Kolkata Street Scenes

Kolkata served as the capitol of India from 1773 until 1911 and the British Colonial influence is seen on buildings all over the downtown area.  Spent a great morning walking around and admiring the historic buildings, some restored and others crumbling, and we even found an amazing art deco theater as well!  Added some of the "regular" sightings on the street too, like the sidewalk barber shop and legal assistant on the typewriter...

(They have a bunch of older cars like this on the roads that reminded me a lot of Cuba):

Sidewalk kitchen:

Our art deco discovery, the Metro Theater building, in need of some love and restoration:

 

Flower Market, Kolkata

The earlier you get to the flower market the better, so we hopped out of bed and took a quick taxi ride to the bustling flower market of Kolkata.  Surrounded by thousands of butter yellow and orange marigolds, we walked around, amazed at all the vibrant colors and people...

How to carry marigolds:

Even the stray dogs get decorated and lay on beds of flowers at the market:

Dasabhuja Gotipua Odissi Nrutya Parisad, Puri

Absolutely blown away today by an incredible group of athletes - These dancers wowed us with acrobatics, synchronized moves and innate rhythm.  They have traveled to 14 countries and perform all around India, but the biggest surprise is that they aren't girls - These are all boys in traditional costumes and make-up!

Raghuraj Pur Artisan Village, Puri

We visited an artisan village today, Raghuraj Pur, in Puri and learned all about a variety of painting styles including palm leaf and silk art...

A typical house in the village:

Some of the artwork we saw:

The Sandart Museum

There is a very small, but interesting display of sand sculptures in the town of Puri that can be visited for only 50 cents.  The best 50 cents I've spent in awhile!

 

 

Golcanda Fort, Hyderabad

In the absolute blazing heat of nearly 47 degrees Celsius, we toured the Golcanda Fort in Hyderabad (built in 1518) before catching a flight to Puri...

Mamallapuram - Ancient Temples and Stonework

We arose at the crack of dawn to catch the best light on the Mamallapuram temples and historic sights scattered around town.  First, the balancing rock (Krishna's Butter Ball) which looked like it would roll down the hill at any time, but hasn't moved in over a thousand years.  In the same park, there were caves with unbelievable stone sculptures carved inside and a HUGE wall relief on the side of an immense granite boulder (all of them carved between the 6th and 8th centuries).  Next, the Five Rathas, which was a series of temples and finally to the Seaside Temple, right on the shores of the beach...

Five Rathas:

The Seaside Temple: