4 pages of photos from Tamil Nadu

Ian McAllister · Sep 8th, 2005, 18:02

My family just spent five weeks in South India and I've posted some web pages of photos from the trip.

All my travel photos (I live in China) of China, Viet Nam, Bali, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and more can be found from my index page at:

http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/

I posted 4 pages from Tamil Nadu taken this July and August

1. Ooty - 1 bloody cold, WET nasty day and 1 bright sunny and gorgeous day; well, welcome to the monsoon season. GREAT train ride though

http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum30.html

2. Madurai - 50 rupees buys a camera permit on one of the greatest human spectacles on the planet. The Shri Meenakshi Temple gets 15,000 worshippers on an average day and they're all doing something!

http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum33.html

3. Trichy and Thanjavur
Two more awesome temple towns. Trichy's is brightly coloured and gaudy,Tanjavur's is unpainted sandstone. Both impressive

http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum34.html

4. Kumbakonam, Chidambaram. Pondi and Mamallapuram
I was sick in Chidambaram and Pondi and didn't shoot much in those towns. Chidambaram temple is on fabulous, you can go into the sanctum sanctorum, BUT they'll seize your camera if you take any pictures inside the temple and all the priests aggressively seek donations; still worth it.

http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum35.html

There is also a page from Sri Lanka linked with these plus my other India shots..

Ian

Vasko · Sep 8th, 2005, 18:43

thanks for sharing, nice pics.

john.sw · Sep 8th, 2005, 18:48

Hi Ian - great photos!

Ooty should be spelt Udhagamandalam (pronounced Ood-hagga-man-dalam), not Udahagamandalam.

Funnily enough, it is spelt incorrectly at the railway station and on some maps they forget the "h".

The monsoon during last two weeks of July and the first week of August was relentless 24X7 rain.

It is a shame you couldn't have waited until the end of August for your visit - Ooty is the perfect place to visit when the monsoon has finished!

slakhs · Sep 8th, 2005, 19:32

Hi

Very nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

One small info/correction. Madurai temple is not a Chola temple . It is Pandyan / Nayak (Old temple destroyed by Muslim invader, rebuilt by Nayaks)

Cheers
Slakhs

Ian McAllister · Sep 8th, 2005, 20:38

Thanks, I did not double check when I was posting all those shots, the Madarai temple is, as you (slakhs) said a Nayak temple in Madurai, I'll correct my page.

To John, well I'm a teacher and I guess I take the holidays when they come, such is life. It was still a good trip up there in Ooty.

Merchant · Sep 8th, 2005, 21:13

Quote:

50 rupees buys a camera permit on one of the greatest human spectacles on the planet.

50 rupees??!!?? It used to be 5!!!

Gayamom · Sep 8th, 2005, 22:34

Dear Ian,

Lovely pictures - thanks for sharing them. Out of curiosity, which parts of the trip did your daughters enjoy the most? My daughter is much younger, but I was hoping to gather some itinerary ideas from you, if you don't mind.

getgopi1 · Sep 8th, 2005, 23:53

Very well organized albums with good descriptions!! Thanks for sharing, dude

Digital Drifter · Sep 9th, 2005, 00:16

the madurai pics,

Orange/Vermillion coloured statue- that's Hanuman. If you had been there on sat., the crowd would be a little larger than usual. Legend has it, that praying to Hanuman offsets saturn on Sat.(Shani- what's the astro stuff for it, beats me at this moment)

more later after I go through the rest.

& The last one,

The indian way of "in God we trust, for everything else, we trust Visa"

Arun · Sep 9th, 2005, 05:24

Thanks - been wondering for the longest time what the Rock Fort looks like.

skell · Sep 9th, 2005, 11:09

Your pictures are wonderful! I was there last December and am so glad to see that Mammalapuram looks just the way I remember it shortly before the tsunami. I also couldn't get enough of the big market in Mysore. It's too bad a camera can't capture the wonderful smells the way it can the brilliant colors!

