St. Mary’s Church (1680), Fort St. George Museum, Mylapore Temple, and Parthasarathy Temple. Yes, I saw many cows in the streets. Some were eating garbage, some were skinny, some were being fed by people, and some were decorated with flowers. In India, flower garlands are symbols of spirituality, marriage, honor and respect. They are used to adorn statues of deities, in ceremonies and to honor guests. Two examples of garlands are Lime Garlands that ward off evil spirits and Grass Garland for the Elephant God - Ganesh, the God of Good Fortune. 

Today’s picture is of a Hindu Temple’s entrance tower called a gopuram. There is one large main entry tower and other lesser towers. The gopuram is decorated with sculptures and carvings. These are painted with a variety of themes based on Hindu mythology. The figures on the temples roof are symbols and can relate to fertility, growth, prosperity, divine union, or cycle of death and rebirth. The theme is pertinent to the presiding deity of the temple.