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Swamimalai and Kumbakonam: a day among the temples
A one-day route through the temple towns around our foundry, with bronzes to look for along the way.
Most visitors who come to collect a bronze, or to see a casting, stay a day or two, and the towns around us are worth it. Swamimalai is a short drive from Kumbakonam, and almost everything below can be seen in one long day.
Start early at the Swaminatha Swamy temple in Swamimalai, which is built on an artificial hill reached by sixty steps. Then walk down Sannadhi Street and the lanes behind it, where many bronze workshops sit side by side; you will hear the chasing hammers before you see the doors. Most workshops welcome visitors who ask politely.
By mid-morning, drive to Darasuram, about 8 km away, to see the Airavatesvara temple. The stone carvings there are small and very fine, and the dancing figures help you understand the poses our sthapathis model in wax. Spend the afternoon in Kumbakonam, where the Mahamaham tank, the Sarangapani temple and the Kumbeswarar temple are all within a few kilometres of each other. Look closely at the processional bronzes when the temples bring them out.
If you have a second day, Thanjavur is about 40 km away, and its art gallery holds Chola bronzes worth a full morning. For food, the meals halls near Kumbakonam bus stand serve a good lunch on a banana leaf. Travel between November and February if you can; the summer afternoons are very hot.
