Today we went to the small town of Pillayarpatti in the heartland of Chettinad to an ancient Ganesha temple. The priests in the temple come from the best priest training school in South India and the ceremonies are conducted with incredible rigor and to the highest standard. Ancient Sanskrit prayers are chanted by legions of young priests, as their elders perform the ceremonies. We attended the fire ceremony, or Homa, in which a wood fire is built in a specially constructed hall, and ritual herbs, roots, foods and spices are burned. This charges containers of water with sacred energy and when these are later poured over the Ganesha image in the main sanctuary, the energy is transferred.

The priest pours ghee into the fire.

Our group is seated for the hour-long ceremony.

As more and more offerings are poured into the fire, it roars to life.

Charlie and Debbie, outside the temple after the ceremonies.