Faith-Religion-Temple | Venkatarangan Blog

Vadavooran

Last year I had been to “Madras to Chennai” a fine play by Shraddha group. Impressed by the show I became an annual paid member. This new year 2012, there first production is a historical play – Vadavooran (வாதவூரன்). It is about Manickavachagar (மாணிக்கவாசகர்) who gave the great Tamil work Thiruvasagam (திருவாசகம்). The play starts from the point where Vadavooran who was the Chief Minister to Pandya King, sets out to buy fine Roman horses for the king. On the way while at the depleted temple at Tiruperunturai Avudiyar Koil, he realizes the Supreme Being (Lord Siva) and instantly decides to renovate and rebuild the temple. The king imprisons Vadavooran and punishes him severely for disobeying his orders. The play ends with great floods in Vaigai river and the King realizes his folly and Vadavooran becoming the enlightened Manickavachagar. Of course we all know what happened later (Thanks to Sivaji Ganesan’s Thiruvilayadal movie) – Lord Siva coming as a labourer carrying sand for a handful of a traditional snack of sweetened millet flour (புட்டு).

The play is presented in kind of Opera format. To make mortals like me understand the songs from Thiruvasagam, the organizers gave out free booklet with all the songs and meanings – thanks to them I could follow the 4 lines songs, which were not many. The songs were pre-recorded but rendered and enacted superbly. The lead actor is Swaminathan Ganesan, who has done a brilliant job of bringing the character to life. Especially the scenes where he is in inner turmoil between his royal duties and divine calling, Swaminathan brings Vadavooran before our eyes. The little girl who came as Vadavooran’s daughter performed well, kudos to her.

The sets were done nicely, I could not help comparing it to the astonishing set and special effects done decades earlier in R.S.Manohar’s plays that my father took me during my school days, Vadavooran certainly is not in that league but nevertheless it is a great effort for recent times considering the effort and costs. They showed a dragon fly (தும்பி) flying in the stage by suspending it from a rope above, the engineer in me wondered why they didn’t use one of those miniature remote helicopters and then cover it with a costume. The audience were taken for a treat when they showed a real horse on the stage – that should have been difficult managing it and controlling with the changing light effects, great show.

Vadaroopan-3

Vadaroopan-4

Vadaroopan-6

What impressed me most is the on time start of the play, in fact they started the brief introduction a few before 7:00PM. Thanks.

Shraddha doesn’t repeat its plays. So catch ‘Vaadhavooran’ tomorrow.

Review of the play is in the The Hindu here, Behind the scenes work and photos here.

Videos: In Tamil (முன்னோட்டம்), In English (Trailer)

Churning of Milk Ocean in Bangkok Airport

While on transit in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok I saw this beautiful sculpture on Scene of the churning of the Milk Ocean – which is an important event in Hindu mythology enacted by Lord Vishnu. I had seen the resemblance to same beliefs and epics of India (Hinduism) followed in Thailand during my first trip there in 1999. Here are the photos (with links to more) of the sculpture that I took with my iPhone4.

Visit to Chennai Sowcarpet

I am born and brought up in Chennai but I have rarely had a need to go beyond Flower Bazaar in North Madras. Today accompanied by my Yoga Master I went to Sowcarpet for some Rajasthani Thali (Meals), Window shopping in Mint Street and Dry fruits shopping. You can enter into Sowcarpet area at Mint street from Chennai (Central) or through N.S.C. Bose Road near Flower Bazaar (பூக்கடை).

Almost all buildings here are narrow (in width) but go deeper in length. You can see that clearly in this one that was demolished for a new one. After an hour so roaming in Mint Street we were hungry and found a banner advertising for a traditional Rajasthani Bojanalaya in one of the small streets off Mint Street (near Chinnakadai Amman Koil) ‘Hunumantha Rayan Koil Street’, we had lunch there. Don’t be deceived by the small entrance, the restaurant can have 16 seats and served hot Rajasthani meal – not classy, not hygienic enough but manageable.

Our next stop was Chinnakadai Sri Mariamman or Renuka Parameswari Temple which is claimed to be more than 200 years old. It is in Mint Street (Sowcarpet) & N.S.C. Bose Road junction, the time we went it was closed so we saw it from outside and then moved on to Kakada Ramprasad.

Kakada Ramprasad in Mint Street is a famous sweet and snack shop in the area. We had a heavenly Badam Drink loaded with nuts, saffron and thick milk.

Then we went to Strotten Muthiah Mudali Street which is lined with shops selling all varieties of fresh Dry Fruits (Badam, Pista, Cashewnuts, Dry Dates, Figs, Charoli), Rajasthani Pickles, Papads and all other tasty items.

