Tag Archives: Mahābalipuram

IDLI (For 12 idlis)

  1. Buy ready-made dough: idly/dosa batter

Put it in a pot and dilute with a little water

In a idly saucepan

  1. Put a shallow layer of water (1 to 2 cm) and heat
  2. Oil the idly shapes, and then pour the dough in and stack them in the saucepan.
  3. Close and boil +/-15 minutes (if the pan whistles ‘no problem’ leave it like that for 15 minutes)
  1. Accompanying « Chutney ».

Ingredients : 

  • ½ coconut that you empty (white) with a knife; cut into small cubes
  • 1 green chili
  • Dal, 2 tablespoons
  • Garlic (2 cloves)

 Preparation :

 

Grind this mixture in a blender with a little water until it is completely liquid.

Heat in a saucepan with a little oil, and then add in the order

  • The mustard seeds (1 to 2 teaspoons; heat strongly until seeds pop!)
  • Curry leaves
  • Blended mixture

Remove from the flame after +/-30 seconds

  • Add salt

” Indian cooking ”

Indian cooking is wonderfully tasty. Annapurna Goddess always inspires it.

  • Anna = food
  • Purna = complete; abundant; total; full

You will find many restaurants in Mahābalipuram, vegetarian and non-vegetarian and also western-style cooking at the “Nautilus”, run by a Frenchman who has been living in India for a very long time, and at the “Au Yogi” run by a former Indian yoga student, married to a Belgian. There is also “The Blue Elephant” et le well known “Moonrakers”, run by our friend Ramesh, and “The Gecko Café” held by Mani in a nice place with a view on the lake, 14 Othavadai Cross Street. For a kitchen dining room, very cheap: The « Mamalla », S. Mada Street, near the Bus Stand and the « Sri Ananda Bhavan », on the corner of E. Raja Street and Othavadai Street.

If you are invited to eat with an Indian family, you will be greeted with the “Namaskar” (Namaste in the North), the welcome made with both hands together. In India you never wish happiness to someone, it is considered to be in your hands and depends only on you. For a meal you generally bring your host sweets or fruit. You do not say thank you in Indian languages but you can say “Shukrya” (to say thank you in Sanskrit you say “dhanyavaad” or “shukrya” which means “thanks and be prosperious”).

In the large international restaurants, your cutlery will consist of a spoon, fork and knife while in more modest restaurants you are likely to have only a spoon for the semi-liquid dishes. You eat with your fingers of your right hand in India and only with them as those on your left hand are considered impure. In the North you may take the food with your whole hand, but in the South it is considered more polite to use only the end of your fingers. Bread or pancakes are used to help you eat.

In many restaurants in India, the cold chain is not necessarily respected. Fridges or freezers are often turned off to save money, so avoid eating food that has been frozen.

In the temples, saffron powder, blessed water from the Ganges, and sometimes blessed food are offered to visitors as a sign of “Prasad”, blessing of the Gods. It is considered impolite to refuse such gifts.

It’s cuisine

The types of food served in the North differ significantly from those served in the South. Southern cuisine is quite different from the northern culinary habits in that it is much more vegetarian in most of the hotels, with the exception of the international hotel chains. On the other hand, you will more often find fish either grilled or in sauces, in the South.

Southern cooking is generally spicier than that of the North. For those with sensitive palates, you can ask the cook to reduce the spices (“No chilli, please”).

During the meal, our Indian friends drink water or “lassi” which is a diluted dahi (yoghurt), salty or sweet, sometimes with a taste of rose water.

You will often find local beer in the restaurants. Tea and coffee are almost always drunk outside mealtimes in the morning or afternoon, and are served with milk (reminder: alcohol is not sold in the general stores in Tamil Nadu, but only in specialised stores). 

Dishes that you must discover for a heavenly tasting experience … 

At breakfast

  • Idli(s), a sort of steamed rice ball served with a spicy sauce and coconut chutney.
  • Plain dosa, lentil flour pancakes served with a spicy sauce and coconut chutney.

