Madurai, history, and spiritual gifts

Erin and Shawn and I embarked on a quick weekend journey to Madurai, a city considered to be the cultural center of Tamil Nadu state. We were adventurous and took the bus- no air conditioning, but the open windows did us well, and the price- about $1- was hard to beat. It was nice to see the scenery and not feel like so much of a tourist, at least for those few hours. Upon arrival in Madurai, however, we joined the many other foreigners coming to the city to visit the magnificent Meenakshi Amman Temple and the Gandhi museum. Both of these places were awe-inspiring- one for its architecture and spiritual history, and the other for its detailed accounts of India's tumultous past and the noble efforts of a humble man to establish unity and independence in the region.
The temple, actually composed of two attached temples, consists of architecture dating back to the 17th century. Fourteen gopurams, or towers, rise above the temple walls to illustrate various mythologies with their thousands of intricate, colorful figures. The tallest of the gopurams consists of 1,411 individual figures- one can only imagine how long it took to construct such a thing. The ceilings and walls are decorated with the myths of Meenakshi's life and eventual marriage to Shiva, as she was considered to be an avatar of Parvati, Shiva's wife. Meenakshi was said to have been born without conception, with fish-shaped eyes and 3 breasts, one of which was destined to fall off when she met her true love. This happened when she first encountered Shiva, and the two were married. Various statues and paintings throughout the temple illustrate their meeting and lives together.
It was amazing to see the temple come to life with so many visitors- a multitude of devoted Hindus, people celebrating weddings and births, and foreigners from all over. Many of the stone statues were carved from huge single stones and covered with chalk and ash markings, which people leave as blessings and prayers. Music rings throughout the imposing stone walls and even as an outsider I could not help but feel that I was in a very special place.
After getting a taste of the history and significance of the temple, we explored the city in all its chaos and noise, a welcome change from the rather quiet outskirts of Thanjavur. We had delicious meals, including mango ice cream, and visited a hilarious bar in the basement of a hotel- it was built to resemble the interior of a spaceship, complete with light-up consolses, a bizarre metal portal for a door, and futuristic seats. The musical selection included Tamil pop music, which we're now very familiar with, and some American pop music from the 1990s- a fun and eclectic mix to listen to as we journeyed into space.
In complete contrast, we visited the large Gandhi museum located close to our hotel. I had known very little about the history of India and about Gandhi himself, but the museum filled in the gaps in my knowledge. India has suffered great conflict and tumult both from internal and external forces, and especially the British. It was painful to read about the exploitations of the East India Company and the brutal attacks on anyone resisting British rule. Gandhi's role as a non-violent leader seemed crucial for India's spirit and autonomy- although it is unfortunate that his vision of a united India was not realized, as the division between India and Pakistan still occurred. Nevertheless, it was inspiring and heart-wrenching to read about Gandhi's passion and self-sacrifice in the name of his country and people. It is unfortunate that so few people have both the ability and the audacity to stand up for the wellbeing of people as a whole, rather than remaining under the oppressive will of the privileged. And it is more unfortunate that there are still those who willingly oppress and exploit those who lack the power to resist. Although I don't have the answers to ending such suffering, I am thankful for the inspiration and example that Gandhi and other remarkable people provide.
Back in Thanjavur, this week holds further progress on our implementation and evaluation plans- writing, researching, and our final field visits to be sure that our ideas are feasible and useful for ICTPH, and of course, in the best interest of the people who live here. I still struggle coming to terms with the idea that in such a short time we can provide something that is really useful, culturally-appropriate, and likely to succeed, but I am hopeful that with ICTPH's investment in the rural communities they work in, they will be able to tailor our interventions according to meet the needs of the people there.