Day 160 1 Dec Thur Mysore

Mysore owes its name to the mythical Mahi-suru, a place wher the demon Mahisasura was slain by the goddess Chamundi. The English couldnt seem to pronounce this and so the name evolved to Mysore! We board the local bus to Chamundi Hill, 12km outside the city and wind our way to the top on the 30 minute journey along the narrow road that rumbles to the summit. 

The views across the surrounding area are breathtaking but we are here to visit the Sri Chamundeswari Temple of the twin goddesses Chana and Mundi.  It is also home to a towering and beautifully carved 40m tall gopuram (entrance gateway) complete with Ganesh sculpture.

The square outside is filled with ladies selling garlands,fruit and ready made offering baskets for temple gifts and they all shelter from the heat of the midday sun under umbrellas. They are not alone! There are troops of monkeys perched on walls and roof tops going about their "monkey business", mostly grooming and rough and tumble when we pass - but the girls are delighted when one cheeky creature plans and executes the perfect cucumber theft from a little produce cart and scampers off to the safety of a rooftop to scoff his bounty alone! 

  

 We are again given the "whistle stop - western" tour by a 'temple worker'  -actually we are not sure if he was just a knowledgeable opportunist- but he definitely smoothed the way for our visit and helped us bypass the jostle and crowds of worshippers, explaining the most relevant parts and letting us know when it was appropriate or not to take photos.

We receive our sandalwood mark after making our flower offering and the girls get lifted high above heads to see the jewelled goddesses before receiving a blessing. Again the doors here are solid silver and beautifully carved with god and goddesses - this is Parvati we think!

  

On the way down we find the Hindu pilgrim's foot trail comprising 1000 plus steps - this is the path used to visit the temple. One thing we have learned on our journey that hills are significant wherever in the world we have been, no matter what religion or ethnic group. A third of the way down is a 5m high statue of Nandi - Shiva's bull, carved out of solid rock in 1659.  

On the way down we find the Hindu pilgrim's foot trail comprising 1000 plus steps - this is the path used to visit the temple. One thing we have learned on our journey that hills are significant wherever in the world we have been, no matter what religion or ethnic group. A third of the way down is a 5m high statue of Nandi - Shiva's bull, carved out of solid rock in 1659.   

 

In the afternoon we visit the Sandalwood factory and the Silk factory - (again no cameras allowed) and learn a little of the complex processes involved in their production.