Reference: I found this nice blog post listing all popular temples in Chennai.

Thiruneermalai

Today I went with my family to have Darshan at the famous Thiruneermalai temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is one of the 108 Vaishnava DivyaDesam. To reach the temple is easy, it is just about 5-6KMs from Pallavaram (few more KMs from Chennai Airport). If you are coming from Chennai Airport towards Tambaram in GST road, just after the right to Pallavaram, you take the next right (below the new flyover) to Thiruneermalai Road. There are two temples there, one is on a small hill top (Reclining Posture – Lord Ranganatha) and the other on the base of the hill (Standing Posture – Lord Rama). Compared to Sholingur and other hill temples climbing up this small hill is easy, just about 200-250 steps and took less than 10 minutes to climb up. The hill top is shown in many Tamil films. Since it was working day and morning hours, there were hardly few other devotees, so we had a peaceful darshan.

The temple seems to have been renovated recently, steps were well done, paint fresh on the Gopurams. Fine job by the HRE Board of Govt. of Tamil Nadu and local municipality. As a common theme in many tourist places in Tamil Nadu (and across India) there were the locked Bathrooms. The local municipality has build on great cost a water tank & few Toilets in the foothill (near car parking) for public convenience but they were all locked, you need approach the temple staff for the key (who surprisingly obliged on our request).

Reference: Detailed information can be found in this fine blog post.

Trip to Singapore

Outside India, I am very familiar with Singapore. I have been there many many times and that’s due to having few relatives & friends there and that I usually stop-over en-route to my US trips. Also Singapore is a shoppers heaven for Electronics & Gadgets. The last I travelled to Singapore was in November 2010 and this week for business meetings. In the last few trips the craze for me on shopping gadgets has come down, for example when I went to the famous Funan IT Mall this time around I didn’t buy anytime – which is first for me!. This could be because I have most of the devices already (iPhone4, iPad2 from US, Kinect for XBOX360 bought in India, Apple TV and so on). Second most of the devices you get in India (Croma or Reliance Digital and so on) and the price difference is very less – buying in India saves you hassles of carrying them, warranty & customs duty in Airport. I have noticed that low-end & previous generation gadgets which move in volumes are now cheaper in India and on top of it you have to pay Singapore Taxes (of course you can get GST refund, but why the hassle).

While in Singapore one of the days for Lunch I went to Cedele by The Bakery Depot, a popular bakery & soup shop in Singapore. I was introduced to their shop in Raffles Quay (Basement 2 in Raffles Place MRT) by one of my friends in Singapore. For the lunch I had a lovely Moroccan Spiced Carrot (Vegetarian and without cream) and some breads. I noticed they sell many organic and fresh varieties of Ice Cream, Pastries and Salads as well.

Later, I went to the Marina Bay Sands Casino & Hotels. It seems you got to take your Passport & VISA to enter the Casino “free” as a foreigner (localities are required to pay SGD100) and the bouncers didn’t accept my Soft copy in iPhone. So instead I went to the Skypark (54th Floor) after paying SGD 20. From the top you get a great view of the city, but nothing spectacular.

One of the days my Uncle took me to the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road (Little India) where there was a Homam (Offerings Hindu Ritual) to Lord Sudharshanar happening, I had a good Darshan.

And every description of a trip to Singapore is incomplete without the praise to Changi Airport. I landed in the new Terminal 3 which is new and sparklingly clean, amazing how Singapore does it time and again.

Trip to Sholingur hill temple

This Monday myself and my friend E.Ravi decided to take off the next day and go for a drive away from Chennai. That’s how we ended up going to Sholingur this Tuesday (15th March). Sholingur is a town in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu, near to Arakonam and Thiruthani. The town is famous for its Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple on a big hilltop and Yoga Hanuman Temple on a smaller hilltop. From Chennai you have two routes to go to Sholingur town. One is NH4 (Chennai-Bangalore Highway) going up to Walajapet and then proceeding to Sholingur, this is a longer route (131 Kms) and we were told by people who go there frequently that road from Walajapet to Sholingur is not that good. So we took the other route which is NH205 (this is the road you take to go to Tirupathi from Poonamalle) and SH54 which in total turns out to be a distance of about 120 Kms from T.Nagar, Chennai. Travelling on NH205 once you reach Thiruthani go towards Railway station and get on to road (left) to go to Vellore via Chithoor, this is SH54 and then follow on signs for Sholingur. Once you are near the town you start to see the HillTop and easily find your way towards the base car parking.

