Cosmic Dance of Poverty at the cross roads

Our roads, traffic lights and places of worship are always crowded is it because of our population boom, car boom or is it because compassion and poverty flows there? Let us explore….

It is a common sight in India to be approached by the impoverished community for a few pennies and at times for notes when you wait at the traffic light or when you take a stroll on the streets or as you walk out of the temple. While the billboards on our Indian roads attract the eyeballs but our poverty can be an eysore. Poverty takes form in all ages, and morsels vary in sizes, colors and shapes. May be Shiva inspired these folks to take to beggary since he did the same due to a curse wandering with a morsel.

At the Red light:
A clan swarms you from all sides when you are at the traffic light waiting the amber to turn green. They scratch your windows and some of them bang on them trying to convince you to shed a few coins from your leather wallet. Some of them emotionally pinch you by exhibiting their burnt face or a lost limb and while other ones melt your heart. Some mothers walk around the heavy traffic zone like outback Kangaroos and not only risking their lives but also risk the life of few months old baby. The gory sight of poverty is displayed on the innocent faces with unkempt hair, clad in dirty rags and bulging empty stomachs and protruding rib cages. The very scene makes you uncomfortable in your ribcage. Their only demand is small change to buy milk for the crying baby. I feel so pained when my fellow mate on the planet starves. A man convinced me that he was starving since morning and I shared my change but a few minutes later I found him smoking a cigarette from the change I gave. There is again a debate between sympathy and empathy.

Morsel Maheshwaras:
The scene changes once you step into your place of worship. While we make a trip to download our emotional burden at the place of worship there is crowd of handicapped older folks sitting in mobile chairs and bandaged lepers squatting outside for our arrival making noise with a few coins in their aluminum plates and cups. Should I show the same compassion that God showed on me when I walked into the temple? Why would God need my money and why don’t I drop the change in their plates rather than offering it to God. Should I worry about getting a place in heaven by sharing my change or can I come up with a plan to make this place a heaven? It is a fight between compassion and impudence.

Do you know that these guys have a union and run an association to cater to the needs and welfare of fellow beggars? They also don’t accept under certain denomination and coins under certain value. There is so much of self-esteem that goes into begging.

Not only do religious Gurus use spirituality as a means to amass wealth, but some followers do the same. They walk around carrying the pictures of their Gods and Goddesses and plead for change to make this dream trip to their place of faith. Since it deals with God and pilgrimage we often find it difficult to say No and eventually cave into our religious sentiments. We know we are taken for a ride, but still there is 1% faith that operates 99% of the times. There is a debate between being prudent and heeding to religious sentiments.

Sidewalk Hoodwinkers:
Another indigent clique gawks at your overflowing money bag, luxury cars and they follow you closer than your shadow trying to convince you that they are from another city and their wallets and belongings were robbed and they need money to go back home. These folks talk in multiple languages to reap change from tourist. I grew suspicious when I happen to meet 3 such cliques in a single day, until then I believed their story and offered my Gandhi notes to find their way back home. Emotional hoodwinkers will thrive until we learn to distinguish between the real and spurious one. Should I be emotional or logical?

Service at Lights:
Since we have raised voice against beggary at traffic lights there is a new breed who offers to wipe the windshield for a small change. There is nothing wrong in wiping the window for a small change, but traffic lights are not the place to wipe windows. Another bevy of mobile hawkers mob your car and ask you to share your pocket change buying one of their products (under 10 Rs.) like ear buds, balloons, plastic toys, cleaning cloth, which are neither quality products nor safe to use. is not beggary, but rather mobile vendoring for a small change. But some of them are so rude that they abuse you the moment you decline their service.

Poverty is ubiquitous and so are the scams. These are a few popular scams played on us to access free and easy money through exhibition of their poverty, physical disability, medical condition and religious beliefs. We feel emotionally fingered looking at landscapes of poverty. There is constantly a moral debate that goes in our minds, do I offload my change or should I not encourage beggary? Irrespective of our faiths it is the basic human quality to exhibit compassion and express benevolence. At the same time there is a display that says don’t encourage beggary. Will the change that I give end their poverty? Neither am I going to lose my wealth by donating a small change nor are they going to build a kingdom with this change. For some who believe “what goes around comes around” emptying their change is a mere scoring of karmic brownie points. Can I convince myself that these guys have not taken to thieving but they only ask for the piece of change that doesn’t mean much to you but means a lot to them. Should I be politically right or morally right? This is the dilemma I and many of you are facing while waiting at the light.

Advice for Agonizing Mamis

While my blog on Mylapore Mamis has evoked a lot of response, here are a set of questions that you can share with the Mamis which they can in turn pass it on to prospective brides and grooms. Hope this will be helpful.


Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying
Published: December 17, 2006
Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking:

What questions do you think are important to ask before marriage?

1) Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver?
2) Do we have a clear idea of each other’s financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?
3) Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?
4) Have we fully disclosed our health histories, both physical and mental?
5) Is my partner affectionate to the degree that I expect?
6) Can we comfortably and openly discuss our sexual needs, preferences and fears?
7) Will there be a television in the bedroom?
8) Do we truly listen to each other and fairly consider one another’s ideas and complaints?
9) Have we reached a clear understanding of each other’s spiritual beliefs and needs, and have we discussed when and how our children will be exposed to religious/moral education?
10) Do we like and respect each other’s friends?
11) Do we value and respect each other’s parents, and is either of us concerned about whether the parents will interfere with the relationship?
12) What does my family do that annoys you?
13) Are there some things that you and I are NOT prepared to give up in the marriage?
14) If one of us were to be offered a career opportunity in a location far from the other’s family, are we prepared to move?
15) Do each of us feel fully confident in the other’s commitment to the marriage and believe that the bond can survive whatever challenges we may face?

Will Mylapore Mami’s RIP?

My single status seems to push everyone to the sideline and without any effort it gets me the limelight. Is this an accomplishment or am I the recipient of Param Vir Chakra? Be it a family gathering, a professional gathering or a relative visiting my home these folks are always read to assault and autopsy me with their questions. I don’t know their intent? Is it because they have a fabulous marriage and want me to discover the same or want to get me into that pool of mud and wallow like the other buffaloes?

Do I enjoy this limelight? Definitely not! Recently an uninvited long nose neighbor sprouted in my home and comfortably sat in the drawing room and questioned my single status. She made me look like a horrible son in front of my parents accusing me of not letting my parents dispense parental duties and ruining their peace of mind. Not only did she make my parents grief stricken but on the way out she reminded of my ticking biological clock and infact made a pass at my salt-and-pepper hair and beard. I subtly told her that I age with grace and don’t have to dye my hair twice a week. Guys can you hear my clock? Is it ticking louder and faster than the Big Ben? I would love to be a human bomb and blow up (not blow off) these females. It usually takes a couple of days like the cold virus to ward off the impressions left by this 5 feet and 75 kilo bad energy vixens. She is just one of the many vixens that run amok in the hypocritical Mylapore society.

She is one of the direct ones, but there are other nimble ones who make my parents feel emotionally paralyzed and push them to welter in self pity by reminding them about my single status and deteriorating Arvind Swamy looks. This Arvind Swami fixation with Mylapore Mami will never wane. Is it because they fantacize on him more their better halves? After sending feelers across to see if my parents ever had intentions of getting me married, they would throw the list of unmarried women and possibly entice my folks with their wealth, pedigree and family background. I feel like telling these walking cylinders that I am not in the flesh market and neither looking for a suitable pedigree mate, or KCI certified partner, which I did for my Labrador. To these Mami’s marriage is all about accepting dowry and making off springs.

The third variety is one who would walk into the house and move around as though they are my immediate family. They enjoy the cardamom tea that my mom makes and then slowly open the sluice and let their reeking verbal diarrhea flow. Some of them would directly ask me how long I will make my mother do household chores. I assure them that I earn and can afford to have 3 maids for my house and I don’t need to be married to have someone help my mother in the kitchen. With my terse and pungent reply they dismiss me from their clan as an irresponsible son and they would follow my mother to chew on her brain and happiness. They eulogize on my single status and paint this to be the worst ever possible tragedy in my parents’ life.

Some of the Mami’s play the emotional card when they figure none of their tricks work with me. They dramatize my bachelor hood to be their ticket to be hell and would want see me married before they breathe for the last time and shed a few crocodile tears to create a pensive mood. There was a time when I got upset and moved by such tears, but over the years I seem to have got immune to such tear parties. Now I never bothered to hear the cries and howls of these vixens and I dust them off my shoulder like the flakes of dandruff.

The last variety is the gluttonous breed of pot bellied Mamis who parade around the town asking when I would invite them for my wedding lunch/ reception dinner. I usually compare them to the female ticks that live of healthy home grown dogs. Some of them even get greedier and ask me when I would get them a Saree for my wedding. With a smile I tell them if free food was their secret behind their pot belly I can take them out for lunch/dinner anytime. Shamelessly they disappear from the living room like Russian submarines and surface in the kitchen to verbally taunt my parents. At the next moment they move on from my single status and start bitching about the newly married couples and other mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws stories in the neighborhood. They forget that they were thrown out of the house when they got their son married. I remind my mother about these Mami’s life and how they were thrown out of the house for their wagging their long sticky reptile tongues. Sometime I ruthlessly remind them of their bitter lives and their past, but still they seem to be committed to the mission of getting me married.

I’m not sure if my single status was result of good or bad karma in my previous birth, but for sure I have earned the wrath of Mylapore Mamis' in our previous birth, they keep coming back to haunt me. These Mamis’ furtively leave our home after creating a pandemonium with their rude and ruthless remarks. Volcanoes of emotion erupt soon after they leave and the house turns in a humid hell hole for the next few days.

Majority of the Mami world seems to suffer from this epidemic and marriage seems to the only ambrosia for everyone born in this earth. Be it a psychological problem or be it a personality problem they believe that marriage is an elixir. To enjoy and be with oneself for life means a curse beyond emancipation.

