Pondicherry

After the hectic past week it was time for a little break. We chose as our destination, Pondicherry and Mamallapuram, in the state of Timil Nadu. Unlike previous adventures, this time we decided to travel by air in the hopes that, upon arrival, we would be a little less stressed and that when we returned from our get-away, we wouldn't have the car ride home there to dispel any inner peace obtained from the break. Unfortunately, there was the car ride to and from the Chennai airport, and while not as long, it sometimes made up for in intensity.

We were booked at the Ideal Beach Resort outside of Mamallapuram, which boasts some very old stone ruins dating back to the 7th century. The site, built by the king known a Mamalla, the "Great Wrestler" extends across a boulder-strewn landscape and comprises rock-cut caves and monolithic shrines, structural temples and bas-reliefs as examples of Pallava art.

(Video with guide)
Although it was hot (100 Degrees F), we managed to see a number of the sites

Panch Rathas: Monolithic rock-cut shrines called the Panch (five) Rathas (processional temple chariots). The place is named after the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the epic, Mababbarata and their queen, Draupadi.

After the trip to Mamallapuram, we headed north to the Crocodile Bank, which provided us our fill of giant reptiles, making up for any sense of having not gotten enough on the earlier trip to Kabini. We were very careful not to put our fingers or other limbs in the pens.

(Video of Crocodile Bank)

Our Second day took us to Pondicherry, which is the former capital of the French territories in India. It was established in 1674 by the French East India Company and, indeed, French is still very prevalent (we even had a few French tour groups going through that helped with the ambiance).
The beach in Pondicherry wasn't much for putting our toes in the sand, so we headed back to the resort, which had plenty for relaxation.

(Video of Resort)
Of course, what resort would be complete without the statues and shrines for the Hindu gods...