mahabalipuram revisited

When you are in Chennai, you easily get jaded when you listen to a request from a friend/relative who is visiting, to take them to mahabalipuram.It is the one tourist spot you wish you need not go 'yet again'.

But then I rediscovered mahabalipuram recently with friends. Leela and Doraiswamy have been living in chennai for a number of years, but never got around to going there. Now they were on a short visit, and mahabalipuram figured prominently in their 'tight schedule'.

She and her husband are discerning tourists and i learnt a few interesting things about the place. Some of the rocks had interesting patterns on them.She said that these holes are made with the primitive instruments that they had, and would pour boiling water and that would help split the rock. No, dont get me wrong, it is not an instantaneous response; the water treatment would go on for a number of days and slowly the rock will ease a bit, for the sculptor to make a slight headway in chiselling the rock into some sculpture that he was planning to make.

Once i heard this, I was surprised to see quite a few rocks with these patterns on them. Her theory was that the entire area was something like a school for imparting sculpting knowledge to interested persons. She showed me the headgear of every man different in the outer wall of one of the panch rathas.Possibly a workshop to try out and teach different patterns.

The holiday crowd was heavy and not a soul in sight, anywhere near parking areas directing traffic. Predictably we had heavy snarls and thankfully just managed to ease out in the nick of time with deft handling by Doraiswamy. Garbage being littered everywhere did cause a lot of concern.How are we going to promote tourism when during the peak and predictable holiday season in the one important tourist spot in chennai, we do not see any sign of tourist friendliness?

The weather was very mild and helped us have the energy to climb up all those rocks.We heard every Indian language there; well almost .The Indian is on a holiday mood and is travelling like never before, both inside India and beyond.

I remembered the last time that i came here accompanying two Japanese business visitors.They showed absolutely no interest in the sculptures and were more interested in the dinner that was to follow in a Japanese restaurant in the city!So the entire tour of mahabalipuram got wound up in less than half an hour.

But this time it took us over 3 hours and we felt we have not seen and enjoyed all that was there!