Well I have never bothered to ask them how well their marriage sucks and the history and frequency of their physical and verbal abuse in their relationship. Having not much education, emotionally and financially dependent on their men, these Mami’s have learned to enjoy their lifetime in prison.

The institution of marriage is yet another sparkling invention by mankind. I am sure all these Mami’s are disappointed by their men and it is society and the institution of marriage puts pressure on them to stay together. Institution of marriage is a merely a Gold Chain and a talisman in a few sovereigns. But today there is renaissance happening in this institution of marriage. I am waiting for the day when these Mamis’ would discover the multiple affairs in their Mama’s life and office flings their Sons had. I am also waiting for these Mylapore nincompoops to discover about same sex marriages and live-in relationships in their grandsons and grand daughters’ life.

Biologist argued that men by nature are like animals can seldom be in a monogamous relationship and women by nature look around for the best men to produce off springs. I don’t know if this theory still holds good today but with changing human needs and wants and a lot of these stereotypes will soon be broken in Mylapore. If these Mamis are around I am sure they will still inflict the cruelty of horoscope matching, Moola Nakshatram and Chevvai (Mars Dosha) dosha even for same sex marriages. These Popes of Myalpore (Mamis) will never change their views and shift paradigms. PS: Neither I proclaim to be a gay, an impotent or a womanizer to enjoy my single status and condemn the institution of marriage. I am just a man who lives by his free will and enjoys being single.

I am just sick and tired of answering people why I am single. My single hood seems to trouble them more their old age friends, viz. asthma and arthritis and I don’t know how and why I become an eyesore in Mami crowds. May be someday I will feel marred due to my single status and decide get married, but when I do it a lot of graves will open in the city and Mami skeletons would parade to the wedding hall to bless me and walk back to their graves to rest in peace.

Dronas and Nightingales

I happen to read this article on NY Times about Doctors and Professors. For those of you who have not read this article please visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/27richer.html?em&ex=1164949200&en=1274fa49c23b112c&ei=5087%0A

The crux of the article is how the lure for wealth affects our career choice. I happen to forward this to this to my Professor at the Business School with an idea to pick his brains. Here is the response from him.

Dear Chandra,
I also enjoyed this article. I feel that a medical person who moves to a profession where he/she can use his/her medical skills is all right, because I think he/she would not be a very good doctor anyway even though they are bright, intelligent people. A doctor needs to be someone who has deep compassion for humanity and able to comfort people not only medically but also with feelings and understanding. Those who leave the profession for lucrative salaries in other professions are not this type person.
Take care.
Best wishes.
Clay V. Sink

A few of the points he brought out from the article really hit me hard. Here are my thoughts and my reply to him.

Dear Sir:
You made a nice point and you hit the nail on the issue. Both teaching and nursing are professions for people with a servicing soul and willing to share with and sacrifice for the society. While people can choose to change professions with the piling up more cash and sit on tall bank balances but only a few give back to the society. We need people of both kinds one who can contribute monetarily and one who can serve physically. Everybody can’t sit on top of the palanquin since we need people to carry the palanquin.

Slapping lawsuits has become a norm in the society today. Gone is the time when American public went behind big corporations, today the same fervor is reflected in every profession. Newsweek in December of 2003 ran a cover story titled, “Lawsuit Hell – How fear of litigation is paralyzing our profession”. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3660738/)
This article talks about how Doctors, Teachers, Coaches and Ministers live with a fear of fighting wars in court rooms. Is it because of the small rope of patience that American hold and they sue at slightest provocation?

If you look back at the old Gurukula style (residential) of teaching in India, the student resides with their teacher for 10-12 years. Students help their teacher in his daily chores, collecting firewood, and pay their dues only through service. He not only learns imbibes the much sought book knowledge but also gets practically exposed to the right way of living with values and ethics. Gurus accepted small contribution as dakshina, but their needs were met by the King. But today the education system in the West is all about cash and carry and here in India the Engineering and Medical colleges fleece and capitation is the proof of the pudding. When these folks get out of college their ambition to repay and sit on stash of cash is more powerful than service the community. This throws open a big area for debate if these institutions make the right kind of citizens and are they giving us an opportunity to live with values and ethics? Does our society provide the opportunity to service the community?

The Capitalistic society has pushed people towards materialistic pursuits and the word service is slowly becoming obsolete. US universities have made education a perfect business model and that is the reason today Teachers don’t command much respect amongst the student community. I have witnessed this during my Masters education in the US. Students attend the classes at their convenience and walk in with an “I am paying to get educated” attitude. They put their legs up on the table and munch chips and sip Coke during the class hours. Teachers seem to be more worried about their feedback and tenure rather than their students. Is the education system setting the right values today? Are they making the right kind of citizens?

Education has got a commodity status and people are ready to buy them for a price and as a result they don’t pay due respects to their teachers, who I consider the pillars of the society. I am not against getting quality education in the school, but it should scare the professors from disciplining students worrying about their employment contract.

Same argument can be extended to Health Care. We have heard and read about Florence Nightingale who lived to care for the war victims, but have we come across anyone during the recent past doing that kind of a selfless service? May be there are a few people in the World but we seldom get to read or hear. Doctors in America carry Malpractice insurance to cover them incase of negligence, but in most cases they are not at fault.

Teaching and Nursing are the only two Nobel professions rest of them is like selling time and skills for money. Teachers nourish and grow the soul in the right way and the Doctors nurse the wounded soul and make them heal and recover faster. Parents and students paying huge sums of money for education are more inclined to pay back their debts more than servicing the community.

A recent survey conducted in July 2006 by Harris County Medical Society says that Doctors and Teachers Most Trusted Among 22 Occupations and professions in America.
85% of American public trust their Doctors and 83% trust their Teachers. This shows that American public has more faith on Doctors and Teachers more than their President.
The public seem to assured by the pillars of this society. But this doesn’t mean that folks in these professions are absolutely spotless or live outside the courtroom. Indian public has not failed to reprimand Doctors for their negligence and Teachers for crossing the Lakshman Rekha and getting physically involved with their students.

In this world where success is measured in terms of fame and fortune there is little room for service. Even for those who want to do Selfless service the society is just not providing the right ambience. India is the only country that honors Teachers and celebrates Teachers Day. A country where Ekalavya gave his index finger as Guru Dakshina that is the kind of allegiance that we hold towards Guru and teaching profession. While the Capitalistic West has successfully converted 365 to celebrate watch day of the year for a cause and a reason more to market Gifts, cards and other paraphernalia celebrates.

Today there is shortage of Teachers, Nurses and Doctors in America. We live more in a virtual world more than the real world. Not only are jobs outsourced to India but also case sheets are written and diagnosing done by Indian doctors. Home works and term papers are done overseas and Indian professors teach in virtual classrooms. The world has shrunk so has our minds.

While the American public faces the question of making these professions friendlier and less in court room a different kind of battle needs to be fought in India. In a country like India where birth based reservations is strictly followed in colleges and government jobs, we need to give opportunity to people who want to join the nursing and teaching profession with a servicing attitude. It is a big question in front of our society today how to make these professions less glamorous and more service oriented and how fight battles in classrooms and operation theatres rather than courtrooms. The world needs more Nightingales and Dronacharyas.

With Respect
Chandra

Rendezvous turns Revelation

I picked up this novel after reading a review on NY Times sometime back. I wish to share this review with you with the idea that you will definitely read the classic with eyes for appreciation and love. The wise say “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is so true and fits both for the book and the character in the book.

Dreams end when sleep ends, but what happens to desire? Do they originate in our dreams or they mushroom while we are awake? Have you ever pondered if desires have on/off switch? Don’t you think that would make life easier? Is there really a gold pot at the end of the rainbow of desires? Does love happen at the end of lust? May be revelation was the pot of gold. Hang on, lets go and read another man’s desire. We all grow old, but our desires do not necessarily age with us.

Memoirs of Melancholy Whores is a desire of a ninety year old writer to be with a teenage virgin on the night of his 90th birthday. At the age of 90 he neither quit work nor did he quit women. Passion manifest as desire. When asked why he never settled in his life his candid reply shocked the questioner: “whores left no time to be married”. The dark and secretive side of him manifested at the arrival of dusk and ended at dawn.

The man at 90 is busy writing columns for the newspaper and even busier in the evenings visiting the house of a Madam through the orchard gate. Who knows if this visit of his was opening a can of desire or was he waiting for the halo to dawn at sunset years.

Was he out to just get physical or was it more? There is nothing erotic in this novel except for a few passages that is meant to describe the insatiable carnal beast in him. The description about his wait for the call from Rosa Cabarcas was very earthly and at the same time nail biting.

Though the time spent with the teenage girl was less than 6 hours, but it turned out to be the night of revelation. Naming the girl "Delgadina," after a princess in a ballad, he simply goes to sleep alongside her, and is thereby initiated into a new world of romantic love: "That night I discovered the improbable pleasure of contemplating the body of a sleeping woman without the urgencies of desire or the obstacles of modesty." When she talks in her sleep one night, the Scholar notices that her "voice had a plebeian touch" not suited to the Delgadina of his fantasies, and realizes "the last shadow of a doubt disappeared from my soul: I preferred her asleep."

The old man with the libido of a teenage boy he turns into a protector who longs to own and take care of this treasure. Is this what happens when the mirage of lust vanishes and love embalms? He sits and admires the girl without putting his finger on her and endlessly waits for her in the park outside the city. The mother hen in him bestows her with a bicycle for her birthday and emerald ear rings from his mother as gift for sharing the night. He is tormented by separation and flip-flops like a fish out of pond. Delgadina becomes so much a part of him and his life and on the night of the rainstorm he say "I did not see myself alone in the house but always accompanied by Delgadina. I had felt her so close during the night that I detected the sound of her breath in the bedroom and the throbbing of her cheek on my pillow."

A brilliant fiction piece that describes the intangible quotient of love. By merely painting the feelings of the old man before and after the author has brought out the difference between love and lust. No one can distinguish between lust and love in a better way.

