Temple trek

from 2012-06 Sydney (2)

Colour me red

Mesmerizing art is to be found at the 30,000 temples in and around Chennai

of the temple, alongside a shrine of Parvati, Shiva’s consort and bronze idols of 63 Saivaite saints, devotees of Shiva who composed many poems in praise of the Lord.

If ancient temple architecture is of interest to you, then Tamil Nadu is the place to explore,” said Narayan, a Tamil friend of mine. Google search echoed the same.

So during my recent visit to India, I decide to spend a few days in the nation’s southernmost state and mainly in and around Chennai, to sample some of the artistic expressions of its religious sanctuaries, celebrated as the epitome of Indian art.

Land of temples

Caged by the Bay of Bengal in the east and Indian Ocean in the south, the state of Tamil Nadu is often referred to as the Land of Temples. Over 30,000 temples studded with majestic artwork and rich inscriptions are sprinkled over its 130,000 sq km area, many dating back to over a thousand years. Most of them showcase identical features like lofty ornamented towers, spacious decorative halls, superb gateway arches, high-walled enclosures, intricately carved monolithic pillars and paved pathways around the shrine. They stand in testimony to the rich Dravidian art and culture that was patronized by the early rulers of the region – the famous Pallava, Chola, Pandya, Vijaynagar and Nayaka dynasty kings.

Pious Chennai

The sprawling state capital city of Chennai has a few ancient temples to boast of, among which the Kapaleeshwarar Temple is the grandest. Always packed with thousands of pilgrims deeply engulfed by the pious ambiance of the place, it is a ‘must visit’ destination for all first time visitors to the city, irrespective of their religious faith.

Myths reveal that Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, originally had five heads, one of which Lord Shiva cut off to arrest his pride. Following this, Brahma installed a Shiva lingam to do reparation and it is believed that 7th century Pallava kings built this temple on the same site. Obviously a Shiva lingam is the main nucleus

A striking feature of the site are its colorful towers lavishly adorned with myriad figures of known and unknown gods and goddesses, and rich inscriptions from Hindu epics on surrounding walls.

A deep sense of holiness welcomes you the moment you step into the complex, where the atmosphere is lively and vibrant. While gazing at the wave of pilgrims entering or leaving the temple, you will hear bells ringing, drums beating and the worshippers loudly chanting mantras in tune with those from the priests. You can inhale the fragrance of burning incense sticks blended with the smell of sweets and flowers, and face a crowd of the size you may never have negotiated before. The overall effect is very hypnotic; everyone feels some sense of closeness to divinity.

“You would have to have a heart of stone not to feel at least a little in touch with the divine,” wrote an Australian writer after her recent visit to this temple.

Beyond the metropolis

A day trip to nearby Mamallapuram, also called Mahabalipuram, provides a mesmerizing encounter with exquisite temple art that can best be described as poetry on stone. Located 58 km away from Chennai on the edges of Bay of Bengal, the precinct is like an open air art gallery with incredible sculptures sprinkled everywhere, from seashore to hundreds of meters inland.

“And how many more are still buried under the golden sand, is unknown,” says Sridhar, my guide, who has pledged to show me all the important sites in the next couple of hours.

Hewn out of granite rocks, the monuments here were created around the same era as the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, as endeavours of the Pallava dynasty who were great sponsors of art and culture.

Sridhar first guides me to view a brilliant bass relief, 27 metres long and 9 metres high, hailed as one of the major triumphs of Indian art and the largest of its kind in the world. Known as Arjuna’s Penance, this rock-canvas is generously decorated with chisel sketches of the denizens of the triple world of

Gods and demi-Gods, of human beings, birds and animals including elephants, lions, and monkeys – all fitting harmoniously into a thematic representation of life. Sridhar, like a good guide, points out figures of nagas and nymphs, Gandharvas and Apsaras, and I feel like I am watching a mythological movie on stone.

Still captivated by the beauty of the fresco, Sridhar escorts me through some nearby caves, famous among which are the Krishna Mandapam where a childhood episode of Lord Krishna is carved on stone, and the Mahishashurmardhani Cave where scenes from the Goddess Durga’s battle with buffalo-headed demon Ashura have been recreated.

Mamallapuram, now a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, is venerated worldwide for its Shore Temple, a majestic monument which has stood the ravages of sea, sun, wind and rain for over 1200 years, and still stands proudly as a soaring aesthetic aspiration of the Pallavas.

Unlike the quarter’s other monuments, the Shore Temple is not a rock carving, but a selfstanding edifice. Most of the current structure is a reconstruction after the original was razed by several natural calamities. However I come across few statuettes, poorly eroded by the wind and the sea, that add to its sense of antiquity. The area around the temple is now a landscaped park, with guards keeping the hordes of souvenir hawkers at bay. A Shiva lingam is enshrined in the central monument and the site obviously gets overcrowded with devotees from far and wide, though I noticed no formal arrangement of performing rituals through a priest with offerings of flowers and food. A momentous artistic contribution of the period are its monolithic monuments, and the most praiseworthy ones in Mamallapuram are the Five Rathas which resemble pagodas chiseled out of huge boulders in the form of temple chariots of different styles and shapes. They are named after the five Pandava brothers from the Mahabharata – Dharmaraja Judhishtir, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakul and Sahadeva and their wife Draupadi. The biggest and the best of the lot is the one of Dharmaraja. Sitting on a square base, this pyramidal monument is a gallery of art showcasing artistic figures from Hindu mythology in different postures.

Silky ending

After savouring Mamallapuram’s extraordinary art and fresh sea breeze, we head off inland to Kanchipuram, which was once the capital of the Pallava,

Chola and Vijayanagar empires. Locally called ‘City of Thousand Temples’, this quaint destination is set at the apex of a triangle, with Mamallapuram and Chennai sitting at the other two corners. Located 67 km from Mamallapuram and 70 km from Chennai, its holy ground is placed by many after Varanasi, based on religious ranking. According to Hindu belief, Kanchipuram is one of the 7 cities in India where one can achieve ‘moksha’ or ultimate spiritual enlightenment. Temples of varying enormity and connotation surface around every corner we pass, but due to time constraints, we only surf the most famous Ekambareswarar and Kailasanathar shrines, where once again I am privileged to watch many fascinating rituals of Hindu temple life.

Like tea is to Darjeeling, Chedder to cheese, Kanchipuram is intimately linked with the cultivation of premium silk that’s used to produce high quality outfits, especially saris. There are big stores located outside the temple precincts. So after a soulful religious experience, visitors are rushed into one of these to offload their cash and go home with bagsful of colourful silky items that will keep alive their memories of a supreme religious, artistic and shopping experience.

Over 30,000 temples studded with majestic artwork and rich inscriptions are sprinkled over its 130,000 sq km area, many dating back to over a thousand years.