Chennai/Mylapore
I left Los Angeles for India at the civilized time of 4PM and landed twenty-two hours later at 3:30 AM in Madras, which recently reverted to its historical name of Chennai, and is the capital of the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The time difference between India and Los Angeles is 13 ½ hours, so the arrival was a comfortable 2 PM my time but oh, that jetlag caught up with me a few hours later after a restless nap of three and a half hours.
Trying to get on the local time zone, I asked the hotel for a wake-up call at 9 AM as I ambitiously scheduled an excursion for the afternoon to visit the 7th century Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore (‘land of the peacock scream’) in the southern part of the city, and in the evening a Bharata Natyam dance recital.
Kapaleeswarar Temple |
Kapaleeswarar Temple detail |
Legend has it that Goddess Parvati, the divine consort of Lord Shiva (a primary Hindu deity,) did penance at Mylapore taking the form of a pea-hen, to appease him for having been distracted by a peacock.
Though the commonly held view is that the temple, dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, was built in the 7th century CE, the architecture appears to be 300–400 years old. The scholarly view that accounts for the discrepancy is that the original temple was built on the shore and was destroyed by the Portuguese, while the current temple further inland was built by the Vijayanagar kings during the 16th century.
Kapaleeswarar Temple entrance |
Street scene in front of the Temple |
The Kapaleeswarar Temple is a “living temple” in fact a living holy place of sacred rites, swirls of incense, worshippers and pilgrims. It is forcefully announced by its gopura, the gate-pyramid tower, covered with statues of flamboyantly painted deities, warriors, kings, dancers, animals and plants.
The culture-shock of the vivid images and exuberant garish colors, upon first encounter on this first day, was enhanced by the intense, chaotic life of India surrounding it. Indeed a fitting introduction, complemented afterwards by a brief exposure to a Bharata Natyam dance festival. Dance plays a vital role for Hindus. They dance for their gods, they dance the stories of their gods, and their gods dance too. Shiva danced the world into existence and is called Lord of the Dance – one of his many names.
The Bharata Natyam dance-form originated in Tamil Nadu and is held as the national dance. Accompanied by classical Carnatic music it derives its inspirations from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram.
Madurai
The Meenakshi Temple in the heart of Madurai |
Meenakshi Temple gopura |
My next day started very early in order to catch a regional flight south to Madurai, primarily to see the famous Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple. This was the first of many hour-long flights during my tour and it was a rather easy experience. Arriving at 9:30 AM gave me a full day to explore pure Hindu culture and lifestyle in a town with a history that goes back over 2,500 years. It is a most fascinating “Temple City” and among the oldest continuously inhabited in India – but still blissfully undiscovered by tourists. I was picked up by a driver and had a guide, Prabhu, to take me around the town, its markets, alleyways and temples.
Upon my arrival I got a fragrant garland of jasmine to adorn me and enhance my day. The city is often referred to as the “City of Jasmine” a flower exported all over the world to perfume factories due to its special sweet scent.
Stories, tales, legends accompany most things in India. Legend goes that Madurai was originally a forest known as Kadambavanam. One day a farmer who was passing through the forest saw Indra, the supreme ruler of the gods, worshipping a self created Lingam, a representation of Shiva, under a Kadamba holy tree. He immediately reported this to King Kulasekara Pandya, who ruled this area at that time. The King then built a great temple at that location and developed a Lotus shaped city around it. On the day the city was to be named, Shiva blessed the land and its people and divine nectar was showered on the city from his hair. The city was henceforth called ‘Madhura’ which means ‘Sweetness’ in Tamil. Later the name evolved to Madurai.
To be continued:
Art and culture tour of India- Part 3: Discovering vital elements of faith in Madurai
