Chennai Trip - Day 2
Day 2: Got a call from the groom who decided to check in and see if we were doing just fine. He also woke us up. Had breakfast across the street at Murugans and then went for a lazy walk around Panagal garden. Saw nothing but Silk & Jewelry shops. Came back to our hotel, had lunch and snoozed for an hour. Lunch was at a Bombay style restaurant and did have some spoons.
Hired a cab and went sight-seeing in Chennai. First stop, St. Thomas Hill, the place where St. Thomas lived and died. A beautiful serene place overlooking the entire city and airport nearby. Quick prayer at the old chapel and visit to the souvenir shop and we were back in the car escaping the heat and humidity. On the way down the hill, saw people walking up the hill on their knees!!! Also on the way down, saw a marvelous statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched just like the one in Rio-de-Janerio.
Next stop, the snake park near IIT. Interesting place, nice well fed snakes, but they gave us the creeps and we bid goodbye to some alligator, gharials, pythons and snakes that were camouflaged and couldn’t see them. I suspect the park officials removed them after they died. No I am just kidding.
We then went to the Church of Our Lady of Velankanni in Chennai. This was close to the sea-shore. They were many people praying devoutly and a constant stream that was making their way to the sanctuary of the Church bare-feet.
Next stop, the magnificent St. Thomas Cathedral, which looks stupendous to say the least. It has one of the tallest spires that I have ever seen and it reaches straight up into the sky. . A large grotto which I think resembles “Our Lady of Lourdes” greets all visitors On a large Marble stone is engraved the Ten Commandments and The Beatitudes.
Inside, the church has some beautiful statues of St. Peter and Our Lady of Mylapore. The museum has an excellent collections of coins, artifacts from the 14th-17th century. Stone carving, chairs, pots & earthen-ware, portraits and paintings and weapons like spears takes you back in time. The highlight of this Cathedral is the magnificent painting of St. Thomas with the resurrected Lord and the words adorning it … “My Lord and My God.” Inside the museum basement lays hidden, a large chapel which has an altar built on the tomb of St. Thomas. The Cathedral is built exactly on top of this chapel and if you are in the Church, you can actually see the tomb by looking down through the center aisle.
The Cathedral has some excellent paintings that are in good condition even now. Final stop of the day, and the very long strip of sand… called Marina Beach. Seemed like a never-ending strip with atleast a hundred thousand people. Ok I did not count and I am just guessing but it looked like one of those shots that you see on Discovery with all the wildebeest gathered to cross the Serengiti.
For the first time in my life, I was facing the sea and watch the Sun go down behind me. It wasn’t a beautiful sight and nothing compared to Juhu beach Sun-set, but I suppose Sunrise at Marina would simply be awesome. Even that thought couldn’t get me out of bed early next morning.
posted by Nev @ 12:35 PM
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