Though there has been a lot of noise about the subtle idea of child abuse and pedophilia in the character, but the literary potency of this fictional piece washes away the masculine and feminine potency. Love can visit or revisit at any age, the agony of wait is what it makes it worthy and interesting. It must be read and re-read to get the colors of love and flavor of literature. You can miss love in your life but don’t miss this.

Our Caw Caw friend….

The November skies were brewing and Sun had gone on a sabbatical while our black sweatered friends were busy cawing and scouting around the neighborhood to remind about their morning breakfast. I picked up a cup of fresh filter coffee and stood on my balcony waiting for the morning Sun, while these sat on the branches of the nearby mango tree awaiting their feast. I recollected the tales from Panchatantra where the randy crow stole the Princess necklace and dropped in a termite mound. I looked around to see if there was anything valuable that could be pilfered easily.

My day doesn’t really begin without hearing their morning melodies or catching a glimpse of their naughty tricks. These guys usually start their day at my place and then go around area for their daily food festival. There are days when mom might not be in the kitchen or she is out of town, but when it comes to feeding time these guys goes around the house looking for my mother. Jokingly, I tell my mother that her in-laws have arrived. Over the years my mother and her friends have become chums. Whenever my mother travels she would leave special instructions for us to take care of the crows in the neighborhood and she would call before we leave for work to check if we had fed them. You can call it a karmic bond or collection of karmic dues by our grey collared winged friends.

Even from a distance, the world of birds is astonishing watch and if open we could learn a lot from them. The tradition of feeding birds, especially crows in Hinduism is deep rooted and today with rapid urbanization I wonder what will happen to these species. Darwinism holds good and only the fittest survive. These wild species have become friendlier and adapted to the city lifestyle forgetting their hunting instincts and fending food for themselves. But still I find people in the busy metros caring to these birds in their own ways. I curiously peered at my neighbors’ window sill to glance their menu for the day.

Mondays are usually hurried and their diet is just a spoon of rice, pulses and a drop of ghee in most houses. Towards the middle of the week they get little variety and I am sure they dread their high protein and high fat Saturdays. As a way to placate planet Saturn (Sade Sathi, Janma Saturn, Ashtama Saturn) Hindu faith recommend people feed crows with rice mixed with fried sesame seeds and offer sesame jaggery mixture. The only day of the week where they get to taste some Rajasic and Tamasic food is Sundays. They get a piece of bone and if lucky some flesh with the rice loaded with masala, onion and garlic.

There are references to crows in Hindu mythology and astrology. Planet Saturn aka Sanieshwara is believed to have Crow as his mascot and hence to escape from his wrath mankind has a soft corner for crows however rude and unruly they behave. The legend goes that Nala Maharaja during the period of sade sathi lost his wealth, family and happiness and through prayers to Saturn and offering food to crow and beggars he regained his wealth and happiness.

Happiness is the frame of mind and through simple living and thinking and we can make it ours forever. A simple living dripping with same intensity of love and emotions towards fellow beings can only be seen in their world. A nest made of rags and sticks and not very artistically done just like our neighborhood tenements yet there is motherly care for family and extended family. The opportunist Koels’ solicit their nest by laying eggs and make them nannies to incubate and care of their young ones. Yet there is unadulterated care and love all in abundance .It is a pleasure to see these guys create a raucous when there is food available in the vicinity. There is never a meal without hosting a party for their family and friends even over crumbs and leftovers.

All said and done, there are moments when they don’t behave with finesse and they ransack your kitchen. Of the four that visit my house, two are well behaved, while the other two wild crows (without the grey collar) enter uninvited into my kitchen and raid the milk pot. There are moments of rage and anger when I see them engage in such petty thefts, but then I hold the human civilization and rapid urbanization for tampering their ecological pyramid. The universal law holds good – we are all victims of circumstance.

When my grandmother is with us there is lot more caw caw world interpretation that she throws at us. She says there is a science in Vedas called “Shakuna Shashtra” and “Pakshi Shastra” that talks discusses about the good and bad omens and calls of birds. Paulo Coelho in his book “The Alchemist” refers to reading omens and able to pick the signals of this universe. May be he was also referring to this.

Since ancient time people believe that if a crow caws on the roof, in threshold, or inform of the house at dawn, it is a sign that someone dear will visit the house. It turns out to be true in most cases. Thus, the crow is such a bird with which omens, both good as well as bad have been attached. It is believed that if the crow perches on someone's head his life becomes crisis ridden.
As far as the omens are concerned, omens related to the crow have a very wide field. If someone is starting and the crow discharges its dropping on him, and that dropping falls on the back of the person, he finishes his task successfully. If the dropping falls on an unmarried person he gets married soon. If someone before starting for a task faces a crow and he offers him grains and the crow accepts these grains, that person succeeds in his task otherwise not.
Similarly, if fighting crows fall near or at the feet, it shows the end of continuing or would be crisis. If, on any day, many crows fly overhead crowing, that person should get ready with the finest clothes washed and ironed, for he may be called for a feast. However if too many crows fly overhead without reason it shows a certain danger for the head of the family. If for any reason, members of the household discover a dead crow on their roof they must arrange to cremate the crow respectfully and prayers to purify the ambiance. If in the fourth quarter of any day a crow begins to fly overhead, one must expect to get good news. If in any quarter of the day, a crow begins to caw in a harsh tone sitting on an iron thing facing the south it is inauspicious. Similarly if the crow caws while sitting on wood one gets auspicious news. Seeing the bird in dreams is not regarded as unsuspicious.
Sentiments and religious beliefs are not same with every person and every community. It changes from place to place and from faith to faith. We are asked to feed Crows and Cows on the Shrardham to invoke the blessings of our ancestors. There is a belief that our ancestors could have been born as a cow or a crow in this world and thus by feeding them we would end their hunger. I remember my grandmother say that Thatha will come either in the form of crow or cow on that day to take his share of food. The day after Sankaranthi women in South India offer variety rice, fruits and food to on banana leaf to crows and pray for the welfare of their brothers. Thought I have not questioned this faith I believe that Religion only creates opportunity for us to show enough love and compassion towards birds and animals.

The community grieving is a big ritual to be observed in the Crow kingdom. When a fellow mate is get knocked down by the high-voltage power line or succumbs to natural death there is harsh tone in their cawing. A deep sense of sadness and bereavement can be observed in their voice. Within minutes they gather for the funeral service all dressed in black and some with grey collar.

Crow is a bird that lives a life of sharing with communal harmony. Isn’t it time that we learn from the winged friends? Though the fight between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Cauvery issue and the unsuccessful tribunal and Supreme Court continues on rationing water to Tamil Nadu, but we as tamilians have more reasons to thank these guys. If not for the feathered friend we would not have Cauvery flowing in Tamil Nadu. Years after years passed, with absent of Cauvery people living beside the river suffer due to shortage of water. Due to increase of sufferings day by day they were trying to find solution for this problem. Maharishi Naradhar was walking along the Banks of Cauvery and was surprised to see the dried river. As he was walking he saw people whispering and he went near to them and enquired about the dry river. People requested him to give solution to avoid the current water crisis. Then Maharishi told the people to pray Sri Ganesh. Ganesha heeded to the prayers of the devotees and took form of a crow and went to Agasthiyar’s place. With his nose he toppled the hand pot sideward and made the Cauvery caught inside to flow out.

We live in a culture with deep rooted beliefs and without our conscious choice some of them percolate deep within us. Those seven years of stay in America my life was not the same. Mornings were with the bright sky and vermillion sunshine, absence of Crows made it unusual and foreign. If I explained my faith and belief people would often think I am too complex a creature. Those mornings without these guys will never be the same, I would rather live in a place and wake up the songs of the birds rather than the motoring noise of this civilization.

From the generation that grew up with Amar Chitra Katha and Panchatantra Stories to the generation of Cartoon Network Crows and other animals have been used as moral messengers but Crows are the foremost of all. A crow is an extended family of any Brahminical household in South India. There are experience, tales and legends that older folks in our house will share. An hour long journey that started in my very own balcony traversed through alleys of sentiments and dingy corners of religious faith and beliefs and through the dense mountains of Coorg and ended when I settled in for the last page on The Hindu.

Relinquished Relationship

Adapting to change and changing landscapes in life should be handled with sensitivity and sense. Though I have managed quite well to these changes, I don’t know how my dear friend managed. There were days when this guy made my day and pepped my self esteem to the brim and there were days he was absolutely useless. With firm molars at the beginning, blunt incisors in between and wisdom tooth at end he was tenaciously clinging to my closet. Did you guess who this closeted friend could be?

My relationship with him dates back to my childhood. I have been having him in my closet for a long time and I don’t remember the last time I used him. When I was cleaning my closet the past weekend I noticed him lying at one corner without any patronage. He was dull wearing no smile and with wisdom teeth still in place I found he had no wisdom to handle rejection. This friend never changed colors and was very committed in our relationship. I wanted to give him a decent farewell for all the hard work, rough days and for not being an infidel. I don’t know if he was grief stricken because I was ready to let go off him or because he was of no use in my life. He has seen through my good and bad days and today was the milestone in our relationship. I was ready to give him a decent
farewell.

I brought him wrappedup in a white cloth with all respect as though he was dead. I called my mother who was busy doing her morning chores. But when she saw me bringing something sheheeded to my call. Was it a gift for Diwali? I placed him in her hand and let her unveil his identity. Her eyes brimming with curiosity and her inquisitive smile made it look like the twilight sunset. Honestly there was no reason for me holding on to him and for the last time I used and felt the 40 legged centipede and kissed him a final good bye with all smile. The moment by mother unveiled the cloth and saw the naked truth she filled the quiet house with a thunder of laughter and there was a silver lining on my unshaven face.

Arrogantly exhibiting the vacant real estate on my head and letting my fingers play teen taal, I relinquished him with no regret.

Take your guess to identify my friend.

