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!:)


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.


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.




Also I got a lift by the elephant today!:) that was amazing!:) I enjoyed.


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.


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.


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.


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.:)