Nostalgia revisited indeed ,strangely even though there was lot of changes the place still retained its flavour and smells ,many landmarks were still there i may have even bumped into many familiars i could recognise .
Kapaleeswar temple in Mylapore in Chennai was built in
7 CE by Pallava kings .
The Dravidian temple architecture was with a 40 mt West Gopuram or tower endowed with fine sculptures and a smaller east gopuram facing the temple tank
Having spent my childhood in Mylapore the temple to me is pure nostalgia .
My mother used to take us every saturday here meticulously to pray to Saneeswaran there to ward off Sani or evil eye .
The main deity is Lord Siva .
He is called kapal Eswaran as he had plucked out one of Brahmas Kapalam or heads when Brahma acted egoistically once in Kailas .
An apologetic Brahma came down to south of India and made amends by praying to Siva linga here .
Parvathy ,Sivas consort too was turned into a pea hen and prayed here to become Karpagambal .
She had given the divine spear to her son Muruga here to kill demon padma asuran .
The temple is described in Thevaram hymns and famous saints at that time had described it .
Its a paadal petra sthalam .
The streets around the temple bustle with garland and flower sellers vegetable fruit shops jewellers textile showrooms good restaurants where one could get authentic vegetarian south Indian fare and filter coffee of the finest flavour with budget prices .
The place also has excellent centres of creative learning for bharatanatyam carnatic music and instrumental music .
Thiruvalluvar who wrote well known Thirukural a form of couplet verses which would today be called as one of the best management treasties ever written ages back was born in Mylapore .
Mayil in the temple is pea cock and Parvathis personification as one and fact plenty of peacocks inhabited the place once gave it its name .
Mylapore is a bee hive of creativity spirituality culture heritage history and tradition still .
There are four famous streets around the temple called Mada streets .
North south east and west .
The place was crowded with plenty of shops vendors selling fresh vegetables on the side of the huge temple tank ,offices houses smaller temples madoms .
The North mada street had Mylapore bus stand and now has the Mylapore overhead train and Metro too ..
The South mada street has the huge temple chariot or Ther housed inside a metalled shed .
During annual ther festival it would be pulled by hundreds of devotees through the four streets packed with devotees ,the position of Ther would be whispered in the crowd as people would ask Ther enge ?or where has it reached ?
Pulling such a tall ornamental temple like chariot through narrow streets filled with electric wires was no small feat .
There used to be a group of men whose job was to hold the wires using tall poles as the ther passed underneath .
The ropes were huge fat and strong .
Another group used wooden wedges to adjust direction of giant wooden wheels .
Its said dying under the Ther gave you nirvana and in olden days some used to throw themselves under it .
The ther festival would be on the last but one day of the 10 annual festival eagerly awaited by thousands .
To us children who grew there it came around April when we had our annual exams which was quite upsetting as we could not spend all the time in temple .
The last day of festival was famous Arupathi moovar or 63 festival which was honouring the 63 saints devotees of lord Siva
63 nayanmaar or saiva scholars who were carried in palanquins ..
Another famous festival was Theppam or float festival in temple tank .
Mylapore was also center of entertainment with famous RR Sabha regularly contributiing to quality music dance and theater .
Lady Sivaswami Aiyer girls high school opposite RR Sabha produced many noteworthies .
One famous store the Kalathies sold thier famous Rose milk here ,yesteryear actors used to come to savour it as Madras was hub of south indian filmdom then .
Kalathy still exists and the Rose milk is still a huge hit .
Stores like J.A.Stores has disappeared .
The famous Mylapore Fund celebrated its century even in the seventies and i remember its hallowed halls well .
The place was a melding pot of different professions from educated professors lawyers accountants priests merchants dancers musicians actors businessmen hoteliers etc .
All type of people came to pray to Kapali temple or shop for jewelerry dresses or buy freshest vegetables available anywhere in those days .
The Karpagambal mess completed the morning for me with hot vadas and filter coffee .
