Population: 62.1 million
Area: 130,058 sq km
Capital: Chennai
Main language: Tamil
Main attraction: 5000 temples
A little history: The Tamils consider themselves the standard bearers of Dravidian - pre-Aryan Indian -civilization. Their culture, language and history are distinctive from Northern Indian and their ability to trace Tamil identity to classical antiquity is a huge source of pride for them. Ever since Indian Independence in 1947 (the Indians and the Newfies are not too far apart!) Tamil politicians have been against the caste system and Hindi. If only the rest of India would jump on board!
I am in a seaside town called Mamallapuram which was hit by the Tsunami in 2004. It is a World Heritage site with a population of 12,345. Even though it is full of ancient archaeological wonders it is also considered the Kingdom of Backpackistan... I am staying in the plush Hotel Daphne and looking forward to taking in these ancient wonders over the next few days! Across the road is an orphanage and here are a few of the gems that live there.
Ancient wonders up tomorrow!
1 comment:
Glad you are alive and well. Keep the entries and photos coming. Have fun!
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