Trespassing in God’s Own Land

We all take a break now and then from the monotonous, grueling routines of life and pack our bags to a calm destination to unwind and enjoy the quiet moments of life. Each of us have different concept when it comes to vacation and retreat spots. This vacation of mine was to visit temples around Kerala, understand the culture, understand the architecture and appreciate beauty in its pristine form while letting the soul and mind to relax.



The moment you close your eyes and think of Kerala all you can picture are the beautiful back waters laced with catamarans, the deep blue Arabian Sea and the tall coconut trees decorating every inch of the land? Well there is more to the beauty of Kerala not just in flora and faune but in the way of life. People throng Kerala to enjoy the gorgeous beaches, pamper themselves with the ayurveda panchakarma treatments, and sip the coconut and enjoy the lagoon retreats. The scorching summers of Kerala usually are not inviting but I still I chose April month to beat the tourist traffic and the Sabarimala season. I started my trip in central Kerala and moved north towards Ernakulaman and Thrissur and ended in Pattambi. In the process of traveling through greener pastures in the God’s own Country, I got to experience and appreciate the finer aspects of culture, religion and lifestyle.

Before I continue this, I must thank my good friend Karun, without his help this journey would an insatiable dream. My current project was to visit the 13 of the 108 vaishnavite shrines in Kerala, but then the list of other popularly known and not so know temples came in the list. He was instrumental in putting my itenary together and was more than a GPS system. He would check on me every now and then from dawn till dusk and guide me to the temples in remote villages of Kerala and explain the significance of each temple. I was having a tutorial session before every visit to the temple.

Day 1: All temples within 20 Kms radius from Chenganoor.

1. Mahadeva Temple
2. Sri Thiruvanvandoor Temple
3. Sri Trippuliyoor Temple
4. Aranmula Parthasarathi Temple
5. Thiruvalla Temple
6. Trikkodithanam Temple

Mahadeva Temple: It is believed that Mahadeva at this temple is a manifestation of Lord Vadakkunathan in Thrissur. After paying due respects to the destroyer, Shiva, I proceed to Thiruvanvandoor temple. This temple is believed to be built by one of the 5 pandava brothers, Nakula during their pilgrimage to Kerala after making Parikshit the King. The deity Kamalanathan is portrayed in a standing posture; the name Pambaniyappan which also refers to Kamalanathan arises from the fact the river Pampa cicrles the town.

Temple by Bhima:
Trippuliyoor Temple: Legend has it that Bhima the Pandava prince built this temple and worshipped Vishnu here. A colorful legend regarding the saptarishis and a great famine that occurred in this area is associated with this temple. The food offerings made at the Tiruppuliyur temple are vast in magnitude. At least 400 measures of rice are used in the preparation of special offerings, acknowledging the hearty appetite associated with Bheema the builder of the temple.

Since this was the day before the New Year in Kerala, temples were expected to be open for a longer time.

Temple by Arjuna:

Aranmula is on the banks of river Pamba and is famous for snake boat races. Legend has it that Arjuna built this temple, to expiate for the sin of having killed Karna on the battlefield, against the dharma of killing an unarmed enemy. It is also believed that Vishnu (here) revealed the knowledge of creation to Bhrama , from whom the Madhukaitapa demons stole the Vedas. There is yet another legend associated with Parthasarathy here. On the ninth dayof the battle of Kurukshetra, the Kauravas reigned supreme under the leadership of Bheeshma, when krishna motivated Arjuna to take initative and vanquish his foe. Upon his hesitating to do so, Krishna jumped down in rage, and took up his discus; seeing this sight Bheeshma surrendered to him and Arjuna beseeched him not to kill Bheeshma, as it would bave been against Krishna's vow to take up arms in his battle. It is believed that it is this image of Krishna that is enshrined here, with a discus. It is from this shrine that jewels for Sabarimala deity leave as a procession every year in the month of January.

While we stood in the temple to get the glimpse of the deity the tin sheets radiated heat and rivulets of sweat was flowing down my ribs and cheek bones. We got to see the Ucchi kala pooja at AaranmulaThey offer a special kind of Payasam (pudding) to the deity and it is distributed between 11.45 am and noon. There was a long queue waiting to get portions of the pudding, we were blessed to get a piece of that pudding offered.

After visiting Aranmula we came back to the rest for the afternoon. It is very difficult to find vegetarian restaurants in Kerala. Beef and bird was available in plenty. We decided to have some fruits and couple of glasses of milk for lunch. At 3.45 pm when we left Chenganoor the sky was overcast and a few drizzles came down hard. We expected the summer rain to bring some relief but it fizzled out. We proceeded towards Thiruvalla.

Thiruvalla: Vallabha is portrayed as bearing a conch, a discus and a lotus. The Sudarshana Chakram seen through the west cardinal door of the sanctum is held in worship and is believed to have been installed in the 13th century.

Sandalwood paste is offered as the prasadam in the Vallabha shrine, while vibhooti or the sacred ash is offered as prasadam in the Chakra sign on the other side of the sanctum. The flagstaff of this temple is a monolithic structure of black granite 50 feet in height. At the top of this staff is an image of Garuda. Interestingly, devotees sponsor kathakali performances as their offering to the temple. Those whose prayers are answered offer to have a performance arranged here, as a token of acknowledgement and as a gesture of support of the arts.

Unlike other temples in India were arthis are performed frequently, here arthis are performed only during a specific worship times. A musical instrument of different kind (Chandi) other than the traditional nadhaswaram (wind instrument) is used during various worship rituals. Whether you are economically well off or not or whether you are a VIP or a common man the priest drop a small banana leaf with smeared sandal paste and flowers in devotees’ hands. Small cups of oil and ghee are sold that can be given at the sannadhis to be offered to the lamp in the sanctorum. Prasadams or offerings made at the temple are very different. From sweet pongal, a mixture of aval (variety of rice) and jaggery, sautéed coconut shreds with jaggery are some delicious offerings made to the God and distributed to devotees. I never saw anyone begging for alms outside the temple or anywhere in Kerala. I don’t know if people are prosperous or they are happy, contented and work hard to earn money.

Thirukodithanam:

Temple by Sahadeva: Legend has it that this temple was built by Sahadavan of the Pandavas. It is also believed that this village was ruled by Rukmangatan, a king of the Surya dynasty. Several murals (possibly from the 17th century) adorn the walls of the sanctum, portraying images of Shiva Tandavam, Karatarjuniyam, Vinayaka, Sasta, Yoganarasimha, Rama Pattabhishekam, Mahisasuramardhini, Mohini, Venugopala, Anantasayanam etc. There are also sannadhi’s for Narasimhamurthy and Dakshinamurthy.

Temples in South India usually have a square or a rectangular Garbha Graham, while temples in Kerala have a combination of circular and rectangular shaped garbha graham. The wood work here is of great importance, and it gives the essential verve and character to the Kerala temple silhouette. The inner skeletal framework of the temple is of wood, although the base and the structure above are of granite and laterite respectively. A flight of stairs lead to the garbhagraham (sanctum sanctorum) and is sanctum is cylindrical in shape. The pillars in the temple have lot less carving which is found in other regions in the country, they are flat and plain. The central sanctum of a Keralite temple is referred to as the Sree Kovil. It is surrounded by a cloistered prakara, pierced at one or more cardinal points with a Gopuradwara.

The cloistered prakaram has a namaskara mandapam located directly in front of the sanctum. This prakaram also houses subsidiary shrines. A kitchen is located in the south eastern corner of the cloistered prakaram. We can do a complete circle (parikram or pradhakshinam) only in the Sri Veli (outer sanctorum) and not in the inner sanctorum. Another distictive feature of Keralite temples is the use of vilakku maadam, or the multi-tiered brass lamps in front of temples. Lakshadeepam is a spectacular celebration of traditional lighting where tiers of small oil lamps lining the outer walls of the inner prakaram are lit.

Having covered 3 of the 5 temples built by Pandavas we drove 60 kms north to reach Ernakulam. It rained for an hour earlier in the evening at Ernakulam and the city had cooled down a lot. As we drove into the city hoardings and bill boards hit us hard. Chennai will definitely have to share the “Billboard City” title with Cochin. We took refuge at Karun’s house that night and the air-conditioned room felt like heaven after running around all day long. It was Vishu the following morning and after a quick pooja we left the home by 4.45 am.

Day 2: All temples within 30 kms radius within Ernakulam

1. Edapally Ganapathy Temple
2. Uragathu Amman aka Amman Thiruvadi
3. Vaikom Mahadeva Temple
4. Chottanikara Bagavathy Temple
5. Thirupunithura Temple
6. Ernakulathappan Temple
7. Thiruvanjikulam Temple
8. Alathiyur Hanuman Temple – Hanuman Kavu
9. Kodungallur
10. Thiruparayar Ramar Temple
11. Aarattupuzha Ayyappan
13. Thiruparangoad Shiva Temple
14. Chamaravattathu Ayyappan Temple

Temples in Kerala are referred to as Kshetram or Ambalam. Temples open in the wee hours and close an hour before noon and reopen by 4pm and finally close by 8pm. Strict dress codes are followed in temples here. Men enter the temples in dhoties and bare chest and women in traditional mundus or saris. Their costumes, oiled and plaited hair, sandal paste smeared on their forehead adds more beauty to their faces and makes every stranger gawk at everyone. Any day this is much better than watching celebrities walk on the red carpet and ramps.

Edapally Ganapathy Temple:
We started the day by visiting the Ganapathy temple at Edapally Palace. The temple enshrined only Ganesha and he was all decked up with jewels and a garland made of grass (dhoorva). Praying for a good beginning we proceeded to Mahadeva temple at Vaikom.

Mahadeva Temple:
Shiva - Vaikom Mahadevar manifests himself as Dakshinamurthy in the panthirathi pooja in the morning. He is worshipped as Kiraata Murthy during the Uchcha pooja at noon and as Satchitananda in the evening. Vaikom Mahadeva is also referred to as Annadaana Prabhu. Shiva is not in a Aavudayar or Linga form here, he has got a human form in this temple. Parvathi is worshipped as the vama bagham of Shiva.

