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| Sambalpur |
Sambalpur: famous for its Sambalpuri Saree, the Sambalpur District is the western part of state of Odisha. The District is surrounded by Deogarh District in the East, Bargarh and Jharsuguda Districts in the West, Sundargarh District in the North and Sonepur and Angul Districts in the South. The District of Sambalpur has a history full of events including Indian freedom struggle representing the different section of the society. It took me 9 hours to get to Sambalpur from Kolkata by train.
I was greeted by my friends at the railway station and we made our way to their home. I also met another Kiwi family and we all went to a local church gathering where they distributed sarees to widows and women. That night we had dinner together and after dinner we went to a local Church to participate with them in welcoming New Years together. Despite of the language barrier, it still made fun. We all sang few songs together, than there was a singing competition followed by a Quiz. We as foreigner did score few points.
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| Cows of Sambalpur |
Early next morning I went back to Sambalpur Railway station to catch my train to Bhubaneshwar, to catch another train to Chennai that same evening. However, I had a wonderful time with my friends in Sambapur. It is so edifying to meet people whom you know especially in a foreign place like India. We can talk about things, talk about rugby, news and even share each others experiences.
Chennai
Another 20 hour train ride. My number one reason to visit Chennai was to see the Tomb of St Thomas who was killed in Chennai. The old name for Chennai is Madras. I found Auto / taxi / bus drivers quite honest in Chennai. Twice I caught the wrong bus, they didn't charge me any money and was very helpful. Auto drivers used taxi meter even for short runs and never charge extra money.
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| The site where St. Thomas was killed - St. Thomas Mount, Chennai, India |
Thomas the Apostle, sometimes informally called Doubting Thomas or Didymus which means "The Twin", was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, according to the New Testament. He is best known from the account in the Gospel of Saint John, where he questioned Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, followed by his confession of faith as both "My Lord and my God" on seeing and touching Jesus' wounded body.
There is a general belief that Christianity was brought to India by European priests during 16th century AD. However, only very few people know that some Indians embraced Christianity in the very beginning – in the 1st century AD itself. St. Thomas was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ. He was perhaps the only Apostle who crossed Rome to preach Christianity. He was believed to have landed in Kodangallur town located in Kerala state of India in 52 AD. It is also believed that St. Thomas was killed in Chennai in Tamil Nadu state, India, and the St. Thomas Mount area in the outskirts of Chennai city and the popular hilltop church are associated with the history of St. Thomas.
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| St Thomas Basilica Church - where St Thomas was laid to rest |
I spent 3 nights in Chennai, and by this time I had enough.I don't know what else to do in Chennai. If one wants to do more, than be prepared to dish some money. Now my next journey was to Kanniyakumari.
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| Kanniyakumari Railway Station - cleanest so far |
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| Kanniyakumari Railway Station |
Kanniyakumari: Two things I have been told about this place, 1. watch the sunrise, 2. watch the sunset. I stayed in kanniyakumari just one night.
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| Sunset in Kanniyakumari |
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| Sunrise in Kanniyakumari |
There are lot of churches in Kanniyakumari. I found at least 8 in the center of the city. There is a huge Christian presence in kanniyakumari.
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| Shrine of our Lady of Ransom |
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| Peculiar Architecture |
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| Jesus with Fishermen |
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Vivekananda Rock - transfer by ferry
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| Vivekananda Rock and Thiruvalluvar Statue |
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| Selfie at Kanniyakumari |
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| Panoramic View |
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| Panoramic View of Kanniyakumari from the Jetty |
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| Rise and Shine |
Kanniyakumari reminds me bit of Fiji Islands. The smell of fresh fish, the sights of coconut trees, ornaments made from seashells and other stuff. People understood bit of Hindi and was very friendly. Now my next destination is: Kochi in Kerala.
See you in Kochi
Ravi
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