I dwell on the first two days of my travels because they set the tone for much of what was to follow. Louise Nicholson said: “Make of India what you choose.” In the limited amount of time to cover so much of the country, I hoped to get a flavor of its culture, and this introduction through the south gave me more of an understanding of the traditions and the religious practices of India that permeate everything.
Tamil Nadu is referred to as the “Land of Temples” and is the mystical epicenter of India as well as the last surviving classical civilization. Here in Madurai it was interesting to catch a glimpse of everyday life and the unadulterated living rituals of faith that define it.
The skyline of Madurai is dominated by the Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple’s fourteen gopuras, particularly the four outer towers, the tallest of which is 170 feet high. And, much like the Kapaleeswarar Temple, they feature an astonishing profusion of stucco figures of deities, mythical animals and demons painted in vivid colors. The towers were recently repainted by craftsmen who abstained from a number of vices to be eligible to undertake the work.
It has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature but its current lavish aura is testament to the Nayaka royal and aristocratic patronage of the 17th and 18th centuries. The temple complex is within a high-walled enclosure at the core of which are the two sanctums surrounded by a number of smaller shrines. Inside the temple are an estimated 33 million sculptures.
Screenshot from the Madurai Meenakshi Temple Virtual Tour
It is also a “living temple” and one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Hindus. The atmosphere inside the temple is quite mesmerizingly active with hundreds of worshippers and various rituals. A striking feature of the temple is the Thousand Pillar Hall with its amazingly carved columns.
Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple Thousand Pillar Hall
Decorating the Temple’s resident elephant |
Worshippers inside the Temple |
The Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple is dedicated to Shiva and Parvati and is a Hindu temple. The most dominant religion in India today is Hinduism. About 80% of Indians are Hindus. It is a complicated and colorful religion with a vast gallery of gods and goddesses. I had to refer to Louise Nicholson’s practical explanation: “Hinduism is an elusive religion, and difficult for non-Hindus to understand. It has no single sacred text, no dogma, no single prophet, and it demands no formal congregational worship; nor are the faithful obliged to go to the temple, tackle its abstract philosophy, follow specific rituals, or know its sacred language, Sanskrit.”
It seems to me to be a way of life based on individual needs, interpretations, preferences.
The 330 million gods and goddesses are all various aspects of the one universal supreme God (most of the time…) As best as I can describe, the three main aspects of God, the Trimurti, are Brahma as creator, Vishnu as preserver or protector, and Shiva as destroyer or judge. They “come into being from age to age” on a need basis in diverse forms.
What I found fascinating was the direct, active relationship of people with their chosen deities. Waking them up for morning prayers with little bells, bathing, dressing and feeding them, singing lullabies at the end of the day – and how about the puja of throwing butterballs at their statues to seek favor or sweeten their disposition:
Devi with butterballs at the Thiruparankundram temple
At the extraordinary 6th century rock-cut Thiruparangundram Temple just south of Madurai the atmosphere was the most unspoiled, the most sacred I encountered during my trip and I would highly recommend anyone visiting the area not to miss it. It also had a school for boys training to be priests, the future guardians of humanity’s ancient traditions.
Class of young boys training to be priests
To be continued:
Art and culture tour of India- Part 4: Chennai/Mahabalipuram