After visiting the Son and the Father we proceeded towards Chottanikara to visit the mother, enshrined there as Bagawathi. It was 7:30 am in the morning there the queue was already half km long. No one good thing in Kerala is that we don’t have special darshan tickets where we can flaunt out wealth and get quick darshan. No disparities, all are treated equal in the kingdom of God.

Chottanikara:
Rajarajeswari is the presiding deity here. The image of Bhagawati (Rajarajeswari) is of laterite; untouched by the human sculptor, this image is of irregular shape and is covered with a golden kavacham. This deity is worshipped in three different forms - as Saraswati in the morning - draped in white, as Bhadrakali at noon draped in crimson, and as Durga in the evening decked in blue. Morning ablutions were happening as we entered the temple and we were able see her without the golden kavacham.

To the north east there is a flight of steps leading to the Keezhkaavu, a shrine to Bhadrakali. In the keezhkaavu shrine is a paala tree with hundreds of nails driven into its trunk, as a mark of devotees having been exorcised here. Worship here is believed to rid devotees of evil influences, psychological ailments, evil spirits etc. It was getting close to Rahukalam as we left the temple and women were dancing and loudly complaining their stories to the mother goddess. At times it was sad to hear their story, but this seems to be therapeutic for folks who suffer from psychological illness.

There was a long line by the time we reached this temple and it was half past 9.00 in the morning. We decided to wait in the line to visit this magnificent temple built by Arjuna.

Thirupunithura:
Vishnu here is worshipped here as Santhana Gopalan and it is believed that he offers children to the childless couples upon prayer. This deity is Kula Daivam of Cochin Royal family.

Thirukatkara:
The Vamanamurthy Temple at Trikakkara is an ancient one. Onam is the most important festival celebrated in Kerala.This temple is associated with the Onam festival and the last day Onam marking the avataram of Vamana and the banishment of Mahabali Chakravarti to the netherworld.


We offered a long Lotus garland to the deity at the temple and prayed for world peace and prosperity. Temples in Kerala use Sandal paste very creatively. They had used kalabam (Sandal paste) to bring out the emotions of the deity. Vamana was profusely happy and was captivating smile on his face was radiating energy. Right besides the Vamam temple there is a Shiva shrine and it is believed that the shrine was built by Kind Mahabali.

The temple architecture is an amalgam of stonework, wood work, stucco work and painting - harmoniously blended into a structure vibrant with traditions of the region. The shape of the roof is in accordance with the plan of the sanctum below. With a circular plan, one sees a conical roof, while with a square plan the roof is pyramidal. The roof is constructed with wood and is covered with copper plates. The roof projects out at several levels, in order to protect the inner skeletal framework from the vigorous monsoons that inundate the region. The temple walls are of coursed laterite stone masonry plastered in mud and lime. Murals are seen on several of these temple walls. Mammiyoor style of painting is usually found on the exterior walls of the garbhagraham depicting scenes from Mahabaratha and Ramayana and other epics. Some of the paintings transgress into Khujraho themes showing the union of the male and female goddess.

Ernakulathappan:
We took advantage of Vishu and temple timings that day. We went back to Ernakulam and got a darshan at the Shiva temple there. The temple faces Cochin harbour and we could see ships moving into the harbor right from the temple entrance. A legend associated with this temple is believed to be related to the name of the city itself. Arjuna is believed to have worshipped Shiva in this temple.

Another important seva that we can offer at the temples in Kerala is the firework seva aka vedi Vazhipadu. We pay the temple to burst fireworks during the pooja and this is believed to ward off evil spirits and negative vibrations.

We were able to spot a vegetarian restaurant, Hotel Udipi and we had our brunch before we retired for the morning. The rain that came down hard the previous evening doesn’t seem to do much good. The sun was busy evaporating the rain water and it felt like a steam room outside.

Keralites consider visiting all three Shiva temples at Vaikom, Etumanoor, Kaduthuruthi on the same day to be very auspicious. I hinted Vinod that we would like to visit the all three temples on the same day and with much delight he got enthusiastic to drive us around. We left the room at around 3.00 pm and headed north towards other temples.


Thiruvanjikulam:
Tiru Anjaikkalam is the only Shivastalam in Kerala and in Chera Naadu which has been sung by the Nayanmars. Dakshinamurthy, contrary to the name faces the East here. The sanctum is in the form of a chariot and there is no separate shrine for Ambal. Unlike most other Shiva temples in Kerala, there is an image of Nataraja here.

Three Devi shrines in Kerala are very popular, Chottanikara, Kodungallur, Paramekkavu. Kodungallur was just 8 kms away from the Thiruvanjikulam and we decided to head there for the Sayaraksha.

Kodungallur:
Bagawathi here is considered a manifestation of Kali in the form of Kannagi. The image of Kali faces east. The image of Bhagawati is believed to have been carved out of a jack fruit three. The face of the image is covered with a mask, and the image is decorated with several pieces of jeweelry. She holds 8 different kinds of weapons in her hands and one can see only love in her eyes and no sense of fear. There is a crimson cloth hung on the western wall of the sanctum and worship is offered here. There is also a secret chamber east of the Kali image, with an underground passage. Also is a shrine to Kshetrapala, the guardian deity and Vasurimala associated with small pox. It was nice to be there at Sayaraksha and absorb the powerful vibrations of Chenda and recitation of Durga Sooktham. Lamps were lit in the outer maadam and the entire temple town was glowing. This image is believed to be a personification of Kali, who had killed the demon Daaruka. Daaruka is said to have worshipped Bhrama, and harassed the devas. The goddesses created Bhramani, Vaishnavi, Maheswari, Kaumari, Varahi and Indrani from Bhrama, vishnu, Mahadeva, Kumara, Yama and Indra, and they were defeated by Daaruka, however Shiva created Kaali and she killed Daaruka.

The temple has an unusual system during its festival. During the seven-day long festivals obscenic songs are sung by the devotees to appease the deity. The intensity of the songs has come down considerably following vehement protests from various learned sections. The government is afraid of banning it, fearing backlash from some sections. Yet another unusual ritualistic custom also prevails here – butchering of chicken during the festival. There is a marked venue and Kozhikallue (chicken-stone) for this purpose.
Believe it or not, thousands of pilgrims, mostly from Kasargode and Kannur districts (north end of Kerala – Thrissur is in the middle of Kerala) with swords in hands come during the festival. With swords in hand they agitatingly dance before the temple to appease the goddess and earn her blessings for well-being.

Thiruparayar Ramar Temple:
We left after Kodungallur after the arthi to the Ramar temple at Thiruparayar. The temple is situated at an enchanting spot on the west bank of the Thriprayar river. Gradeur of the structure, the style, strictly conforms to the principles of Vaasthu Shastra. The river, swaying trees - no only are they beautiful, they seem to echoing the Rama Nama in their every movement. The beautiful anitque idol of Rama is sculpted from a rare stone and according to mythology, the idol changed hands from Vishnu, Brahma, Dasaratha, King of Ayodhya, and Vasudeva o f Mathurabefore finally reaching Thriprayar. The bewitching beauty and serenity in the idol's face is symbolic of Lord's mission to propogate dharma, after vanquishing Ravana, who was adharma incarnate. Idols of mother earth, Dakshinamurthy and Ganesh are also installed in the temple.

It was close to 8.00 pm when we reached the temple and the priests were preparing the lord the last kala pooja for the day. We took a pradhakshinam on the outer prakaram and we found couple of interesting customs.The temple's customs have two unusual features: One is the firing of country rockets. facilities for which are provided at the southern corner of the temple.
The explosion symnbolise Hanuman's welcoming words of Cheer to Sri Rama- Drishtaa Sita has been seen after returning from his Lank search mission. This he did to assure a worried Rama that Sita was alive and well. We paid for the serivce to fire rockets. Another unusual offering made by devotees visting Thriprayar in the river, recalling the Matysavathar of Vishnu is the feeding of grains to the scoal of fish in the river. The splashing of water by the fish is considered to be a blessing by the Lord. Every god in the hindu mythology has an animal that he/she uses as a vehicle and it is considered to be sacred and every temple adopts a tree "Sthala Vruksham". It is interesting to note that how religions take care of animals and ecosystem.

In the meantime it started to get dark and windy and black clouds engulfed the clear sky in minutes. We had a darshan of the Rama with very less clothes and jewels and enjoyed his nija roopa from head to toe. In the meantime the priests were ready to carry out the utsava moorthy on top of the elephant for a procession around the temple. The wind started to pick up and moisture laden clouds start to sprinkle water everywhere. Instruments playing and people chanting hymns followed the Perumal on elephant. At the right time the electricity also went off the fire torch provided the right ambience to enjoy the almighty in a natural setting. As we exited the temple the summer rains came really hard.

We waited 30 mins in the car park for the rain to subside and then drove towards Trichur. It was already 30 minutes past 8 and had been looking around for a vegetarian restaurant and by the time we reached Trichur they were all closed. We chugged down a few oranges and a bottle of water and rested that night at Trichur.

Day 3: All temples within 50 kms of Trichur

1. Vadakunathan Temple
2. Paramekkavu Temple
3. Mammiyoor Temple
4. Guruvayoor Temple
5. Thirunaavaya Temple


Vadakunathan Temple:
It was 3.30 am when we reached the temple and they had just opened the temple. One could hear the voice of Yesudas recanting “OM Nama Shivaya”, saluting the destroyer. The madams were all lit and the clear sky shone with stars and the half crescent satellite made it very attractive. I was reminded of the Azhawar paasuram “Thoomani maadathu sutram vilakku” when I saw the lit prakaram.

One of the oldest temples in the state, the vadakkunathan temple is a classical example of the Kerala style of architecture and has many decorative murals and pieces of art. This is the venue of the world famous pooram festival celebrated annually in april - may. It stands on a beautiful hillock at the center of Trichur overlooking the town. The vast maidan around the temple is called Tekkinkadu or forest of teak woods and Trichur town literally revolves round the temple.