Once you reach the base, you need to leave your footwear and start your climb up the big hill barefoot (thank the good souls who have sponsored and put up a metal-sheet ceiling all through the path to protect the pilgrims from the heat). Climbing by foot is the only way to reach the temple, I was told a cable car has been planned in the next few years by local authorities. The steps are pretty steep, but can be climbed by all able people with some effort. In our enthusiasm to reach up quickly, we both hurried up the steps and after few hundred steps found ourselves slowed down considerably, resting every few steps and gasping for breath. As you climb your way up, I kept wondering how the priests and others working in the temple do this trip every day. After nearly an one hour and climbing 1305 steps on hard rock, you reach the beautiful temple.

There are hundreds of Monkeys all through the path and in the temple corridors, so you need to be careful on your belongings. Especially if you are carrying anything the Monkeys consider as food (Bananas, Jasmine flowers) you got to be extra careful in covering them completely. Some Monkeys seem to have the ability to spot out people carrying items of interest to them more easily than others, even when the items are covered. We were warned about the monkeys in the flower shop at the base and were given a long wooden stick “free” to protect us (it is more to scare the monkeys, I can never get myself to beat these cute monkeys). We had our offerings, water bottle and flowers covered and hidden safely inside a “gym” bag and had little problem. On our way up and down, we found that as long as you mind your own business, don’t tease or stare them on their eyes, the Monkeys don’t trouble you.

While coming down we hurried very fast and made it down in about 5-10 minutes, so in the last hundred feet found our feet trembling on the pressure. It would have been better to do the climb up and down more slowly with rests to prevent any strain and exhaustion. Carry plenty of water with you and with a light stomach (you do get Sodas & Fresh Lime Juice in a shop near the 600th step).

We started from Chennai at 8AM we reached Sholingur town at around 10.45AM (a 20-30 Minute stop for breakfast in Motel Highway at Nazarathpet). Started the return from Sholingur at 1PM and reached Chennai before 4PM (a 30 Minute stop for Lunch in Motel Highway again). If you are planning to go to Sholingur, enjoy the trip and have a great Darshan.

References:

Temple’s official site
“Sholingur-a wonderful hill temple” by Sudha Mukunthan
“Sholingur Narasimha at Thiru Kadigai” by Prabhu S

Kumbakonam Trip with family

Last few days I was on year-end vacation with my family to Kumbakonam. Why Kumbakonam, no specific reason other than we got a good recommendation about a resort there which was affordable for a group of 10 Adults. About 45 days back I booked 5 rooms with Paradise Resort, the property is on the Tanjore main road on the outskirts of Kumbakonam (Google Map). From Chennai you take NH45 (GST) branch off to left after Vikravandi (much before Villupuram) towards Kumbakonam. In that road (NH45C) stay on the Kumbakonam by-pass and take a right towards Tanjore, you will find the resort. From Chennai t is about 275-290 kilometers and takes about 5 to 5:30 hours,due to recent rains the road after Vikravandi was not good. The resort is also few kilometres before Swamimalai. The resort had very comfortable and clean Rooms & Bathrooms, nice atmosphere, good swimming pool (where we enjoyed a family swim) and decent food. The food and service needs to be definitely improved, other than that we enjoyed the stay.

Since it was the month of Margazhi (sacred in Vaishnavism) and it was Kumbakonam (where every few steps you have a historic Hindu Temple), the vacation became a mini-pilgrimage. Each day we went to 2 or 3 temples, I was trying to ensure we don’t over do it and had time to enjoy a good rest in the vacation.

First day it was Thirunallar (Lord Shani)
Second day it was the famous Uppiliappan koil and Kann Kodutha Vanitham (near Koradacheri), in the evening it was Alwar procession in Sarangapani Koil
Third day it was Ramaswamy Koil (which had the entire Ramayanam story painted in its wall), Chakrapani Koil (Lord Sudharshanar)
Last day on our return we went to Srirangam, Trichy before returning to Chennai

I wanted to capture more of the historic works inside the temples, but in most places they don’t permit photographs even on the outskirts for no reason.

Wish you all a very happy new year 2011

Cochin & Guruvayoor

This weekend I travelled with family to Cochin mainly for having Darshan at the Guruvayoor Krishnan temple, I come here every few years once at no particular regularity. Considering Kerala’s narrow roads I have found it convenient to stay in a Hotel in Guruvayoor itself called “Krishna Inn”, which has decent well furnished rooms and excellent food. This time around we stayed in Cochin for the night and we just hired a taxi to drive down to Guruvayoor and return on the same day. We reached Cochin in the morning, had lunch and immediately started from Hotel Trident (Cochin) to Guruvayoor around 2PM and reached at 5:30PM – covering just about 95-100KMS. We had a good Darshan in the evening, had dinner at Krishna Inn and returned around 11PM to the Trident, Cochin.

