Manjalar Dam Hike and Madurai

This week was a busy but short week for me. I only worked in the classroom Monday through Thursday and then Friday went with the kids on their hike into Tahr camp. Tahr Camp is a reward for the kids who have hiked the most over the course of the year. They take a long weekend and go on a substantial hike, ending in this case, at the vacation home of one of the students. It was a beautiful hike and a luxurious finish.

Here are some of the pretty views:

We jumped off this waterfall into the pool below. We estimated it was about 25 feet, though it doesn't look very high in this picture.

Some photos from the top of Rattail Falls. It felt like standing on the edge of the earth.

(All of the chaperons.)

You come randomly upon graves in the woods.

A view down to the plains. We hiked all the way to the near edge of that water.

Wandering through mango farms.

The coconut plantation where we ended our journey.

We were greeted with fresh coconut water. (It tastes much different from the stuff you get in the can.)

The backyard of the estate the kids "camped" at all weekend.

Two of the chaperons stayed with the kids for the weekend but Raja and I took the bus back to the school Friday night. We stopped on the ghat road and had dinner at this little restaurant. The food was actually awesome. Raja, Muniandi (our guide), and I all had dosa, omlette, and tea and the total was 130 rupee (about $2).

No rest for the weary. Saturday morning I was up and in a car at 8am, headed to Madurai with Benji and Kate. We went to Meenakshi temple and did a little shopping and wandering before heading back Saturday afternoon. The temple was beautiful, though we could only access parts of it being obvious non-Hindus. We did get to see a great deal but unfortunately the temple is only open limited hours on Saturday so we did not get to meet and be blessed by the resident elephant. I am told that elephants are a fixture at many of the temples in India so it is unlikely that I will go my entire trip without encountering one.

Our first glimpse of the temple.

The walls inside the temple courtyard are painted very intricately.

So are the floors. ( You have to check your shoes to enter the temple.)

Even the ceilings are beautiful.

This is the inner courtyard between the temples. This is not just one temple building but an entire complex with 4 different intricate gates in each of the cardinal directions and multiple different temples dedicated to different deities. 

Kate and I in front of one such temple.

The Meenakshi temple. Meenakshi (Minakshi) is the consort of Shiva and the official goddess of the city of Madurai. You can learn about her and the temple at the Wikipedia page.

 Detail of the temple roof. They are so intricate it is amazing. The plaque said one of the temple buildings alone has 360 carvings.

With such a busy Friday and Saturday I am reveling in a quiet Sunday. A trip to market, some religious education, and an ice cream outing were enough to keep me occupied today. 

Hope you all are well and know that I miss you!