The massive stone wall enclosing an area of nearly 9 acres and forming a strong fortification and the fourlofty gopurams overtopping the central shrine and indicating the four directions-North, South, East and West -and above all the dozens of peepal trees scattered on the vast grounds of' the temple gives Vadakkunnathan temple a unique and magnificent appearance.

In the center of this vast enclosure on a level ground is a multi-shrined complex having three principal shrines dedicated to Siva or Vadakkunnathan, Sankaranarayana and Rama
The morning ablutions were just over and there were less than 10 people in the premises. Shiva in this temple doesn’t have a form and is worshipped as a 7 cresented moon mounted on top of each other. There is also a Jyothi that is kept behind to get a better look and feel of his form.

In the northern side, a circular structure, and the deity facing west. The figure of Siva-Parvati is facing east and just back to Siva, situated in the same shrine. At the southern and is located the two-storied shrine of Sri Rama also facing west. Between these two srikolis stands a third one, circular and double storied in shape, dedicated to Sankaranarayana and it also faces west. This shrine has beautiful murals of the seventeenth century delineating graphically the story of Mahabharata. There are mukhamandapams in front of all the three central shrines.
A striking feature of the temple is the Kuttambalam, which one sees on the left side as one enters the temple through the western gopuram. This is the theatre hall for staging kuttu, an ancient dramatic form of art famous in Kerala.

We had a long day ahead of us with Guruvyaoor in the list of temples to be covered in the morning. We left for Paramekkavu temple, 2 kms from heart of the city. Thousands of years ago a mighty goddess resided under a tree that still stands (it is said) in what is now the compound of the Vaddakunathan temple. When Shiva’s devotees decided to enlarge his small shrine into a grand temple they moved the goddess, conceived of as his daughter, eastwards and down a slope to a temple of her own. She is there still, the Paramekkavu Devi. Her elder sister, the Thiruvambady Devi, resides in a temple a few furlongs to the north, the older incumbent of a temple now dedicated to Krishna. These sister goddesses are the main participants of the Trichur Pooram. We visited the last of the three important Devi Shrines in Kerala before we proceeded to to Guruvayoor temple.

Mammiyoor Temple:
A visit to Guruvayoor temple is not complete until we pay our tributes to Shiva at the Mammiyoor temple. There is a tantric ablutions they offer in the mornings before 8.00 am along with the recitation of Sri Rudram to Shiva. This temple encompasses shrines for Vishnu, Karthik and Ganesh. It is believed that Shiva and Parvati were originally in the Guruvayoor temple and due to space constraints they were moved to Mammiyoor. The murals adorning the exterior walls of the temple have vivid descriptions of scenes from Ramayana, Mahabartha, Devi puranam and Siva puranam.

Guruvayoor temple:
We reached Guryvayoor 30 minutes after 9 and the long queue outside the temple was threatening. It was vacation time and was a weekend and the day after the New Year and it explained the long wait time.

This historic temple is shrouded in mystery. According to belief, the temple is the creation of guru, thepreceptor of the goods, and vayu, the god of winds. The eastern nada is the main entrance to the shrine. In the chuttambalam(outer enclosure) is the tall 33.5 m high gold plated wajasthambam (flag post). There is also a 7 m high dipastambham (pillar of lamps), whose thirteen circular receptacles provide a truly gorgeous spectacle when lit. The square sreekovil is the sacred sanctum Sanctorum of the temple, housing the main deity. Within the temple, there are also the images of Ganapathy, Sree Ayyappa and Edathedathy Kavil Bhagavathy. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple.

The temple dates back to the 16th century is dedicated to Krishna known here as Guruvayurappan or the Lord of Guruvayoor, and the idol is said to have been worshipped by Lord Brahma himself at Dwaraka. It is at this temple that Melpatur Narayan Bhattathiri composed his well-known Sanskrit devotional poem 'Narayaneeyam'. The temple is renowned for its healing powers. Several offerings are made to the deity here from the simple 'Archana' offering of flowers to the expensive and elaborate 'Udayastamana' pooja or 'Thulabharam' where a devotee is weighed against offering of bananas, sugar, jaggery or coconuts.

After a 2 hour wait we got closer to the deity for a nice close darshan. He was standing dressed like a kid wearing an inquiring and innocent smile on his face.The walls of the sanctum sanctorum are inlaid with exquisite mural paintings and carvings. In Kerala, This is probably the only site for several weddings and 'Annaprasanam', the first feeding ceremony of child.

We decided to have our first meal at a vegetarian restaurant after 2 days. Idli’s were available but there were hard as a baseball. We soaked them in sambar and gulped it down and then proceeded towards the next temple.

Pattambi:
A 2 hour drive from Guruvayoor brought us to a small town, Pattambi. We escaped the swooning summers of Kerala in the air conditioned room. We left the room at 3 pm and headed towards the famous Thirunavaya temple on the banks of the river BarathaPuzha in Mallapuram district.

We waited did the evening Sandhi at the river and waited in the premises for 30 minutes for the temple to open.

Thirunaavaya:
The presiding diety here is Navamukundan. There are subshrines to Ganapati on the south west corner and Bhagavati on the north east corner. The base of the temple is built of stone, while the superstructure above is of laterite, stucco and timberwork. The temple is considered to be demonstrative of the evolved Kerala type of architecture, dating back to the 13th -14th centuries although in a comparatively poor state of existence today. There is a separate shrine for Malarmangai Naachiyaar unlike the other Divya Desam temples in Kerala.
Elephants are an integral part of several of the festivities. The Utsavamurthy (representative of the main deity) is usually taken on a procession on top the elephant before the close of the temple at night.

The name Tirunaavaai is said to have stemmed from the legend that nine yogis offered worship here. Legend has it that Lakshmi and Gajendran the king of elephants worshipped Vishnu here with lotus flowers from a lake; with two devotees using flowers from the same source, supply dwindled, and Gajendran appealed to Vishnu, who took Lakshmi by his side on the same throne and accepted worship offered by Gajendran. The name of the theertham Senkamala saras arises from the legend of the lotus filled lake.

The image of Navamukundan is portrayed only from above the knee, the rest of the image being concealed within the ground. There are interesting legends associated with this state of the image. There is believed to be a bottomless unexplored pit behind the image in the sanctum. Another legend has it that a group of nine yogis or siddhas offered worship to Vishnu at this shrine and attained moksham or salvation; hence the name Nava Narayanan.
The Bharatapuzha river, the presence of temples to Bhrahma, Vishnu and Shiva on its banks, accords this temple town a stature equivalent to Benares. As in Benares, cremation of the dead is carried out in ghats along the river.

Legend also has it that Markandeya, fleeing the clutches of Yama appealed to Vishnu for help at this shrine and upon his direction crossed the river Bharatapuzha to worship Shiva, while Vishnu blocked the rear entrance to the temple, to prevent Yama from clutching him.

Day 4: Temples within 50 kms of Pattambi

1. Koodlamanikyam Temple
2. Thiruvillamala Temple

Koodalmanikyam Temple:
This temple is the embodiment of peace and sanctity, enshining LORD SANGAMESHWARA -God almighty. The temple is surrounded by four vast ponds. The one inside the temple occupying the entire northern quarter of the ten acre compound is believed to be sanctified by Kulipini Maharishi who had held a great yaga here the pond is known as "Kulipini Theertham".

Temple is provided with an ancient drainage system which allows no water logging however heavy be the downpour during monsoon. The popularly known as Koodalmanikam of Sangameswara is supposed to be the Para Brahma moorthy (The God almighty).The sanctum is believed to have the presence of all other godly powers and hence the name KOODALMANIKYAM - Koodal means" joints together".

There is only one place of worship, even Ganapathy is not be found inside the temple. Koodal also means the couplance of rivers. In the ancient past, Chalakudy river and Kurumali river is said to have flowed through this area and met together on the western side of the temple. Thus the load of the couplance of these rivers came to be known as KOODLMANIKYM and the place came to be known as "Iru Chaal Koodal". Seventeen elephants are engaged for the daily ceremonial rounds to the accomplishment of Panchari Melam . The head gears of seven elephants are made of pure gold and rest of pure silver-another uniqueness of this temple.

Tiruvillamala:
"Tiruvillamala" Among the three famous temples dedicated to Sri Rama in Kerala, Tiruvilwamala is the foremost, the image here being selfborn. The other two temples are Triprayar near Trichur and Tiruvangad in North Kerala. Similarly, there are only a few temples for Lakshmana in India, let alone in Kerala. There is one temple at Vennimala some 8km away from Kottayam. But it is not as well known as Tiruvilwamala. To the south of the sanctum is the little Ganapati shrine, which faces east. The east facing image (Lakshmana) is believed to be an image of Vishnu held in worship by Shiva. It is said to have been granted to Parasurama (yet another incarnation of Vishnu) who is said to have established the image here and initiated a worship protocol. The west facing image is said to have been installed by a sage by name Aamalaka who with intense fervor prayed to Vishnu and requested that he take up abode on the Vilvadri hill. Outside the temple and down below on the southern side a flight of stone steps lead to the shrine of Hariharaputra or Ayyappa installed on the same pedestal as Siva and Parvati. The entire courtyard of the temple is paved with stone slabs. On the north side is the temple tank. There is no well inside the temple which is another peculiarity. The water required for daily worship is drawn from a tank situated in the northeast side. Therefore no one is allowed to use this tank. If any pollution is suspected water is brought from the nearby Bharatapuzha. The popular belief is that darshan of both Tirunavayi and Tiruvilwamala on one and the same day is very auspicious.

The legend goes that once the temple priests sleeping on the top storey of the gopuram lighted a lamp and some of them went to Tirunavayi to see if the lights could be really seen from there. They did see the lamp and they showed it to others as well. The very next day the gopuram was struck by lightning and thunder and was razed to the ground. They have not been rebuilt since. According to legend, the eastern idol is the earlier one and was installed by Parasurama himself. It is a stone image about three feet in height. When decorated with gold ornaments, flower garlands and diamond diadem the little image shines and is beautiful to behold.

