The Last Stop
The train ride from Kochi to Trichy felt surreal. The verdant countryside blurred and cleared as the train rumbled on.
The greenery we passed reminded me of the fields in northern Luzon. Was it another sign that my trip was coming to an end?
Selfie on my last train ride in India
Trichy was like any other Indian city I have been to during this trip, but it was sort of somewhere in between. Not really chaotic but not Rajasthan-like either. My friend and I decided to head to the hotel first to get some rest before exploring the city.Exploring the City on Foot
The first thing I noticed as soon as I left our hotel was the St. Lourdes Church, which was constructed in 1840. The church seemed different as it was not like any of the Catholic churches I've seen back home. It had a distinctly Indian look to it.
I wandered to different corners and streets near the hotel and wound up in the shopping district.
The hustle and bustle of other cities in India is right here as well.
I'm going to miss seeing and experiencing the chaos of Indian cities; it isn't like this back home.
Rockfort Temple
Trichy, like most places in India, have a bevy of temples, but the most prominent is the Rockfort Temple towering over the city. The temple sits on a 273-foot high rock.
Devotees climb the staircases just to pray to their gods. This temple was used as a military fort by the British during the Carnatic Wars and by the first Vijayanagar emperors.
The complex has three temples, two of which were dedicated to Lord Ganesha; the temple at the foot of the hill (Manikka Vinayakar) and at the top (Ucchi Pillayar).
Thankfully, it was not hot, which made climbing up to the topmost temple tolerable.
After spending an hour or so wandering around the temple, my friend decided to visit another one, you can't go to India without seeing boatloads of temples!
Srirangam Temple
The Srirangam Temple is dedicated to Ranganatha, a reclining Hindu deity.
It took a while to reach this enormous temple in Trichy. Too bad it was under construction during our visit.
There is always a crowd and line of people coming and going from the temples in Indian cities. I can see the same religiosity back home, it has its pros and cons, but the spiritual fervor is still worth noting.
One sees and experiences the age of the temples once walking into the entrance as it is several centuries old. Inscriptions in the temple date as far back as the 10th century. The temple has also experienced several wars throughout its existence as warring dynasties and outside forces seized power from each other.
Visitor's can't wear shoes while inside the temple.
There were certain rooms in the temple that prohibited non-Hindus from entering.
I'm seriously going to miss seeing random cows and other animals walking about as motorbikes, auto-rickshaws, cars, and people zip by.
The locals walked about the market to shop for whatever after paying respects to their gods in the temple.
Trichy may have been just a stopover, but I did have fun exploring this city even just for one whole day. I don't know when I'll ever return to India. I'll cherish the people and memories (a bit cheesy but who cares????), I've met during the entire trip.