For our first weekend in India we travelled to Kerala's neighboring state, Tamilnadu. We first visited Padmanabhapuram Palace, which belongs to the state of Kerala but is geographically located within Tamilnadu. We then traveled to the city of Kanyakumari where we visited the monument of Vivekananda kendra, a well known and influential religious philosopher.
The contrasts between the two states was stark. Right away I noticed more poverty in Tamilnadu; more children were begging for money, more children were unclothed, people were squatting in places with no shelter, and people did not look as healthy as they did in Kerala. While walking through an area where squatters settled, one child came up and took my water bottle. He begged until I let go. It was a very sad sight. My feelings about the excursion are mixed. It was difficult to emotionally navigate the experience because in one moment I am marveling at a 500 year old palace and the next moment I am witnessing extreme poverty.
Photos of Padmanabhapuram Palace:
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| Padmanabhapuram Palace |
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| A view from within Padmanabhapuram Palace |
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| Me in my new outfit at Padmanabhapuram Palace |
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| Another view from a terrace within Padmanabhapuram Palace |
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| Columns at Padmanabhapuram Palace |
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| My professor, Dr. Jerry Anthony, sharing his wealth of knowledge. He spent 3 months during his undergraduate studies in architecture documenting the palace. |
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| more Padmanabhapuram |
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| The ladies bath at Padmanabhapuram Palace |
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| Milini and me cooling down with some refreshing coconut water |
Photos of Kanyakumari and Vivekandanda Monument:
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| Kanyakumari, the most southern tip of the Indian subcontinent |
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| A view of Vivekananda Monument from land, before boarding the ferry |
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| Another view of Vivekananda Monument |
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| Vivekananda Monument |
There is so much I wish I had time to write about but the photos will have to do for now. Our travel back to Trinandrum was long and rough. We were exhausted by the time we got back. I'm rested now and ready for another day. Thanks for reading my post!
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