Sri Vilwadri Mahatmya, a Sanskrit text with 18 chapters, describes the origin of this ancient temple. It is in the form of a conversation between Uma (Parvati) and Maheswara (Siva). According to this, Bhargava Rama, as Parasurama is called, prayed to Siva for the liberation of his pitrus. Pleased with the prayers of Parasurama, Parameswara granted him the image of Vishnu which He Himself was worshipping. Parasurama, in his search for a suitable place for the installation of the deity, came across the beautiful Vilwadri, full of Amala trees. He constructed a temple here, consecrated the deity and laid down the pooja routine. He brought the pirtus and got them liberated as a result of the darshan of the divine deity. The place he settled down finally is still known as Bhutan mala.

Self born Image in the sanctum facing west is Swayambhu or self born. It is four to five feet tall and is permanently fitted with a gold plated cover for the protection of the image and hence never renewed. Once a priest while trying to remove the coverings damaged the idol slightly. Thereafter it was decided to fit it permanently. The cover is in two portions one up to the waist and the other above both so dexterously joined together as not to be visible as separate ones. It is said that there used to be a hole on the pedestal in front of the deity. The water filled here was served as tirtha. Once a piece of kadali plantain fell into this. The priest tried to remove this by piercing the hole with a sharp instrument. He heard a cracking sound of the stone and the tool fell from his hand. The tirtha also dried up subsequently. It is believed that below the sanctum there is a cave and also a golden Vilwa tree. Some say, it is because of this that the place came to be called Vilwamala.

According to another legend when the power of the Vishnu deity increased enormously the asuras foared their end would come soon. To prevent this one asura assumed the guise of a Brahmin and came to the temple. He mixed freely with other Brahmins and participated in the temple feast with them. At night he would haunt the temple, would kill the cows and other animals and eat their flesh. He throw the bones and horns at one place which became a heap. This is still called muri kunnu (muri means ox and kunnu means hill.) This aroused the suspicion of other people who were frightened beyond their wits. They prayed to God. One dark night in the month of Kumbha when everyone was fast asleep the asura broke open the sanctum and tried to destroy the idol. Then Mahavishnu assumed the form of Narasimha half man and half lion praying here also uttered Rama nama and worshipped the deity as Sri, Rama. Consequently the idol on the east side came to be regarded as Lakshmana, Rama’s brother and life and tore him to death. Hearing the asuraa’s wailings people came but were also frightened by the fierce form of the God. At this juncture Vilwamangalathu Swamiyar appeared and he praised the Lord with stotras, addressing him as Vilwadrinatha.

The Bhagawan calmed and assumed his benign form. People were overjoyed and started addressing him as Vilwadrinatha after the sage. Rigorous Tapas The story of the origin of the Swayambhu deity in the west Nada is also related in the Vilwadri Mahatmya referred to earlier. According to this, Aamalakan, the son of Kashyapa Prajapati, started rigorous tapas to propitiate Mahavishnu. lndra thought his objective was to conquer Swarga. He, therefore, deputed the celestial beauties Urvasi, Rambha and Tilottama to interrupt his tapas. But they failed in this. Therefore he approached Kashyapa himself who explained to lndra that Aamalakan had no ambition nor was he interested in things transient. He was only interested in attaining unstinted devotion to God. lndra felt happy and left. But the asuras became panicky. They thought this severe penance would bring about their ruin. They decided to end it by adopting various means, by creating terror in Aamalakan. But the latter opened his eyes which emitted sparks of fire which ultimately turned into a huge fire. The asuras became breathless and died on the spot. The heap of the dead was transformed into rock which is even now known as rakshasapaara (paara moaning rock) to the south east of the present temple.

Sage Aamalakan continued his prayer. Pleased by his perseverance, the four armed Mahavishnu adorned with conch, etc., accompanied by Lakshmi and Bhudevi with Adisesha as his canopy, appeared before him. The sage shad tears of joy and bowed before Bhagawan. Mahavishnu asked devotee to name any boon. Aamalakan said that he desired nothing in this world, not even heaven. What he wanted was achanchala bhakti, unstinted devotion. He also requested the Lord to remain there for the protection of those who suffer in this samsara. Mahavishnu agreed and transferred his image to the deity. Thus both vigrahas facing east and west are of Mahavishnu. Aamalaka Maharshi used to chant Ramaa’s names while doing japas on the west side. Hence people breath Festivals The important annual festival here is Ekadasi in the Malayalam month of Kumbha (FebruaryMarch). On Ashtami, Navami and Ekadasi days there is vilakku (festival of lights), niramalas (decoration with flower garlands) and elephant processions, elaborate feasts used to be held in the past, which like other temples have been discontinued with the change of times. On Ekadasi day, of course, hundreds of devotees observe fast and forgo their sleep. They spend their time in temples in prayers and in witnessing a variety of entertainment’s given freely by famed artistes.

We visited a few more temples and then went back to the hotel room at Pattambi. I was really sad when I had to pack my bags to catch the evening train at Pattambi. I wanted to stay there for a week to inhale the fragrance of Kerala.

It was long weekend and trains were bellowing with passengers. My tickets to Chennai were not confirmed and I pleaded with the SM for ordinary 3 tier sleeper class tickets. But he couldn’t help much, and I called my friend Karun in Chennai and made a request to him. He is in Railways and he was so pissed off when I told him I was going to travel with unconfirmed tickets. He chided me for keeping quite all this while and said would try to help. We got in the train in the AC compartment and waited near the doorway and the TTE gave me no hope. He clearly wrote no room on my ticket but I was so confident that I will get a birth and there not a ray of worry or anxiety on my face. It was quarter past nine and my friend called me from Chennai. He informed me to keep a watch for a cop at Palaghat. The train was nearing Palaghat and the TTE was getting ready to switch duties. The train stopped at the junction the cop came looking for me. I identified myself and he then took me the TTE and murmured a few words in the local language. The TTE asked me to wait for another 30 minutes and that he would find me a birth. I don’t know if this is because of the faith that I had in God or was it because of the positive thinking that I will get the berth, I got it. I thanked God for the memorable trip and went under the blanket in the air-conditioned coach while Kerala was still flashing in my mind.

It is Mylapore again...

Our lifestyles evolve, our needs and wants change and as a result the ambience is altered.
This happens to every city, village and town in the world. Let me come to our Mylapore today……

Once upon a time there was only Karpagambal Mess in Mylapore but today there are multiple multi cuisines like Saravana Bhavan, Geethanjali, and Vasantha Bhavan on the three madaveedhis. There was a time when people used to queue outside Sri Vidya store to buy tumeric and kumkum, but today there is Health and Glow. Old village styles houses that adorned the madaveedhis of Mylapore are being replaced by tall concrete structures and multi floor textile shops like Kumaran. Leo Coffee used to be the only coffee store, but today there are a half a dozen coffee shops that infuse the smell of roasted coffee bean into the Mylapore air.

While the physical alterations constantly happen, but core things remain intact and unchanged, the vegetable market, platform shops on the banks on the theppakulam (pond), the ever waiting crowd outside Vijaya Stores (Book & Stationery Store) and the ritual of Gods and Goddesses parading the veedhis is respective vahanas for the occasion. Iyers and Iyengars still co-exist like Kapali and Keshavan in this Mylapore. Parvathi here was born as a peacock and Lakshmi here is called Mayuravalli thayar, that is where Mylapore got its name from.

It is a Saturday ritual for me to trek to this temple from home and the reason why I trek is not to soak myself in sweat and dust but to soak myself in the authentic flavor of Mylapore. The melody in the vegetable vendors voice, clamor of bells from the rickshaw, cycles and auto rickshaws, chant of the hymns, yellow light from the petromax engulfing the alleys, smell of jasmine and incense sticks from the roadside shops, it is an enjoyable experience.

There is a tamil proverb that says Never live in a city that doesn’t have a temple, but only today I realized what a temple does to a city.

As I waded through the crowded market place and passed by Vallieshwaran temple, I was welcomed by the Adi Keshava Perumal seated on a grand Garuda Vahanam. I realized it was the 3rd Saturday in the tamil month of Purrattasi and it was auspicious of Vishnu. After paying my due respects to him I proceeded towards Kapaleeshwar temple. I tried to catch a glimpse of the sculpted 12 inch Nardhana Ganesha (Ganesha means the head of boothganas and he is in a dancing pose) on the east gate of the temple. As I proceeded to see his brother, Karthikeyan seated with Sri Valli and Devasena my ears sensed the classical music in the air and went up like an Alsatian dog. I peered through the crowd and watched a bunch of small girls doing a Barathanatyam recital, but I hurriedly proceeded towards the Parvathi sannadhi before the arthajamam (night pooja).

With the full moon adorning the sky, there was the powerful kanthi (radiance) in her face, the flame from the deepam in the garbhagraha reflected in her nose stud and her bejeweled crown glittered. There are days when she wears the 9 yards saree and looks like my mother and there are days when she wears a typically paavadai (long skirt) and looks like my sister. Today she was wearing a yellow color 6 yard saree with green border and oosivaanam pattern (serrated pattern) which was artistically draped around her. With a simple rose garland around her neck and worked odiyaanam around her waist (hip belt) and she wore an interesting smile on her face and appeared like a girl in her early twenties. I captured the glimpse of her beauty in my mind and when I stepped out of her sannadhi I noticed it was Neraimani today.

Neraimani is celebrated widely in temples in the South and mark the end of the harvest season. As a thanksgiving to the almighty, farmers bring the produce and artistically decorate the temple. The following day the produced is cooked and offered to all devotees. I was so happy to see this practice still alive in the city.

The 4 feet high Shivalingam with ever shinning crescent on his jata (Chandrasekara), vilva mala on his head to keep Rudran cool and glowing vibuthi strip on his forehead, Kapali was blessing his devotees enjoying the nadhaswaram played during the arthajamam. The legend goes that Parvati was distracted by a peacock when Shiva was sharing her with her secrets of creation. Shiva got upset and cursed Parvati to be born in Bhoolok as a peacock. As a peacock she prayed to Shiva with atmost devotion and regained her human form and she performed severe penance at this ksetram to unite with
Shiva.