At midday

  • Chapatti (ćapātī): kind of unleavened wheat wafer or thin pancake cooked on a “tava” (metal hotplate), which is served with spicy cooked vegetables and coconut chutney.
  • Masala Dosa: lentil and rice flour pancake, stuffed with spicy vegetables served with a spicy sauce and coconut chutney.
  • Nann or naan: in Indian cooking a kind of large leaf-like flat “bread” cooked on the vertical side of an earthen oven, and made with flour and a little yoghurt as leavening, oil and salt, served with each course. It comes down from the 16th century Muslim tradition in India. It is delicious.
  • Parata(paratha): in Indian cooking a kind of “bread” served with the main course or or with the first course. Paratha(s) should be about 3 mm thick. They are made with flour, dal, ghee (clarified butter), salt and a little water. The pastry is flattened with a rolling pin and cooked on a “tava” (metal hotplate) with butter and ghee. They are served with spicy cooked vegetables and coconut chutney. A paratha stuffed with potatoes is called “aloo paratha”.
  • “Thali”: in the South of India traditionally served on a banana leaf, the thali is a complete meal where first course, vegetables, dal (lentils) chutney, and dessert is served at the same time, with rice and chapatti or paratha. 

Other additional information:

  • Travel information: “flights” and “transfers”
  • “Visas”
  • Finding an “hotel” in Mahābalipuram
  • Taking photos in India
  • Information on “health” in India

Masala Dosa (for 2-3 people)

DOSA (S) :

Dough made from rice and dal powder

Ingredients :

  • 2 onions
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 Green Chile
  • 2 or 3 potatoes
  • Curry leaves
  • Mustard seeds
  • Dal, a handful
  • Turmeric, a pinch
  • Salt

Preparation :

1.  Boil potatoes

  1. Cut the vegetables into cubes
  1. Heat oil in a frying pan then add in the order :
  • Mustard
  • Small curry leaves
  • Dal
  • Onion and chilli
  • Tomatoes
  • Turmeric
  1. Cook dosas in a pancake pan
  1. Crush the potatoes by hand and add them to the preparation
  1. Warm all by adding a little water to make a sort of “paste” a bit sticky !

Put preparation on dosa and serve

Biryani Rice (for 4 people)

Ingredients :

  1. One onion
  2. One potato
  3. One carrot
  4. 5 to 6 green beans
  5. Peas (a good handful)
  6. Chilli
  7. 2 or 3 fresh tomatoes
  8. Coriander (a good handful)
  9. Fresh mint (a good handful)
  10. Cloves (+/-12)
  11. Cardamom (3)
  12. Cinnamon in pieces
  13. Laurel leaves
  14. ½ «Biryani masala» packet {brand: Aachi}
  15. ½ packet of “ginere garlic paste” {Aachi}
  16. 2 cups of biryani rice
  17. 4 cups of water
  18. Salt
  19. A pressure saucepan

Preparation :

Cut all the vegetables into small cubes, remove the mint leaves from the twigs (not cut), chop the Coriander into small pieces

  1. Heat oil in pressure Pan + / _ 1 minute then put in order stirring in, all the time :
    1. Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Laurel leaves.
    2. Onion and chilli
    3. Ginger paste and garlic
    4. Tomatoes
  2. Boil while stirring for 2 minutes then add in order
  3. Cut coriander and mint leaves
  4. All vegetables diced
  5. 4 glasses of water
  6. 2 glasses of washed rice
  7. Salt
  8. ½ packet of biryani masala
  9. Cook until the pressure saucepan whistles, turn off the gas, wait for the pan to cool down and serve

Raïta (en accompagnement du plat) Voir la recette 

Vegetable Upuma (for 2 people)

Ingredients :

  • 1 tomato
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 potato
  • 5 to 6 green beans
  • Green peas
  • Dal, 1 hand full
  • 1 Green Chilli
  • Curry leaves
  • Fresh Coriander
  • 250 gr roasted Rava (powder)
  • Sunflower oil (vanaspati oil)

Preparation : 

1 cut the vegetables into small cubes

  1. Put in a saucepan cold-water onion, carrot, beans, potato, and peas.
  2. Bring to a boil and Cook for +/-10 minutes (1/2 of cooking time)
  3. In a frying pan, heat the roasted rava without any fat
  4. Put the oil to heat in another saucepan then add in order :
  • Mustard seeds
  • Curry leaves
  • Dal
  • Onion
  • Chilli
  • Tomato
  • Vegetables that have been cooked
  • 3 glasses of water

6.  boil all for 5 minutes
7.  Add the roasted rava gently stirring
8.  Add fresh coriander
9.  Book to boil
10. Stir in the oil (vanaspati)
11. Add salt

This forms a kind of vegetable porridge

Photos of India (Ashtanga Yoga workshop in India Mahābalipuram)

South India and Photos

A journey to India is at the same time an inner journey, intimate and dazzling and an outside journey during which each moment may offer a discovery, a deep encounter.

