So, last entry I forgot to mention two crucial chunks of my time spent here thus far, Chamundi Hill and Mysore Palace. On the left is a picture of the temple on Chamundi Hill. Chamundi is the goddess who slew the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. The hill is the backdrop of the city, and Chamundi is loosely analogous to the town mascot. When the British came, they pronounced Mahishasura as "Mysore." Apparently the name stuck.
We visited Mysore Palace the second day here. Dr. Rao used to direct preservation and research at the palace, so we got a VIP tour. Most of the palace is open to the public to tour, but people still live there (not the maharajah obviously, but still very cool)! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the tour...
View of the dining hall. It was so easy to get lost in the intricate detail, light, and color. There is so much going on, but unlike some of the German castles I saw a few weeks ago, the Indians manage to make it not look kitschy.
These pillars are painted, hollow cast-iron. This is just one example of the extreme brilliancy of color portrayed throughout the whole palace.
The armory. Very cool collection of swords. My personal favorite was the smaller dagger that when plunged into flesh, would pop open on both sides, causing more damage and pain to the unfortunate victim.
There are no words for how beautiful this stained glass ceiling was. If you look closely, you can see the peacock motif, a symbol of royalty.
The popularity of game-hunting finally became real, and very scary to me, as we meandered through the game room. The maharajah and his buddies stored all their "trophies" in this rather large room. There must have been at least 7 or 8 tigers, one cheetah, several water-buffalo, two elephant heads, a giraffe head, and a ton of smaller game animals. If that wasn't bad enough, parts of the animals had been made into tables, light stands, etc...
This was the very first hall we walked into. Notice the large elephant head mounted on the wall. Like I said before, the Raj loved animals.
4 comments:
Rachel,
I have been busy. :-P I had to do all kinds of coursework, plan a surprise birthday party, execute said birthday party, pack up, come home, and yesterday I was in DC all day with my family while Mom finished up the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Busy.
It sounds as though you should be spending more time on your mid-term essays. Besides you're going away today for a week. How are you supposed to read fanfic? You should have brought some books. ;)
Ungrateful child.
Looks like you're having a lot of fun, though! I like the pictures. I also like how your favorite part of the castle was a knife that painfully destroyed people's insides. Way to be.
Pretty new Indian clothes. :) I can't wait to read about more adventures?
With all the love that I possess,
Abri
Wow, that 'game room' beats Mr. Joe Byers' basement anyday,lol!!
And yes, I too thought you looked very pretty in your new Indian clothes, and very comfy!! I love the pictures! Love you lots, mom xo
Okay, so im not sure I would have said the Raj really liked animals. I might have said that he simply liked to kill them and look at their dead and stuffed/preserved forms :) not so much with the liking of them. hahaha, glad to hear you are enjoying yourself! keep safe sweety!!!
Hey Rach just like you to find the knife the sounds like something from SG1 one of the coolest thing there. I prbably would to though, lov ya hope you are having a great time Beck.
PS: I have been taping the final 10 episodes for you
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