Mysore (India, Not Newport Pagnell)

11-01-2010

We were having a great time until we got to the so-called sacred town of Srirangapatnam where our roll-bag containing tent, sleeping mats, goggles, winter gloves and most importantly, expensive and near useless to anyone but ourselves, our BMW waterproof, cold weather suit liners was half-inched off the back of Caf's bike. Mysore managed to take our minds off it for a few days and the city is noticeably calmer and easy-going.

Nandi, the 350 year old resident Shiva's bull vehicle, was in fine fettle being carved out of solid rock and covered in flaky coconut husk charcoal mixed with ghee while pilgrims drape garlands all around.

This shot was taken within the walls of the flower and veg market, a plethora of colour, smells and noise.

This stall holder is selling kumkum for the bindi dots for religeous rituals

and in front there were hundreds of flowers being strung into garlands

along with

incence being rolled by hand

and seas of bananas being sold in huge bunches of bunches

These tuktuks

look like they had been outside the police compound for years, failed MOT? and now merely serve as pidgeon roosts.

One of the very friendly herb sellers in the market who insisted in covering me with mint.

The Shravanbelagola temple

monolithic statue approx 100km outside Mysore is said to be the tallest in the world standing at 17.5m, you had to climb 660 steps to get there though so we were too knackered to appreciate it fully. I think we took away a lot of it's glory as the school parties were more interested in talking to us than taking in the history!

This lady

did not shed one single tear.

The Mysore Palace and grounds

are lit up like a Christmas tree every Sunday and on public holidays, no wonder there are power cuts at the weekend, and this was just the entrance gate.