For photographers, India is a real paradise, one of the best spots for those who like colorful pictures full of emotion.

To take photos in certain places you will have to pay a tax for your camera or video camera (more expensive) but then you will be free to catch a beautiful ray of light, to make the best of each magnificent place. India is an unbelievably visual country, where anything can become a subject for a photo.

Often people spontaneously ask to be photographed, they nearly always say yes, if asked. 

Other complementary information :

  • Journey information, airplane, and transfer
  • Visa
  • Finding a hotel in Mahābalipuram
  • Indian cooking
  • Information: Health in India

Hotels in Mahābalipuram

In South India, the old village of Mahābalipuram, today known, as Mamallapuram is located in Tamil Nadu. It is an old historical town that used to be an animated seaport at the time of the Palava(s). There are various historical monuments, most of them having been built between the 7th and 9th century AD. UNESCO has classified the site as part of the World Heritage; there are many exceptional monuments, walking to meet them is allowing oneself a moment of self-discovery.

There are many accommodation possibilities in Mahābalipuram, you will find hotels at an affordable price and also luxury hotels where you will be treated as a royal guest.

Thousands of flavour lovers are attracted to Mahābalipuram for it’s lovely Indian cooking.

Below, is the hotel selection made by the Ashtanga Yoga Institute :

  • Les hotels Daphnés
    1. Daphne Hotel
    2. Blue Elephant Guesthouse
    3. Daphne Beach Hotel
  • Pallava Dynasty Comfort Cottages
  • Green Woods Beach Resort
  • Siva Guest House
  • Sri Murugan Guest House
  • Breeze Hote
  • Radisson BLU Resort Temple Bay

Security for a stay without worries :

Always keep your suitcases locked, leave your valuables in the hotel’s safe, never leave your passport in your luggage and always have a photocopy of it with you. 

Other complementary information :

  • Travel information « flight » et « transfer »
  • The « Visa »
  • « Indian cooking »
  • « Photos » India
  • Health information in India
  • Dressing advice

 

 

Information ‘health’ in India, Ashtanga Yoga Workshop in India (Mahābalipuram)

Health

An informed yogini being worth (at least) two, you will be able to leave safely with a light heart and a joyful soul and enjoy your stay in South India, a discovery full of fragrances, colours, sounds…

No vaccine is mandatory for the Indian subcontinent (this of course, does not exempt the traveller from keeping his vaccines up to date).

If you have an on-going treatment, don’t forget your medication. You can take a basic first aid kit with you, containing bandages, plaster, analgesics, anti-diarrheal, laxatives, medicines for treating colds and soar throats, vitamin C. Be careful of the sun and the heat, that cause insolation and dehydration. There are many chemists in India where you can find what is necessary.

If you intend to travel in India, malaria being in constant evolution, get information on it’s prophylaxis depending on the regions you want to visit.

How to protect yourself from mosquito bites, vectors of chikungunya

Individual protection needs chemical and concrete means.
From 5.45 pm onwards, wear long clothes and protect your feet and ankles.
It is recommended to impregnate your clothes with a repulsive spray. Some repulses can be put directly on the skin. Be sure to put them on regularly (every 4 or 5 hours depending on the product). For new-born babies and babies under three months, find a mosquito net specially made for cradles, if possible impregnated with an anti-mosquito repulsive, it is the only method that is efficient.

On the spot, you will find anti-mosquito products in the form of sprays or creams, as well as sun creams.

