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In the morning I hired a taxi (800 Rupees/ $17.00) for a day trip to Puri. It is said to be one of the four holiest places in India.
India 2002 - Part Two: Bhubaneswar, Puri & Konark
Dougburnett2003-11-24 11:56:59
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lined the entrance to the temple: cripples and lepers holding up their misshapen limbs in supplication. There were also the money changers who make their living selling small change. They will "sell" you 8 one Rupee coins for a 10 Rupee bill. With a hand of coins you can answer the cries of the beggars and cripples.
On the backside of the temple I saw a small knot of people and walked over to see what was going on. Immediately a space opened in the smiling crowd so I could get up close to see what turned out to be a snake charmer. This one had a hooded cobra rearing out of his baskets.
With the same theatricality as the other snake charmer, he made a long speech before opening each basket - probably telling how dangerous each viper was. Finally, he had 5 baskets open, each with a rearing cobra. I was clicking pictures all the time- he actually seemed flattered. He then quickly closed all but one basket and stood up with it in his hand. He then walked around the crowd holding the basket out - with the cobra still rearing in it. I threw a 10 Rupee note in from as far away as I could get. Even my driver gave him a few coins.
We continued our walk. I found lots to photograph as Dusasun waited patiently. When he stopped to get some coffee, I wandered off to look at more of the vendors. They were selling everything from shovels to padlocks, from cigarettes to cookies.
We finally got back in the car and left for Konark to see another famous temple. On the way we stopped for a quick look at the beach and the Bay of Bengal. The wide, sand beach was crowded with Indian families and beyond was the dirty, gray bay. It didn't look very inviting.
Konark, about 30 minutes away, has one temple. It's a pyramid-shaped structure with large, carved wheels that make it look like an enormous wagon. It was also covered top to bottom with carvings. There are all sorts
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See photographs from:
India Gallery
