Chennai
Day 57: S.Padhur and Kanchanoor - 108 Days Across Eurasia by Martins Ate
I was not sleeping all night. Don't know why. I was reading a book then walked around the Kumbakonam, went back to the hotel room, took a shower twice and was waiting for a morning. In a last minute I somehow managed to jump into a bus driving to S.Padhur and it was amazing how just an half hour out from the city absolutely different life was. Kind people, total peace and harmony. I enjoyed it very much.
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As I arrived three hours before the arranged time at the temple I walked around the village and enjoyed this so much missed magical moments with nature.
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Smiley people, clean cows, happy goats,long coconut palms, forests of banana trees, clean rivers all in stress-less atmosphere - that is exactly what I was longing for last few weeks travelling. It is possible to enjoy India if it's like this: untouched by "hello" to tourist each 5 seconds, peaceful and quite with squirrels squirreling around.
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At Ten I had a meeting arranged by my business partner Vadim in the temple where local rishis will do the homa on behalf of me and Vadim. Homa is something like a ritual made to remove spiritual obstacles and grant particular person with blessing from specific God's energy. Today I have two homas - each in different temples and for different purposes. One of them started at 10 in the morning and the second at 15:30. So it's a full day for me today.
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Basically my ascetic expedition through Eurasia ends today as this was a reason I was going to India through all Russia, China, Tibet and Nepal. This was my pilgrimage. I will stay few more days in Kumbakonam to visit some more temples and further my "ascetical expedition" is turning into just a travel.
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From today I'm a tourist but still continuing trecking and exploring Eurasia's second part - Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand. But this will be in a different way - this is allready way to my new home - China - to where I will move after spending at least a week in Goa and Sri Lanka beaches where I'm going very soon. Why? Because today I did everything I could not do in the Mt.Kailash - the main reason for my trip. I did it today. With a help of my business partner Vadim, few Brahmins and a very hidden temple where tourists are rare. I'm done!:)
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My ascetic expedition is over. I got what I came for almost in two month duration. Later afternoon I hitchhiked to another temple and where I had another homa for different purpose.
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It ended only at 7:30 PM and was quite magical as there was a need of participating young children in it - there where three or four of them - all sons of Brahmins (priests) and they where taught for particular purpose to chant Vedic mantras together with a priest. Quite fascinating and spectacular that was! I was home only before nine PM; full of impressions, emotions and memories. Went sleep almost the same time as entered - two homas per one day that is a lot of work. I was really tired..:)