In light of my upcoming assignment to India, I thought I’d post this set of images from my last trip there – a selection of images from temple towns in the southern state of Tamil Nadu that sits on the eastern side of the Indian peninsula.
Every time I travel to the south, I feel like a foreigner much to the amusement and surprise of my non-Indian friends in the US (my family is from the northern part of the country). The language is different (India has over 400 languages), food is strictly vegetarian for the most part, and even religious deities have their own southern flavor. Nowhere is this more apparent than the numerous “temple towns” where where the rhythm of life still mimics the time when these towns were first built. The temple still is THE center of life here.
Shiva Temple, Chidambaram
Market inside Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
Young Couple inside Brihadeshwara Temple, Thanjavur
Pilgrims at The Brihadishwara Temple, Thanjavur
Local night market scene, Thanjavur
On the way to attending a festival, Chidambaram
Street Fortuneteller
Meenakshi Temple Pilgrims, Madurai
