TRAVELLING & TREKKING

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South India

South India, Sikkim and Nepal  2000

Madurai

I storbyen Madurai ligger det hinduistiske Menakshi tempel. Templet dominerer totalt bybilledet med sine fire 46 meter høje porttårne der er udsmykket med et mylder af farvestrålende mytologiske figurer.

Menakshi templet, der er opført i perioden mellem det 13. og det 16. århundrede, er en by i sig selv, en labyrint af haller, basarer og bedesteder.

• NetSpirit:  Meenakshi templet      -       Hinduisme

 

Tre af de fire porttårne i Sri Menakshi Temple
Sri Menakshi Temple, Madurai	Mariamman Teppakulam, Madurai: This huge tank was built it in 1646. Today this tank remains empty for most of the year except during the Teppam Festival	Mariamman Teppakulam

Kanyakumari - the land's end of India - is also known as Cape Comorin. It is the southernmost tip of the subcontinent, where the waters of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean meet. It is famous for its fabulous sunrises and sunsets. Off the coast on an imposing rock, is the Vivekananda Memorial.
 

Suchindram temple, Tamil Nadu
 

Suchindram temple Templet ligger i Tamil Nadu 11 km fra Kanyakumari, Indiens sydligste punkt.

At Suchindram, on the way to Kanyakumari, is the great Temple dedicated to Brahma Vishnu and Siva. The temple here is known for its intricate stone carvings.
Even from a distance the 134 feet tall gopuram or the tower of the Suchindram temple with the sky as a backdrop is an awe-inspiring sight. Suchindram Temple is counted as one of the foremost shrines in southern India. The ancient temple with parts dating back to 9th century and the construction of which extended over a period of 600 years is the mainstay of the sleepy village of Suchindram located 12 kms from Kanyakumari. Besides exquisitely carved sculptures of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Subramanya, the temple boasts of musical pillars which emit a chime when struck and an 18 feet tall idol of Hanuman.

Padmanabhapuram Palace is the original home of the kings of Travancore who ruled central and south Kerala.
The ancient and majestic Padmanabhapuram Palace, an epitome of Kerala architecture, is housed in a small idyllic town set against a backdrop of hills, 32 kms from Kanyakumari, on the road to Thiruvananthapuram. The Palace is made of granite and teakwood displaying a perfect combination of clean lines and gentle angles, sloping tiled roofs of various interconnecting buildings, broken by triangular projecting gables enclosing delicately carved screens. The whole ensemble, most of which dates from the 17th or 18th century with some parts dating back to the 14th century, is excellently maintained by the Archeological Survey of India and a guided tour through the maze of 108 rooms leaves one speechless at the artistic expression and sheer opulence. Even the ceilings have intricately carved floral patterns! And the Palace has a dining hall, which seated 2000 Brahmins at one time! The Palace was the seat and capital of the rulers of Travancore, a princely state, for over 400 years, which included a good part of present day Kerala and parts of western Tamil Nadu.
Source: http://www.businesstravellerindia.com/200212/getaway.shtml

• Padmanabhapuram Photos
   

Kerala

• Kerala Tourism

Kathakali, Kerala

Kathakali is one of the oldest theatre forms in the world. It originated in the area of southwestern India now known as the state of Kerala. Kathakali is a group presentation, in which dancers take various roles in performances traditionally based on themes from Hindu mythology, especially the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.  Kathakali
 

Varkala Beach, Kerala

 

The Backwaters
 

The backwaters, Kerala: kinesiske fiskenet og husbåd

The backwaters, Kerala

            NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photo to enlarge

The Backwaters

Besøg i templet i Amrithapuri hos Amma, The Hugging Mother

Cochin
 

Cochin, kinesiske fiskenet
 

Kokosnøddernes skal indgår i produktion af tov

Cochin, kinesiske fiskenet
 

            NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photo to enlarge

Chinese Fishing Nets: At the entrance of Cochin Harbour, Chinese fishing nets are a fascinating sight. These nets were introduced by traders from the court of Kublai Khan. You can also see them along many backwaters. They are mainly used at high tide, requiring at least four men to operate their system of counterweights.

