South Indian Journey

This is perhaps the greatest travel book ever written on India . Its broad sweep covers the entire gamut of history, religion , myth, contemporary social aspects of the independent civilisation of the Tamil people. Its rich references to the Greeks and Roman trading relations with the Tamils, Marco Polo's visit to Madurai, the legend of St Thomas's martyrdom , the lost treasures of Tranquebar, Clive and Dupleix warring in Pondicherry and so on is nothing short of stupendous.And its written with great humour and sympathy for the Tamil people (unlike the malicious , racist portrayals of Hindi films.)yet it is such a compact book of barely three hundred pages. In an amazingly crafted plot it takes us right across Tamil Nadu and introduces us to every place's history and myth.The real story of Maya and her children interwoven into the travel plot is so moving and touching and the last scene of Maya's daughters as working girs in contemporary Madras is straight out of Chekov. I am sure future scholars will judge it as a masterpiece . Michael Wood has exceeded even his own high standards that he set in 'In search of Troy".And there is also the story of Dikshidar clan of Chidambaram fighting to keep control of Natatraja temple which is theirs by rights against an atheist government. There are too many strands and nuances to this book to be listed here. I urge all travellers and history buffs and those who the English language to read this book.

I couldn't get "A South Indian Journey" on Amazon without a long wait. Then I discovered on WorldCat that this book came out initially under the title "The Smile of Murigan." A third-party reseller offered this last title on Amazon in very good condition with fast shipping, so I was able to read it before my trip through Tamil Nadu.Michael Wood is a renown travel and history writer who knows India well. He does an excellent job communicating the genuine excitement and respect he feels about the people he met and the places he visited when he joined a bus pilgrimage through the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Wood managed to get into the inner sancta of the Hindu temples he visited, reporting what the casual non-Hindu traveller will never see. This is really an historically informed anthropological account of traditional Tamil culture, which like all Indian cultures is now facing increasing pressures for change.A must-read for anyone traveling to South India.

In his super fluent prose, you can immediately see the imagery! Wood described the reality of life, historical heritage of a brilliant Chola civilization.He should have more moral courage to touch upon the Brahman's migration for dominating the original Tamil cultures (looking at the residues), and the caste and untouchable, and give a deeper account of the Tamil language movement, e.g.,many hunger to death and immolation acts of defiance against Delhi, which bring a revolution against the Northern Hindu caste advocators, and make India a multi linguistic state. After all, marrying into this cultures with his children bearing the India caste names does not do historical justice.

Wood in his inimitable style takes is through miriad of personalities, relationships, values and adventures in Thamizhagam. He encapsulates timeless spirituality and juxtoposes it well against a classical Tamil civilization in the periods of economic empowerment and social churn. It makes us wonder if he stopped being outsider and got sucked into the time warp.

Love all Wood's stuff except this book doesn't have the pictures in the original book and the type print is so thin the letters merge together, tough reading. Wouldn't have known this except I had requested an interlibrary request for same book, (earlier editions are titled "The Smile of Murugan") and it has pictures and a readable font. Donated my purchase to Palm Beach County library for people with magnifying glasses.

Very thorough and Astonishing. There is so much history, probabaly over 20,000 years worth. a lot was lost in the great floods.

This is the first of Mr Wood's books I have read and am looking forward to exploring his catalogue more, without doubt this is the finest travel book on my favourite subject, India, that I have read in some time. Highly evocative of the temple strewn state of Tamil Nadu, this richly researched book goes deeply into the folk lore and religion. I did think it lost its way briefly about two thirds of the way through but this is a minor grumble in an all round excellent work.

This is no ordinary travelogue, airbrushed and glossy. This book takes you into the spiritual heart of Tamil Nadu, India traversing dusty roads, rattly buses, gregarious fellow travellers, noise and bustle. And yet manages to find a warm, serene, quiet space...the garba gruha, the womb of a rich, ancient tradition....alive and well in modern India. It is an intimate and friendly account and makes no effort to hide its deep affection for the land and its people. You won't find it easy to put down.

In preparation for a trip to southern India I picked this book having just finished Michael's history of India. Although very different this book described a wonderful pilgrimage taken by Michael but also introduced the reader to a wonderful cast of characters and experiences. I feel I know so much more having read this book about the culture, customs, history and changes that are India.

I read this while travelling around southern India although not following the same itinerary as Michael Wood.As well as an enjoyable read it provided a lot of background to the many holy sights and sites we saw. It was quick way to appreciate how and why the temples are still active places of worship in a way that most European churches are not.As ever Michael Wood is an articulate, knowledgeable and enthusiatic author who did much to enhance my enjoyment of my journey.

This book has an easy conversational style and is great for understanding more about the history and culture of the area. It is also interesting to compare how things were 20 years ago, when this was written, with how they are now. However you need to be aware that it is based around a kind of pilgrimage to a host of temples across Tamil Nadu. I found the temple visits themselves got repetitive after a while.