We stayed at the YMCA in Ooty too, and almost froze even with a rented space heater! But the train ride and tea plantations were worth it. And your pictures of Ft. Cochin made me feel like I was right back there!

Thanks so much for sharing!

P.S. Your daughter is gorgeous! Did she get a lot of attentin with that red hair?

docgirl2005 · Sep 9th, 2005, 11:24

Ian love your photos of Tamilnadu. Especially the ones at the Madurai Meenakshi temple. I love that temple..so many colors and people and bells. chanting by priests. It's like a mini city in the bigger city. That thali your friend is eating looks yum.

Did you go to the various temples in Kumbakonam? Did you go to the Nadi Joshiyam guy? lol....anyways great pics!

mikewill · Sep 10th, 2005, 06:31

Hi Ian

Great photos and nicely presented too! Congratulations. Brought back lots of memories from our trip in 2003. Reminds me that we still have loads to see in TN. Glad to see you found the bats too!

Best wishes
Mike

ananda2193 · Sep 11th, 2005, 01:05

Excellent photo's! Can't wait to go back to Madurai someday!

Bigzero · Sep 11th, 2005, 13:49

Excellent photos, and nice captions too! Thanks Ian...

Sep 8th, 2005, 18:02	#1
Ian McAllister Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Guangzhou, China Posts: 21	4 pages of photos from Tamil Nadu My family just spent five weeks in South India and I've posted some web pages of photos from the trip. All my travel photos (I live in China) of China, Viet Nam, Bali, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and more can be found from my index page at: http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/ I posted 4 pages from Tamil Nadu taken this July and August 1. Ooty - 1 bloody cold, WET nasty day and 1 bright sunny and gorgeous day; well, welcome to the monsoon season. GREAT train ride though http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum30.html 2. Madurai - 50 rupees buys a camera permit on one of the greatest human spectacles on the planet. The Shri Meenakshi Temple gets 15,000 worshippers on an average day and they're all doing something! http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum33.html 3. Trichy and Thanjavur Two more awesome temple towns. Trichy's is brightly coloured and gaudy,Tanjavur's is unpainted sandstone. Both impressive http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum34.html 4. Kumbakonam, Chidambaram. Pondi and Mamallapuram I was sick in Chidambaram and Pondi and didn't shoot much in those towns. Chidambaram temple is on fabulous, you can go into the sanctum sanctorum, BUT they'll seize your camera if you take any pictures inside the temple and all the priests aggressively seek donations; still worth it. http://homepage.mac.com/ian_mcall/So...toAlbum35.html There is also a page from Sri Lanka linked with these plus my other India shots.. Ian

Sep 8th, 2005, 18:48	#3
john.sw Up in the hills with my head in the clouds... Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: India/UK Posts: 1,019	Hi Ian - great photos! Ooty should be spelt Udhagamandalam (pronounced Ood-hagga-man-dalam), not Udahagamandalam. Funnily enough, it is spelt incorrectly at the railway station and on some maps they forget the "h". The monsoon during last two weeks of July and the first week of August was relentless 24X7 rain. It is a shame you couldn't have waited until the end of August for your visit - Ooty is the perfect place to visit when the monsoon has finished! __________________ www.nilgiris.asia your guide to the Nilgiris, Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur

Sep 8th, 2005, 20:38	#5
Ian McAllister Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Guangzhou, China Posts: 21	corrections Thanks, I did not double check when I was posting all those shots, the Madarai temple is, as you (slakhs) said a Nayak temple in Madurai, I'll correct my page. To John, well I'm a teacher and I guess I take the holidays when they come, such is life. It was still a good trip up there in Ooty.

