Another shot of the skyline of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Trichy.
Decorated door in the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.The scorch marks at the foot of the door are from candles and incense sticks, which have been lit and offered to the god in pujas.
Shore Temple, Mamallapuram. Mamallapuram is a short way South of Chennai (Madras) and is a large village which is home to hundreds of stone sculptors. The village itself has a wealth of old temples and sculptures in the form of friezes and ‘Rathas’ – literally chariots, carved out of solid rock. The Shore Temple shown here has been extensively weathered by wind and sea, but has a remarkable amount of detail still preserved.
Carved Elephant at the 5 Rathas, Mamallapuram. An incredible complex of rock-cut temples from the Pallavan Period, 300m from the shore. They were buried under the sand until rediscovered and excavated by the British some 200 years ago.
Sometimes it seems that there is a temple down every side-street. This one is in a village near the town of Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.
This roof shrine is nearby.
Salt workers pose for a photograph at the salt pans near Marakkanam, just north of Pondicherry (now renamed Puducherry, its original name before the French arrived). The sea is allowed to flow into ‘pans’ (not unlike paddy fields!) and then evaporates over several days under the hot sun, leaving behind a layer of salt which is gathered by hand. Salt has been gathered this way in India from time immemorial, but when the British in India imposed a salt tax, this eventually led to the ‘Salt March’ led by Gandhi, where he symbolically gathered salt at the coast after a 200km march, an action that contributed to the loosening of the hold that the British Raj held on India.
Mick Canning 
The artwork is amazing, Mick.
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Especially the sculpture! Thanks, Robbie.
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Love the door picture
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Thanks, Arv. I love doors, too!
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This is one of my favourite posts…. as I love it when you combine India with our British history as well. Amazing how they uncovered the elephants, what treasures to find after all those years.
great stuff – keep it coming!
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One more to come, fairly soon. Thanks, Jackie.
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The pictures are superb. Really clear and makes me want to be there
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Thanks, Geoff. I’m sure you’d love it.
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Beautiful pictures and narration, Mick. The reference to history and the Salt Movement makes it very interesting.
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Thanks, Somali. Yes, I was going to link it through to the article I wrote about salt workers a while ago ( https://mickcanning.co/2016/12/16/indian-salt-miners/ ) but didn’t in the end.
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Initially, I felt it would be a good idea to link up but after reading the post I think it is better the way it is.
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I agree. They are definitely separate posts.
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Good collection and very excellent photography followed with write ups .
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