of all the temples i have been to, and that is a lot, i can relish one or two with the same amount of taste as i would a cup of fresh filter coffee. more than the temples, it is the place that lends the temples their aura, of mysticism, of life and color. particularly, if the temple happens to be located right in the heart of a big city, cocooning itself from the rest of the city and appearing to be as old as it really is, then it is a find.
but no, i am not going to write about kapaleeswarar temple, or marundheeswarar, or TTD in T.nagar. this is the travel diary of a trip to madurantakam, a beautifully created temple town 100 km from madras. you can take any of the express trains to chengalpattu, or the local unit trains(a train for every 45 minutes), or take a bus from koyambedu. the bus stop at madurantakam is probably the only centre of maximum human activity, and the rest of the town is peaceful, with the narrow lanes and kutti sandhus.
1# yeri kaatha raamar.
the instant i see raamar here, he is so larger than life, that i can feel a distinct presence of omnipotence around. he holds his bow, and has sita on his 'madi', and together, the divine couple enshrine everything that is beautiful and serene about the world that we know. there are temples for anjaneyar outside the main temple and also sakkarathaazhwars' and andals' on the prakara.
2# achirupaakam
the story of how lord vinayaka was angry that he was not worshipped when people took out a procession of lord shiva on a temple cart, and how the cart lost its 'achu'(dont know what that is in english!) and they had to install a statue of lord vinayaga before the cart would move! there are two siva perumans inside the temple. one for the king, and another for a sithar. one of the lingams is swayambu.
kanchipuram is a place that is a dream for me. it is too much to take in one single day, including the heat. but once you sink into the meals hall in saravana baavan, everything seems to fall into place, and you regain enough energy to drain for the rest of the day. the train ride to kanchi is fun too. especially with a friend. there are not many trains, so look at the schedule before you leave. take enough fluids, because the place is hot and humid, round the clock, throughout the year. kanchi is a two hour drive from madras by the transport buses(from pillar and koyambedu), and by a car could take less. the number of silk co-ops lining the roads on either side in the m.g road is not surprising, kanchi pattu is a big deal down south.
have good time going to these places, and maybe i can remember my other journeys and post them here.
but no, i am not going to write about kapaleeswarar temple, or marundheeswarar, or TTD in T.nagar. this is the travel diary of a trip to madurantakam, a beautifully created temple town 100 km from madras. you can take any of the express trains to chengalpattu, or the local unit trains(a train for every 45 minutes), or take a bus from koyambedu. the bus stop at madurantakam is probably the only centre of maximum human activity, and the rest of the town is peaceful, with the narrow lanes and kutti sandhus.
1# yeri kaatha raamar.
the instant i see raamar here, he is so larger than life, that i can feel a distinct presence of omnipotence around. he holds his bow, and has sita on his 'madi', and together, the divine couple enshrine everything that is beautiful and serene about the world that we know. there are temples for anjaneyar outside the main temple and also sakkarathaazhwars' and andals' on the prakara.
2# achirupaakam
the story of how lord vinayaka was angry that he was not worshipped when people took out a procession of lord shiva on a temple cart, and how the cart lost its 'achu'(dont know what that is in english!) and they had to install a statue of lord vinayaga before the cart would move! there are two siva perumans inside the temple. one for the king, and another for a sithar. one of the lingams is swayambu.
kanchipuram is a place that is a dream for me. it is too much to take in one single day, including the heat. but once you sink into the meals hall in saravana baavan, everything seems to fall into place, and you regain enough energy to drain for the rest of the day. the train ride to kanchi is fun too. especially with a friend. there are not many trains, so look at the schedule before you leave. take enough fluids, because the place is hot and humid, round the clock, throughout the year. kanchi is a two hour drive from madras by the transport buses(from pillar and koyambedu), and by a car could take less. the number of silk co-ops lining the roads on either side in the m.g road is not surprising, kanchi pattu is a big deal down south.
have good time going to these places, and maybe i can remember my other journeys and post them here.