 

The water

  • Always drink bottled water and make sure the stopper is sealed
  • Drink hot drinks like “tchai”

For the others illnesses

In Mahabalipuram, there are several Doctors who practice occidental medicine and, since last year, there is also an Ayurveda Doctor. There is also a small hospital “Suradeep Hospital” situated 15 Thirukumam Street, and 20 km away on the road to Chennai, there is a big ultra-modern hospital (to be preferred).

Turista (diarrheal)

It is caught usually due to the water or food containing relatively common bacteria. A little advice and some good medicine in a travel pharmacy will be very useful. Prevention remains the best method.

  • The first reaction is to drink clean, lightly salted bottle water, sealed at the neck to avoid dehydration.
  • Charcoal capsules
  • If inefficient take “Imodium”, if it does not work then take an antibiotic such as “Fluroquinolones”

If an infection occurs when you get home

The most usual cases are:

  • Gastrointestinal disorders
  • Skin infections
  • Fever or flu-like symptoms

In all cases, if the symptoms last or get worse, don’t forget to tell your Doctor that you were in Asia.

For this subject, you can consult the following websites :

  • Tropical Medicine Institute “Prince Leopold”
  • Question-Santé
  • “Santé Voyage” with as bonus health information by country
  • “A.S. Adventure”. Several shops in Belgium of which several in Brussels
  • traveling-doctors.com

Other complementary information :

  • Travel information « flight » et « transfer »
  • The « Visa »
  • Finding a « hotel » in Mahābalipuram
  • « Indian cooking»
  • « Photos » India
  • Dressing advice

Information about Ashtanga Yoga trips and seminars in India (Mahabalipuram)

There are many flights to Chennai (Madras) from the major European airports. India being one of the most visited countries in the world … book your flight early, and enjoy the many benefits that the practice of Ashtanga Yoga will bring you, let yourself be dazzled by the fabulous temples of Tamil Nadu, Mahābalipuram, Kanchipuram, Tiruvannāmalai, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Darasuram, Tanjore, as by the profusion of details, the vibrant colours in the sanctuaries, where the stone contrasts with the radiance of the shimmering saris of Indian women.

For your session of Ashtanga Yoga in India

Flights : Whether it is a business trip or a holiday, many aviation companies propose an Internet registration service that allows you to reduce your waiting time at the counters of the airport.

Do not forget to register your « Miles » for a next trip to India. 

Travel agencies

In Brussels, we have had the pleasure of working for many years with « Welcome Travel » agency. They are very efficient and of good advice.

In Paris we recommend the agency « La Maison des Indes ». They favour intellectual and cultural curiosity. Phone: 01 56 81 38 38 (From Monday to Saturday from 10 :00 to 19 :00)

Airline companies

  • Lufthansa : German national airline company. Take advantage of their « discover the world » advantages. Lufthansa
  • Jet Airways : largest private Indian airline company. Their slogan is « The Joy of Flying ». Unfortunately they don’t have any direct flights from Brussels to Chennai (Madras)
    Jet Airways
  • Etihad Airways : book your flight to Chennai with the national United Arab Emirates airline company. You will enjoy an outstanding service for which their staff has received several awards, and arrive rested at destination. At your arrival, the sounds, the perfumes and the colours that enlighten every street of the city, will enliven your senses. Etihad 

Luggage 

International flights

Depending on the airline company, your luggage should not exceed 20kg to 30kg. You can buy or pre-book extra luggage weight before your departure (through the travel agency). Extra weight usually cost around 50$ per kilo.

Domestic flights

Indian companies allow up to 15kg. Please note they are very strict on the weight limitations. For any extra kilo they usually charge 5$. It is better to lock your main luggage. Your cabin luggage should not exceed 7 kg and 56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm.

For domestic flights please avoid any instrument resembling a weapon, knife or even a nail file…

The Security (or safety) air

Be carefull : All batteries in devices must be charged (TSA). If your mobile phone, your tablet… are discharged, the boarding security service may think you are a terrorist carrying a bomb…

Control of airport security : 

Security checks are unfortunately necessary to travel by air, some passengers find them more annoying than anything else.

