[digital drifter]

well,  it's been decided.

The entire family is going to visit the family temple in...oh, Butt Fcuk, TN.  I've been there once after I got married and it's like God did something there which he didn't want the world to know.

Anyways, the family temple thing.  About 9 generations ago, a wandering mendicant happened to carve some stone into those things that kids do with Playdoh? or clay or what ever.  Well, that's our family temple.  apparently we(let's be charitable here, my Dad descended from him) and so we are all going to the temple. Family history dictates that each generation visits the place at least once in their lifetime. Why?  beats me.

It's just 2 rocks near a village pond and we are all going there.  It's been there from thereabouts 1700s and it's got some cement structures on top now.  Some other family branch I think got the sniffles and ponied up the cash to make it grand.  It's grand alright, in that hideously tat grand.

The last time I was there, I forgot to take a water bottle and I bought a local cola.  The cap had almost rusted through and I could make out the date which was something prehistoric(come to think of it, could be from the mendicant times);  anyways I did drink it.

My family is mental.

Will post updates once I come out of my funk.

[iwanttogoback]

whe is this auspicious event taking place?

will there be photos? i'd really like to see the dd family temple.

[digital drifter]

No idea.  Maybe they want a good year; maybe a visit to settle their minds.    It's a bit like going to Tirupati.

My nephew I think is going to get tonsured there though he doesn't know.

Of course there will be photos.  Me, I just pony up the cash for the travel, stay and end up like a blooming chaperone.

That of and by itself is not a problem.  It's the exhortations and pleadings to be a bit reverential that gets my goat.

[captmahajan]

You could always threaten to strangle the priest.

Worked for me- a long time ago, though, and times may have changed.

[dzibead]

Despite your (typical) cynicism, dd, do I detect a certain pride and excitement?

By the way, for a second, I thought your family shrine was in Tennessee.

[priya]

C'mon DD, when is this BIG event likely to take place?  You've dangled the carrot, so now we need more

[digital drifter]

Well, parents are feeling a bit under.  Were involved in an accident and badly shaken up. nothing serious, it was a pile up and their auto smashed into the lorry in front.

This after a brakeless lorry rammed a SUV which rammed the auto which under, into the lorry in front. SUV was totaled; Auto was totaled too.

This was at a signal junction when all but the demented lorry was stationary.

So bit shaken up and being thankful it was the SUV jokers who got creamed, prayers were in order (except of course for the 2 SUV chaps; God put them in the shitter; no they didn't die but they got cuts and bruises).

So there we go.

The Gods work in mysterious ways.   Whatever happened to dreams where they exhort you to come?  People are so lazy that they have to be beaten into coming?

Anyway, mental is us™.

The place is in Tanjore, Mannargudi.

[dzibead]

Thankfully your parents are OK, but no wonder they're shaken up.  Yes, time for a "roots" trip to the family shrine to restore a sense of balance, stability, and harmony.  I'm a totally godless creature, but it would probably work for me, too.

[priya]

What a narrow escape for your folks - and thankfully they survived what must've an awful ordeal for them!  All's well that ends well

[Hyderabadi]

Glad your parents are safe DD.

These family temples are special, and as Dzi says, a visit does restore balance, stability and harmony.

But, sometimes we need an extra boost.

After we moved to the US, we made the Venkateswara (family God to most Telugus, other than their very own, if they have one)Temple, 'our' Temple. Then one day Mrs. decided that a trip to the Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh was needed to restore balance, stability and harmony, in addition to speeding up some pending matters.

We made a trip to Pittsburgh, in '05 and planning another one this March.

[digital drifter]

well, the tickets are booked through irctc.  went through in 20 minutes and fairly decent berth numbers; all nearby numbers in the same coach.

Feb 15 is to be the date.

And the Oriental hotel in Tanjore has been booked.  Rs 1200/- + taxes.

Now, I'll have to work on the car hire.