Sep 8th, 2005, 23:53	#8
getgopi1 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 105	Very well organized albums with good descriptions!! Thanks for sharing, dude __________________ - Gopi

Sep 9th, 2005, 00:16	#9
Digital Drifter bang a whore? Bangalore Dammit! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,878	the madurai pics, Orange/Vermillion coloured statue- that's Hanuman. If you had been there on sat., the crowd would be a little larger than usual. Legend has it, that praying to Hanuman offsets saturn on Sat.(Shani- what's the astro stuff for it, beats me at this moment) more later after I go through the rest. & The last one, The indian way of "in God we trust, for everything else, we trust Visa" __________________ Click here for the Indiamike train guide in PDF

Sep 8th, 2005, 18:43	#2
Vasko Non-speaker fruit-eater Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: State of Contemplation Posts: 493	thanks for sharing, nice pics.

Sep 8th, 2005, 19:32	#4
slakhs Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: London Posts: 71	Hi Very nice photos. Thanks for sharing. One small info/correction. Madurai temple is not a Chola temple . It is Pandyan / Nayak (Old temple destroyed by Muslim invader, rebuilt by Nayaks) Cheers Slakhs

Sep 8th, 2005, 22:34	#7
Gayamom Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: USA Posts: 86	Dear Ian, Lovely pictures - thanks for sharing them. Out of curiosity, which parts of the trip did your daughters enjoy the most? My daughter is much younger, but I was hoping to gather some itinerary ideas from you, if you don't mind.

Sep 9th, 2005, 05:24	#10
Arun zindabad! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Israel Posts: 170	Thanks - been wondering for the longest time what the Rock Fort looks like.

Sep 9th, 2005, 11:09	#11
skell Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The OC Posts: 975	Your pictures are wonderful! I was there last December and am so glad to see that Mammalapuram looks just the way I remember it shortly before the tsunami. I also couldn't get enough of the big market in Mysore. It's too bad a camera can't capture the wonderful smells the way it can the brilliant colors! We stayed at the YMCA in Ooty too, and almost froze even with a rented space heater! But the train ride and tea plantations were worth it. And your pictures of Ft. Cochin made me feel like I was right back there! Thanks so much for sharing! P.S. Your daughter is gorgeous! Did she get a lot of attentin with that red hair?

Sep 9th, 2005, 11:24	#12
docgirl2005 Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: usa Posts: 443	Ian love your photos of Tamilnadu. Especially the ones at the Madurai Meenakshi temple. I love that temple..so many colors and people and bells. chanting by priests. It's like a mini city in the bigger city. That thali your friend is eating looks yum. Did you go to the various temples in Kumbakonam? Did you go to the Nadi Joshiyam guy? lol....anyways great pics!

Sep 10th, 2005, 06:31	#13
mikewill Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Exeter, England Posts: 276	Hi Ian Great photos and nicely presented too! Congratulations. Brought back lots of memories from our trip in 2003. Reminds me that we still have loads to see in TN. Glad to see you found the bats too! Best wishes Mike Last edited by mikewill : Sep 10th, 2005 at 06:32. Reason: Spelling!

Sep 11th, 2005, 01:05	#14
ananda2193 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: you essay Posts: 1,573	Excellent photo's! Can't wait to go back to Madurai someday!

Sep 11th, 2005, 13:49	#15
Bigzero back to my old ways Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,462	Excellent photos, and nice captions too! Thanks Ian... __________________ miles to go.... Bigzero's Photo Gallery

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

User Name		Remember Me?
Password

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Monsoon in Tamil Nadu	BWINDI	Tamil Nadu	6	Jan 9th, 2006 06:38
Less well known Tamil Nadu	robing	Tamil Nadu	51	Nov 1st, 2005 05:31
Survey on Tamil Nadu	fdrca	Tamil Nadu	9	Jun 7th, 2004 08:17
Car Rental in Tamil Nadu	68markus	Buses, Automobiles, Motorcycles, and Bicycles	4	Jan 3rd, 2004 15:45
Info on Tamil Nadu	keshav	Tamil Nadu	4	Nov 4th, 2003 03:43