Mondays suck.
That is one of those written in stone, facts of life kind of things. However, this weeks Monday was one of the better ones I have had in India. The University took my class to see some of the attractions in Odisha, the state where I live. We traveled about one and a half hours to Konark, the city of the Sun Temple, for our first stop. Although Puri is technically the city of Temples, it is prohibited for non-hindu visitors to enter into the temples, but not the case in Konark. The Sun Temple was constructed in the 1300s as a way to tell the time of day by the large dials etched out of stone placed on each side of the temple. Today, the temple has began to disintegrate, therefore guests are not permitted inside the actual temple's structure but it is possible to walk along the perimeter and up the steps. The intricate stone work was truly breath taking and it was very interesting to learn what a large role this temple played in society as well as all the mythology and stories associated with it. After about an hour of exploring and random photo ops provided by the onlooking and bewildered Indian visitors, off my group went to Puri. Puri is a coastal town, home to many of Odisha's beach resorts. I spent a pleasant afternoon on the sand with a nice breeze going and a book to read. All in all, it wasn't the worst Monday in the history of Mondays.
That is one of those written in stone, facts of life kind of things. However, this weeks Monday was one of the better ones I have had in India. The University took my class to see some of the attractions in Odisha, the state where I live. We traveled about one and a half hours to Konark, the city of the Sun Temple, for our first stop. Although Puri is technically the city of Temples, it is prohibited for non-hindu visitors to enter into the temples, but not the case in Konark. The Sun Temple was constructed in the 1300s as a way to tell the time of day by the large dials etched out of stone placed on each side of the temple. Today, the temple has began to disintegrate, therefore guests are not permitted inside the actual temple's structure but it is possible to walk along the perimeter and up the steps. The intricate stone work was truly breath taking and it was very interesting to learn what a large role this temple played in society as well as all the mythology and stories associated with it. After about an hour of exploring and random photo ops provided by the onlooking and bewildered Indian visitors, off my group went to Puri. Puri is a coastal town, home to many of Odisha's beach resorts. I spent a pleasant afternoon on the sand with a nice breeze going and a book to read. All in all, it wasn't the worst Monday in the history of Mondays.