Alagar Koyil- Part Two

many families at this pilgrimage site

This post is the second part of our Alagar Koyil journey! ( BTW I’m not sure if I’m spelling it right- I see it as Koil & Kovil, too?)  Alagar Koyil is overrun with people, vendors, animals, as busy and crowded as most of the Hindu temples are given that they are in a sense, tourist destinations.   As I said in Alagar Koyil- Part One– we walked around granite temples and then decided to walk the path through the woods to the temple on top.

We walked barefoot beside a small creek.  I couldn’t help but notice most other people had their shoes on, but we had left ours at the temple gate.

the creek we followed

following the path

We passed a small water tank, a pool-like structure; almost all the temples have some version of water like this.  It is tradition.

Alagar Koyl temple water tank

boy by the tank

offerings at a nearby tree

another cool tree

Three miles later we finally reached the top.

We had come out of the forest, and onto a road filled with vendors and people.  The quiet of the woods was far away.

The smooth granite floor of the temple was wet in places from the natural spring water pouring out of a pipe in the wall of a square pit below.  Steep steps lead down into the area under the falling water, and a long line of people were making their way through.  They were all men.   I had my camera, and could think of no way to protect it from the water if we went through.  For some reason I didn’t photograph inside the temple.  Probably, I didn’t want to get the camera wet or intrude on others religious experience by poking it in their face, but now I wish I had just gotten one or two!

Also, I must mention that it is possible to take a bus directly to the top of the mountain if one doesn’t want to walk, but the walk was my favorite part!

we loved the walk