Rock Fort Temple

Although this trip to India was primarily a shopping trip, we did make it a point to go to Rock Fort Temple. It is perched on the top of an 83m rocky outcrop and therefore one of the best things about the temple is the feeling of serenity you get from the top. The other side of the coin however, is that you have to get yourself up to the top - 437 stone-cut steps! Of course it's a temple so you need to remove your shoes as you enter - leaving your feet to sizzle as you climb up/down the steps that get heated up in the sun!

Rock Fort Temple from afar. The small bit on the right is a Ganesh temple and the larger block on the left with a small gold dome halfway along it is a Sivan temple.

Mum starting on the climb

The temple walls joining the rock under the blue blue sky

A view from the Siva temple - about halfway to the top.

Looking up at the ceiling. Can you see those blobs just to the left of the middle?

Yup, those are bats!

Some of the columns in the Sivan temple. The low lighting (ie blurriness) in the photo really doesn't do it justice, but they are quite tall pillars and very intricately carved considering they are made of granite.

The ornate and colourful ceiling. Again apologies for the blurriness.

Almost there!

The buildings (houses/shops) around the temple. Pretty densely populated eh?

That stretch of dirt in the middle bit is a river (the Cauvery River I think). Although you can tell it's almost peak summer as most of the river is actually river bed.

The walk back down. It was about midday so although pretty hot, not as hot as it is at about 2pm when the stones have had time to bake! (Sorry there are no photos of the temple itself but it's considered bad form to take photos inside.)

Elephants are considered sacred animals in Hinduism so after giving the elephant a banana (which he scoffs pretty quick) you receive a blessing from him - he pats your head with his trunk.

Elephants rock :)