Here are some tips to make sure that everything goes as well as possible :

  • Remove all metal objects such as keys, mobile phones (charged battery), coins, wallet, belt if the loop is metal, etc. and place them in one of the available plastic bins.
  • Remove your coat, jacket, Sleeveless Jacket and place them, as well as your hand baggage, in one of the plastic bins.
  • Remove all liquids and gels from your hand luggage and place them in a separate bin. Don’t forget that you are allowed to carry, only liquid containers and gels up to 100 ml maximum, in your hand baggage, sprays are prohibited.
  • Remove your laptop and tablet from your bag so that they can be analysed separately (battery charged).
  • Follow closely the instructions given by security personnel

And everything should go smoothly, with a smile…

Transfer :

Transfer from the international airport of Chennai (Madras) to your hotel in Mahābalipuram :

  • At night, by Taxi : the price should be around 1400 Roupies. The transfer takes about 1h20 at night.
  • During daytime: bus n°108 B. Unfortunately this bus is not very frequent.
  • If you prefer, we can organize a taxi to pick you up for the transfer between the airport and the hotel

Money

I advise you to take either :

  • Cash in Euros
  • Traveller’s cheques, although these are not so convenient as you will lose time at the bank
  • Credit cards (American Express, Visa, Eurocard,..) are only accepted in large cities and big hotels. 

Exchange of currency in Roupies 

You can exchange currencies at the airport. Be careful, the Exchange service of « Thomas Cook » has a lower exchange rate than in Mahābalipuram. 

You have to show your passport for the transaction, and you must keep the « encashment certificate » which will allow you to exchange your leftover rupees when you leave the country. Bankcards can be used in big hotels and shops in urban centres. Traveller’s cheques in Euros can easily be changed in banks. You can only take cash out of your account in large cities either from the banks (takes a long time) or from automatic withdrawal counters marked “ATM”. There are now two “ATM” counters in Mahābalipuram. When you leave the big cities or centres, please make sure you have enough rupees or euros and preferably in small bills as it can be difficult to find change. 

The exchange rates are relatively stable. You can check following website to have the recent exchange rates : Oanda 

Water

Never drink tap water ! The water is not always potable. 

Electricity

220 Volt is common in India. It is nevertheless advisable to always check the voltage before connecting a device. It can be very useful to bring a flashlight/torch, in case of a blackout (this is frequent) and it is useful for visiting caves and temples. 

Time zone

  • Summer time : + 03.30 h GMT
  • Winter time : + 04.30 h GMT

 Bibliography/reading list

We have prepared a reading list for travel guides to India, novels, and history books.

Lonely planet :

  • Travel guide: guide book of the South of India and Kerala – a complete guide covering all regions from South India: Mumbai (Bombay), Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bengaluru (Bangalore), the Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chennai (Madras), Kerala and the Andaman islands, and Odisha (Orissa)
  • Discover India

Hachette

  • Guide Voir: India per region, illustrated maps, detailed advice on visits, excursion proposals. Clever 3D maps of cities so you can better prepare your visits to Delhi, Jaipur, Pondicherry, Calcutta, or Bombay…
  • India Attitudes: small guide on customs and traditions

Le Routard

  • South India: trace your own route

Guide Bleu 

  • South India : an in depth discovery of the South of India in 4 chapters, illustrated maps, a small dictionary and bibliography 

Some books about India

“Once you have felt the Indian dust you will never be free of it”
Rumer Godden

  • « De Gandhi à Bollywood », test your knowledge, by Fédéric Testu, Editions Ellipses
  • « Histoire de l’Inde », by Alain Daniélou, édition Fayard
  • « Inde »: history, religion, traveller’s life, by Rainer Krack, Pages du monde 

You can find the latest publications on http://www.indeenlivres.com 

Language

English is widely spoken in the cities of India. India has hundreds of dialects and 18 officially recognized languages. The difference between the Indo-European spoken in the north and the Dravidian languages used in South India provides that English is an essential means of communication between the people of the north and south.

GSM / Iphone

GSM / Iphone

Cellular phone

Most of the foreign providers offer mobile Internet access (roaming) in India, but the rates are high.

Important advice

Remember that apart from the beauty and wealth of this country, India is and will remain India. It is advisable to look on the bright side to enjoy your stay at the fullest.

Additional information

  • Visa
  • Find a hotel in Mahabalipuram
  • Indian cuisine
  • Photos of India
  • Heath care
  • How to dress