The Somaskanda (Shiva and Parvati as in Kailas, in the seated posture) were adorning the outer prakaram. Seated in a majestic posture, the couple appeared like the father and mother of the universe and this creation. Scores of mala made of punnai, parijatham, jasmine, vrikshi decorated the dhampathi.

After paying due respects at the Somaskanda sannadhi I came out to the mandapam where the dance recital was happening. I remembered the conversation that I had with a friend on Hinduism, temples and the ecosystem that thrives around a temple. The concept of entertainment through dance and music in temples is something unique to Hinduism and South India. Temples are usually built with an open mandapam (auditorium) to stage performing arts as an offering to God and at the same time provide free entertainment to the people. Today was the last day of Navarthi concert series at the temple and young buds were showcasing their grasp of art and culture.

A troupe of young girls under the tutelage of Ms. Parvathi Mohan performed a beautiful ragamalika “Paarkadal alai maeley” describing the 10 avatars of Vishnu. The song was originally rendered by Smt. M.L. Vasanthakumari in a movie as devotional piece. To the famous adage in tamil, “Moorthy sirisu aanalum keerthi perisu” the young vamanas’ (below 12 years) performed with accurate depiction of all rasas. They had to do some acrobatics to depict Matsyam, Varaham, Koormam and Narasimham, which they did with absolute coordination, right bhavas and apt mudras.

A 10 year old girl Supriya in the troupe is worthy of a mention here. There was so much confidence and maturity in her depiction and exhibition of emotions. The girl performed a challenging Barathiyar composition, “Chinnanchiru Kiliye” as the tail piece to the show. The audience was surprised to see a 10 year old kid performing the role of both the baby and the mother. She was able to bring the emotions of motherhood in her abhinayas and her mudras fell in place and added more sheen to the entire show. With a feeling that more Padmini’s are in the making process I prostrate at the dwijasthambam and proceeded towards the Saturn sannadhi. I lighted gingili oil lamps and went around his sannadhi praying for peace both at micro and macro level.

I heard the group with jalra (chamcha) sing Annamalaiyar hymns with devotion and commitment in front of his sannadhi in the outer prakaram. This was a regular recital that happened everyday at 8.30 pm. I sat down to let music, divinity and the feeling of emptiness percolate in me. When I left the temple there was a sense of happiness, sense of contentment, sense of lightness, and blanket of peace that surrounded me. I‘ve lived in various parts of the world, but I’ve never ever felt this way and I realized that this temple atmosphere can never be recreated. The core of Mylapore culture was intact and still alive. I walked back home relishing yet another priceless moment in my life and felt proud living back home and enjoy the cradle of South indian art, culture and religion.

Champakaranya Kshetram

Mannargudi, situated on the banks for the river Haridra, was referred as Champakaaranyam, Vanduvarapatti(filled with bees) and Vasudevapuri. Sri Rajagopalaswami temple was built by the Chola king Kulottunga I (1070-1120 AD). After the Chola kings the Nayak kings of Tanjore took interest in the renovation of temples built earlier and as a result the temple at Mannargudi was improved with many gopurams and outer prakarams.

It was the seventh day of Navarathri celebrations at Shri Rajagopalaswami temple and the utsava moorthy Shri Rajagopalan along with the Nachiyars were out in the vasantha mandapam to bless the gathering in the Kalyana thirukolam. This temple is referred as Dakshina Dwarka and it is believed that this place was a Champaka forest in the puranic days and the granthas call this area as “Champakaranya Kshetram”.

As a procedure of worship in Vaishnavite shrines, we took the permission from Hanuman seated in the outer gopuram with the gadha in one hand and Sanjeevi Mountain on the other and Garuda in the inner prakaram before visiting the sanctum sanctorum. It is believed that Garuda informs Mahalakshmi about our visit and she inturn request the Lord to bless their children. We prostrated near the Garuda Stambha placed in front of the Lord's shrine, 54 feet high and is made of a -single stone. This is again a procedure followed in Vaishnavite temples to propstrate at the Dwajasthambam before we enter the temple.

In stand at ease “Tribhangi” pose (3 curves in his body) surrounded by calves and with whip in one hand (cattle rearing pose) he is in command of his creation and creatures leading us to his home and the other one pointing towards his feet showing the Charanagathi tatwa – “Maam Ekam Charanam Vraj:” A bunch of 3 keys hanging from his waist represent the trigunas (Rajo, Tamo, Satwa) gives us an opportunity to choose the right key to enjoy the gifts of life. Perumal in Kali Yuga manifested in this kshetram as Sri Rajagopala and performed the same lilas as he did in Mathura and Dwakara for the sincere Rishis who missed them in the Dwapara Yuga because of their penance. The whip that he is holding in his right hand is not pointed at the cattle or at us and it is not to harm or inflict cruelty to his children, but rather the whip points towards him and is to attract people.

The beautiful gold Golusu (ankle bracelet) adorning his anklet, earring in one ear shows that there is no difference between him and Lakshmi. This tatwa also reestablishes that the nirguna, nishkala of the soul is and that there no bedha between male and female soul and all of us being a part of him. Utsavar is called “Shri Vidya Rajagopalan”. We can see the same message being conveyed in Shaivism where Devi resides on the Vamabaga of Shiva and they are together in the rupa of Ardhanareeshwara. Whether you call him Shiva or Vishnu and whether you call her Parvati or Lakshmi the tatwa is the same. There is a very beautiful kriti “Ardhanareeshwaram” in the raga Kumudakriya.

Muthuswami Dikshithar in his krithi describes this swarupa of Perumal as

nArIvESadhara vAmabhAga murArE
shrIvidyArAjaharE shrIrukmiNI satyabhAmAshrita

It is believed that once Radha had left her jewels and clothes on the shore and had gone down to bathe in river Yamuna and Krishna at that time cross dressed as Radha and played a prank on her. Radha didn’t realize that it was Krishna and she made noise about her missing clothes and jewels. Krishna quickly tried to undress but before he could finish he was shooed away by the villagers. Thus the ankle bracelet and earring stayed with his forever.

A solid gold Mahalakshmi pendant adorning his chest and 2 inch oval Emerald (astrology and gemology believes that emerald represents Mercury and Vishnu is represented by Mercury in all horoscopes) laced with diamonds in the periphery looked more beautiful on his chest.

The Thayar is called “Seng (red) Kamalam (lotus) with ravishing smile effusing karunyam in her eyes. Her names in Sanskrit are Hemabjanayaki and Raktabjanayaki. On her sides are Rajanayaki on the right and Dwaranayaki or, the left. She has four arms. The utsava moorthy, Mahalakshmi seated on a Padmam manifest as Gajalakshmi with elephants on either side. She wears a beautiful pendant etched in gold with the image of Sri Rajagopalan in the standing posture with a whip sat in the center of the diamond pendant.

The 7 feet high dwi-bhujam moolavar Paravasudevan is of Salagramam accompanied by Sri Devi and Bho Devi on either side. The little Santhanakrishna lying on top of the coiled Sarpa with the right toe in his mouth smirks at the Maya (cosmic creation). It is believed that issue less couples are blessed with children upon lifting and praying to the Santhakrishna by reciting Bala Mukundhashtakam written by Adi Shankara with atmost devotion and sincerity. There are small shrines in the temple dedicated to Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Garudalwar, etc.
The temple signifies the unison of all three 3 sects of Hindu philosophy – Advaita, Dvaita, Vishistadvaita. Muthuswami Dikshithar in his krithi “Sri Rajagopala” refers to this temple as
vishiStAdvaitAdvaitAlaya mAm pAlaya.

There are many Vahanams in the temple of which Panchamukha Hanuman (Hanuman with five faces) is worth mentioning. Garuda Vahanam and Horse Vahanam are plated with gold and are said to have been donated by a European officer who was cured of his colic on offering worship to the Lord. Many festivals take place in this temple throughout the year and theBrahmotsavam is celebrated in the month of Panguni (Marc April). The Utsavar in Vennai Thazhi (Krishna in a seated pose with a pot of butter) falls on Panguni Ammavasya and attracts large crowds from all over the country. Sri Rajapogalan dressed as Mohini avataram in one of the ustavam days and on Hanumantha vahanam parading around the town also draws a lot of crowd.

This is a very ancient temple and has figured in the Mahabharata, Brahmanda Purana, Skanda Purana, Narada Purana, Sriranga Purana and Tirupati Purana.Though Azhawars have not visited this shrine there is a beautiful kriti by Sri Muthuswami Dikshithar, one of the Trinity Composers “Sri Rajagopala” in raga Saveri sung in praise of this deity and the temple.

Raga: sAvEri / Tala: Adi
P: shrI rAjagOpAla bAla shRHNgAralIla shritajanapAla

A: dhIrAgragaNya dInasharaNya
cArucampakAraNya dakSiNadvArakApurInilaya
vishiStAdvaitAdvaitAlaya mAm pAlaya

C: smErAnana sEvaka caturAnana
nArAyaNa tAraka divyanAmapArAyaNa kRta
nAradAdinuta sArasapAda sadAmOda
nArIvESadhara vAmabhAga murArE
shrIvidyArAjaharE shrIrukmiNI satyabhAmAshrita
pArshvayugaLa kambujayagaLa nIrasampUrNa
haridrAnadItIra mahOtsava vaibhava
mAdhava mArajanaka natashukasanaka
janaka vIraguruguhamahita ramAsahita

When I asked a Vaishnavite scholar why Azhawars have not sung in praise of Rajagopalan and Paravasudevan, they had convincing reasons.

4000 Divya Prabandham vanished for 1000-2000 years and it was Nadha Muni who brought back the Prabandham. Some Paasurams could have gone missing.

Azhawars must have visited this Kshetram and must have been spell bound by the beauty of this perumal they never found words to express his beauty in the form of Prabandhams. Sweetness of sugar, honey, jaggery can only be tasted but can never be described in words.