[digital drifter]

will be off in another 2 hours.  Things are already warming up.  Got yelled at for not packing my bags.  Churlishly, STILL not packed my bags.  

There's nothing like swearing till the air is blue that makes you do things in a foul mood.  

Oh, well.

YES DAD! I'm $%#%$#^%%$ coming.

[priya]

Have a really good time - and don't forget that water bottle

We'll be waiting for the pics when you get back.  Safe journey, digital drifter!

[digital drifter]

am back. apart from a little theatrics, Indian style, in negotiating a Tempo traveller, it was a pretty uneventful trip.

More later.

[digital drifter]

The one good thing about the Oriental hotel is that it's close to the
Railway station;  Which is all the positive thing I can say about it.
The train reaches Tanjore at around 5.45 and as usual my Dad was up at
3 in the morning, making everyone miserable.

Checking into the hotel, everyone went to sleep immediately and got up
around 8ish.  for Rs 1800/- deluxe room, it's pretty basic and you
don't get breakfast along with it.  Service is suboptimal, all the
staff are apparently learning on the job(I saw the lobby front desk
chewing out a Travel Operator in a pretty loud voice in front of all
the furriners, of which they were plenty).  didn't even try the
attached resturant.

Some clown(i'll tell you why later) loitering near the lobby offered a
Tempo Traveller (van) for Rs 3900 for 2 days for 8 adults + 3 kids.
done.  went to Ganesh Resturant near the Railway station to have
breakfast(avoid) and after a quick bite we were on our way.  To
Brihadeswara temple.

Tres Magnifique.

Restoration is going on, Indian style.  which means, the old frescoes
in vegetable paint might go, replaced with Delux paint?  A crowd of
day labourers under the supervision of the ASI was happily chipping at
the mortar on lots of structures.  Let's see, how things turn out in a
couple of years time.

Get in early, beat the heat and the crowd which will get in the way of
your shots.  Early morning, it was filled with lots of tourists from
all over the world.  The guides seemed to be better informed and I
couldn't see any pestering apart from the Temple priests.  Ah, well.
The Nandi is indeed impressive in size and looks....whats the
word...sweet?

One other thing, I see lots of tourists getting a little too close to
the elephant tied inside the premises.  Most of the elephants are
teenagers age wise, for your own safety, keep distance™.  I saw one
foreign tourist trying to get a good shot of the trunk looped over his
head, with his back to the elephant.  Nice.  Remember, elephants too
feel claustrophic, with flashes popping off, loud voices and too many
people milling around.  Try not  getting under the elephant's foot.

Then back to resturant Idhyam?(heart) for lunch who seemed surprised to see
so many people come for lunch.  After a forgettable lunch with even
more impressive bad service, we returned to the hotel to crash.


Got up at 3 in the a'noon and headed to Oppilappan temple.  Again, very quiet and
beautiful temple for people so inclined.  Then headed into Kumbakonam
town, to see even more temples.

Templed out, by then.  It's hot, humid and dusty.  And Kumbakonam is
steeped in tradition and so you trip over temples like crazy.  you
have to be religiously bat shit religious to appreciate it.  Like me.
Visiting Kumbeswara temple and having dinner later in a nondescript
home based eating joint(Serving you? it depends; is the motto
apparently), everyone was in a hurry to retire.  So we did, back to
Tanjore.

Next morning, the driver disappears and is replaced by another who
claims that the original price agreed Rs 3900 is too less and he needs
another 600.  Furious and a lot of theatrics and calling them in every
name in the Good Book later, we still hire them(the logic beats me
too, even though I was part of the negotiations).  So, lessons are

1.  Negotiate upfront
2.   At the end of the day, don't pay that days rate but less than
that, so that there is every incentive for the correct guy to turn
up.  Just pay enough for petrol filling and Rs 200 for that days bhatta.
3. None of the above is guaranteed to work.

If one is brave enough, the railway station is close enough and one
can fix one taxi every day.


More later....