Chennai

Most Indian hotels have a bowl of flowers near the entrance. This example from the Hotel Savera in Chennai, where we ate lunch, is bigger and more elaborate than most.

Intersection in Chennai.

Our bus drove to Chennai this morning so that we could visit the Government Museum there. The only galleries we saw were the ones that held a very nice selection of bronzes. Most of these artifacts were dug up from fields in Tamil Nadu. In the past, when an invasion seemed imminent and there was a possibility that the temple would be looted, the priest and village head took the valuable bronze icons of the gods and buried them in a secret location. Over the years, the location of this buried treasure was forgotten. Centuries later they were uncovered during new construction or by someone was using a metal detector.

A large and spectacular Shiva Nataraja ("Lord of the Dance").

The Nataraja is always dancing upon a baby with a snake.

The Buddha. Hindus consider Buddha to be the final incarnation of Vishnu and have incorporated him into HInduism.