The Tea Route Cycling Tour – Part 1 (India)

The inaugural Tea Route Cycling Tour, which combines traversing Southern India and circling Sri Lanka, has arrived in Mahabalipuram – our last stop in India. This first section started in Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala and ended in this UNESCO World Heritage site in Tamil Nadu, one of the India’s famous tourist destinations. Soon, we will be on a plane to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This is my fourth visit to India, the most populous country in the world with almost 1.5 billion people and the largest democracy on the planet. As on each visit, I am left with a sense of wonder, puzzlement, exhilaration, and confusion, or to put it in other terms, bewildered.

This section gave the riders and I an opportunity to glance and taste the wonder of two Indian states – Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They are different from each in language, size and a multitude of other ways but at the same time, in their diversity, they share the essence and core of what this country called India is. I write, glance and taste, because to discover the essence and core of India for foreigners like me would likely take a lifetime.

Tea plantation, Kerala

So, what would be the essence of India? If you start your visit in India with Kerala, then what strikes me is the cultural mix that exists because of the oceanic trade that existed there, from the times of King Solomon and possibly before, to this day. Waves of traders came from various distant lands – some stayed, brought their religions and culture, intermarried and, over millennia, have left their mark on the state.

The Brihadisvara Temple, locally known as Thanjavur Periya Kovil.

In Tamil Nadu what strikes me most is the spiritual heritage of India. On this tour, we had an opportunity to visit two remarkable sites, Thanjavur and the already mentioned Mahabalipuram. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both having arresting temples that are as impressive as any other UNESCO sites that I have visited, probably much more. Both have thousands of Indian visitors and pilgrims as well, of course, foreigners such as myself. Both are deeply rooted in the spiritual pantheon that is Hinduism, a religion that I can only wish I understood. Yet over one billion people have no problem comprehending and adhering to it. Both sites show artistic creativity that is simply other worldly.

However, the essence of India is most likely not these historic sites and temples. Instead it is the people we have encountered as we pedalled through small towns and villages, meandering among rice fields, plantations forests, vegetables gardens, tea stands, infinite numbers of motorcycles, cows and dogs and, yes, even piles of garbage, of which there are plenty. The warmth that these people have shown us everywhere we went, the welcome they continuously expressed, the willingness to assist and help, the curiosity they showed about us, that is what undoubtedly makes India unique. I imagine this is the result of ancient practices, traditions and the forces that act on a society made of billion and half of people sharing the same landmass. Whatever the reasons, we have enjoyed our stay.

And now, after a short flight, we go from a large subcontinent to a small island of less than 25 million people. What will we see and learn there?

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