In earlier trips to Cochin I have stayed at Avenue Regency at M.G.Road – a nice Hotel in Ernakulam. This time I wanted to try a different place, seeing online a good deal from their website I booked at The Trident, Cochin. When I actually reached the place I realized how far the Hotel is from the City Centre or any other place. It is nested somewhere deep inside Cochin Harbour and you go through Navy security toll booth and so on. In terms of Distance the Hotel (The Trident, Bristow Road, Cochin) is something like 55KMS from Cochin International Airport. The Hotel itself was nice, small, nothing worth mentioning of a Trident and the food was decent. My son got a little disappointed in discovering the Swimming Pool was just 5 Feet deep, having practising in a 12 Feet pool in Hotel Savera (Chennai) this was feeling like shallow water for both of us.

The above photo shows an eco-friendly lid made from a wasted Naan (Indian Bread) used for covering a pot of Veg. Briyani served in The Trident – I found it to be a nice idea by the chef!

My road trip to Trichy

This week for a marriage of a co-worker, I went by car to Trichy with my good friend E.Ravi. Trichy holds a special place in my life, not only as my mother’s native place but also that’s where I went for many of the years for my (school time) summer holidays. So I look forward each time I get to go to Trichy and to Srirangam temple, to which I have fond memories of going with my (late) maternal grandfather.

We went from Chennai by NH45 (the same road that leads to Chennai Airport, Chengalpattu and so on) in my Honda City (I love this car, but that’s for a different post). The national highway is one of the best I have seen in this part of India. The only irritant is that you have to stop and pay (about Rs.196 in total) at 6 different toll booths. Why don’t they collect the amount together at the first tollbooth itself, which I was told the higher ups in Government are contemplating. Each way it takes about 4:30 to 5:00 hours depending on the city traffic and how fast you drive. I was able to do in many places over 120KM (I admit the official limit was only 80KM/HR).

We left on Wed (15 Sep) afternoon around 12PM and reached Trichy by 4:30PM. On the way we stopped in Villupuram for Lunch at a local vegetarian restaurant called Vasantha Bhavan which is opposite to New Bus Stand, its not great place but you get decent food and an affordable price. To get inside the city (Villupuram) remember to get out of NH45 By-Pass. While you are near Trichy just after Samayapuram, remember to get out of the By-Pass by turning right towards Salem road and then at the Thiruvanaikaval junction turn right to reach Srirangam. After reaching Srirangam, we went straight to the temple and had a good darshan at all the Deities (சந்நிதிகள்) and visited LIFCO’s Showroom at Nandhi Koil Street.

We stayed for the night in Hotel Femina (decent star class hotel) as the marriage was on a marriage hall just opposite the hotel. Next day morning (Thursday) we got up early and went to Rock Fort (மலைக்கோட்டை) by Autorickshaw (no Fare-meter in Trichy as well, just like Chennai). It was about 150 steps and was not difficult, we went up and came in less than an hour. While on top you get a fabulous view of the whole city (Trichy). Then we went to the marriage and had a great wedding lunch. Then we left around 2PM from Srirangam and luckily reached Chennai by 6:30PM (you know I can be a good driver), we didn’t stop in between anywhere.

Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India

Few months back I read a review of this book “Nine Lives” by William Dalrymple, I picked up a copy in my next visit to Landmark store. Over the next week or so, I finished reading the book, but what an impact this book made on me. I was thinking on it for weeks now, so I got delayed in doing this post.

The book is about “Nine people” and “Nine lives”, the story is about different faiths that prevail in the Indian subcontinent. William Dalrymple, I learned is a scottish born writer who now lives with his family in a farm outside Delhi in India. What was striking to me about the book was the stories narrated in the People’s own voice, rather than the author who tries to stay away for most part and not introducing his judgment, speculation or colour it with his experiences.

The first story on a Jain Nun was very revealing for me, before it I hardly knew anything about Jain Religion other than having visited few of the Jain temples in Rajasthan. The other stories include one about a Buddhist monk who took up arms to resist the Chinese invasion of Tibet, a Tantric skull feeder in a remote cremation ground in Kolkata, A Theyyam dancer in Kerala worshipped as a deity for few months returning to his job as a Prison warden, a tribal leader from Rajasthan keeping alive an ancient 4,000-line sacred epic that he knows by heart, a devadasi or temple prostitute called as Yellamma’s children initially resists her own initiation into sex work yet pushes both her daughters into a trade she now regards as a sacred calling, a story of worshippers of of Lal Shahbaz in rural Sindh, Pakistan highlighting the difference between Orthodox Islam vs Sufism.

Overall, a must read book. I was exposed to the various faiths that are being practised in our modern India.

Venkatarangan Blog

Categories

Archive