Chennai
Day 59: Last Day Kumbakonam - 108 Days Across Eurasia by Martins Ate
Today I waked up at 6 AM to go to the temples. Here is so many temples that to visit all of them would take about one month minimum. So As I'm planning to leave tomorrow and afternoon I have one more homa Vadim organized - I had to get up and rush to the temples!:)
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I visited about 6 of them today. All of them amazing and in each of them asked to do "archana" for my family, my friends and friends families. Archana is ritual made by a priest. Kind of prayer on behalf of the person who asks for it.
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It is incredible feeling to be in the places I was reading about in Mahabharatha, Ramayana and other Hindu religious literature and to know that since the very that time when the story was made-up there is a temple standing in that place where for thousands of years people are coming from all over India to remember that event.
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Also I got a lift by the elephant today!:) that was amazing!:) I enjoyed.
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I fed him with coconuts, bananas and flowers for his amazing work!:) he dropped me almost until the temple where Son was Preceptor to his own Father - Swaminathaswamy.
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Totally I drived today about 100 Km around all the temples. After each archana, puja or homa there is food given by the temple - called "prasad" - meaning - food offered to God. So for last few days - since I'm here and going around the temples - I've been eating only this type of food. In the temples, with hands.. Rice mostly.
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Later afternoon I went to my last homa on my way visiting one more temple - 30 km away from my hotel and afterwards again to the Shukra Temple for my last homa.
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I'm leaving Kumbakonam tomorrow morning at six. So as I will be on a road to Goa - no news till I'll reach it.:)