Mattancherry synagoge, Cochin
 

Mattancherry synagoge, Cochin

http://www.the-south-asian.com/March2001/Jews_ %20of_India_Cochin_Jews1.htm

Ifølge jødiske legender stammer jøderne i Cochin fra jødiske handelsfolk, som for omkring 2000 eller 3000 år siden kom sejlende til Malabarkysten i Sydindien. De blev efterfølgende en del af det indiske samfund, men vedligeholdt jødiske traditioner. Disse jøder, som ikke fysisk kan skelnes fra indere, kaldes også ”sorte jøder.”

De såkaldt ”hvide jøder” ankom langt senere, bl.a de sefardiske jøder, som blev udvist af Spanien i 1492 under den spanske inkvisition og som slog sig ned i Goa. Da disse jøder blev udsat for lokale angreb i 1500-tallet, flygtede mange til Cochin, hvor de kom under beskyttelse af en lokal fyrste, som tilstod dem land til beboelse, den såkaldte ”Jewtown” i Cochin. Da portugiserne besatte Cochin i den samme periode, blev jøderne igen udsat for forfølgelse, indtil hollænderne overtog styret i 1664.  I 1795 overgik Cochin til britisk overherredømme.

I dag er de fleste jøder udvandret til Israel, og der siges kun at være ca 20 troende tilbage. Synagogen er dog stadig åben og aktiv, selv om den længe har været uden en rabbi.

Den første synagoge i Cochin blev bygget i 1568, men blev ødelagt af portugiserne i 1662 og genopbygget to år senere under hollænderne.

 

The Catholic church in Vypeen Island, Cochin

St. Francis Church: The church was originally built by the Portuguese in 1510 AD and is believed to be the oldest church built by the Europeans in India. lt is here the remains of the traveler, Vasco da Gama, were initially buried, and 14 years later his mortal remains were taken to Portugal.

St. Francis Church, Cochin http://www.kagw.com/ students/stfrancischurch/

Goa

Goa, 13. dec. 2000.

Inden jeg kommer hjem på lørdag, så lad mig lige fortælle, hvad jeg oplevede i går. Bedst som jeg sad ved strandkanten i Goa under stjernehimlen og nød en masalakrydret red snapper (en fisk) tilberedt i tandoori-ovn og lyttede til bølgernes slag mod stranden og vindens susen i palmerne, så dukkede ud af mørket en flok rød- og hvidklædte børn med en stor dreng i spidsen iført nissehue og nisseskæg, som i kor brød ud i engelske julesange. Så var jeg klar over, at klokken var faldet i slag for denne ferie og jeg hellere måtte se at komme i den rette julestemning.
De sidste fire uger i Sydindien har været lidt op og ned – uden den samme intensitet som vandreturen gennem Nepal: anstrengende og stressende, når den indiske sociale virkelighed bliver for nærværende, stillestående og afslappende på de palmeklædte strande, og eksotisk fascinerende imellem antikke tempelruiner i et øde romantisk stenlandskab.

• Goa Tourism Official website
   

Hampi

Den gamle kejserby Hampi i Karnataka

            NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photo to enlarge

Hampi was once the glorious capital of mighty Vijayanagara Empire (1336-1565), from the Deccan Plateau to the tip of the Peninsula. Founded in the middle of the 14th century by two local princes, Hukka & Bukka, the Vijayanagara empire came to be celebrated for its might and wealth and as a showpiece of imperial magnificence. The emperors of this dynasty were great patrons of art and architecture which can still be seen in the vast ruins of Hampi. The ruins spread over an area of 26 sq. kms. The terrain is dominated by rocky hills and the mighty Tungabhadra river which flows through this rugged landscape

• Hampi and Vijayanagar
• Death of an Empire – The Ruins of Hampi

Hampi
 

Hampi
 

         YUNNAN, CHINA 04