Indian Columbus

Navaratri is celebrated for ten days (including Dussera) all over India. In every state, it is celebrated in a unique way. It is famous as Durga Pooja celebrations in Bengal. Gujaratis celebrate Navaratri with dandiya and garba. In Tamil Nadu, Kolu is the highlight of Navaratri celebrations. Kolu (usually misspelled as Golu) is an interesting and artistic way of displaying dolls during the Navaratri times. The dolls are placed on odd-numbered steps. This tradition of Kolu has been followed for hundreds of years in houses and, nowadays, even in temples. During the Navaratri times, all over the state, the dolls are sold in temporary roadside shops. Although the dolls are sold in every nook and corner of the state during the festival, when it comes to Chennai city, people would most like to buy them from Mylapore locality. The heritage-rich area would have hundreds of roadside shops selling thousands of dolls during the festivals. The Mada Streets around the famous Kapaleeswarar templ...

Mannivakkam  is a village located 9 km from Tambaram on the southern outskirts of Chennai. There is an ancient temple for Shiva called  Manneeswarar  situated in this village. It is said that this temple was built by  Kulotunga Chola I  towards the end of the 11th century CE. It is believed that he made 108 Shiva temples in Thondai Mandalam. Some of the other temples he built include the temples of Manimangalam, Somamangalam, and Tirumazhisai. I personally could not find any historical record or reference that this temple is a Chola-period temple. Except for the idol of Dwara Murugan, which appears to be from the Chola period, everything else in the temple seems to be from a later period. The temple has an inscription on the outer wall of the sanctum, which belongs to the Nayaka kings in the beginning of the  16th century CE . A small kalyana mandap within the temple has an inscription dating  to 1818 CE . The mandap was built by Pachai Ammal, the w...

Not always, history books, travel guides or even Google Maps would help you to find or explore a lesser-known site. Sometimes, only a local can help you with this. Being a local of the Sowcarpet area of Chennai city, let me introduce you to a 120-year-old temple and its history. This is getting documented in detail for the first time. No other print media or electronic media has ever mentioned this temple. There is no tower or vimana. It is an old two-storied building with a narrow entrance on the busy NSC Bose Road. You might either miss this or mistake this building for an old independent house. The stucco images of Radha Krishna and a few other Vaishnava deities on the facade of the first floor are the only clue to connect this place with a religious site. It is the 120-year-old Radha Krishna Temple. This temple has a fascinating history. Shri Ram Prasanna Swamiji In 1905 CE, a holy man, Ram Prapanna by name, from Mirzapur of Uttar Pradesh state, came down to Madras. He belon...

In my opinion, Mint Street in Sowcarpet is the best place in Chennai for a pakka food trail. For every ten steps, you will find a unique option here. Especially if you want to taste Gujarati or North Indian snacks, Sowcarpet is unarguably the best option in the city. Kakada Ramprasad sweet shop is among the few popular Gujarati/Rajasthani/North Indian shops. Ramprasad Kakda from Rajasthan started a sweet shop on Mint Street in 1958 CE. He apparently served only jalebis and moti paks initially. Today, hundreds of varieties of sweets and chat items are available in this shop. Also, a restaurant has come up on the top floor in recent years. The shop has also opened its branches in other localities of the city. This is arguably the best place to have badam milk in the entire city. Apart from badam milk, the shop is known for aloo tikki and hot jalebis too. If you go to Sowcarpet, take advantage of this 60-year-old shop. Happy travelling.

Sowcarpet is the locality of Chennai, where many North Indian and Gujarati communities are still found.  Ananda Ranga Pillai , in his famous diaries of 1746 CE, mentions about the Gujaratis of Madras. After the formation of Black Town, many Gujarati families migrated to Sowcarpet. The migration continued till the 1950s. The migration happened not for a particular reason, and different groups of Gujarati-speaking people migrated to Sowcarpet. It included the Gujarati traders from Gujarat, Khedaval Brahmins who had already migrated to Thanjavur, Gujarati Jains, etc. Hence, it is unsurprising to find so many Gujarati Jain temples in Sowcarpet. Two notable Jain temples are located on Mint Street in Sowcarpet. One temple, rebuilt with white marble in 1994 CE, was constructed where the original Jain temple stood for about 90 years. Another temple on Mint Street is much older than this one. It is referred to as Juna Mandir. (In the Gujarati language, Juna means old). I could not find a...

If I am right, no other print or electronic media has covered the temple on which this article is written. Anjaneya is generally found in Anjali Hasta (depicted with folded hands). Only in a few temples he is found in Abhaya Mudra. There is one such temple located in the Sowcarpet area of Chennai. The lane where the Rath (car) of the twin temples Chenna Kesava and Chenna Mallikeswarar is stationed is called Theradi Street. This lane is a dead end, and as the Rath blocks the passage, only some would venture into this lane. Even Google Map does not help us to find this lane. It is located diagonally opposite the twin Pattinam temples. The temple of Anjaneya is situated at the end of this small lane. It's a small temple with one shrine. A few pillars and a mandap-like structure are found nearby. The temple is named as Bhakta Abhaya Varaprada Anjaneya Swami. Hanuman is located in the standing posture. His right arm is in Abhaya mudra, and his left arm is holding a mace. In the 1940s, ...

This temple of Ganesha, called Varasiddhi Vinayakar, is a tiny temple located at the junction of NSC Bose Road and Devaraja Mudali Street. If you are from Madras's George Town/Sowcarpet area, you would have at least noticed this temple if you had not entered. The temple has no icons except Lord Ganesha and a small prakara around the shrine. But, only a few know that this temple has a 300 years old history. (I am quoting a few historical details based on the book "Vestiges of Old Madras" written by H.D. Love and another book called "Madras in the Old Time" by Talboys Wheeler). Since Madras was founded, tensions existed between the left-hand Chetti and right-hand Komati communities. The Governor, Thomas Pitt, settled the dispute through an agreement in 1708 CE. However, a fresh community dispute broke out in 1716 CE. According to Chettis, the Komatis usurped several titles that belonged to Chettis, and also they performed some ceremonies in front of the icon that...

Rajaji Salai is one of the few roads in Chennai with many historic buildings. It was called the First Line Beach and was one of the city's most important roads in the early 1800s. In the 1700s, it was perhaps a beach similar to Marina Beach. The 2nd Baron Clive, the Governor of Madras, decided that the customs department should have its own building outside the St. George Fort. From 1798 CE onwards, the Customs House and many business establishments started on First Line Beach's left side. Thus, the beach was replaced by commercial establishments and port. A big stationery store was constructed in the early 1800s. Although many British period buildings on this road were lost, fortunately, this building still survives. The Government Stationery Depot now runs in this lesser-known heritage building. The building's entrance is located on Arbut Not Lane. Arbut Not Lane:  Many of the Chennai streets are not spelled correctly. It is Arbuthnot Lane. The lane was named after Arb...

Access card, burger prasad and the air-conditioned temple - it's true, and I am not kidding. A temple near Chennai offers everything mentioned above. This article focuses on that temple. Jaya Durga Peetham is a private temple. There was a saint who was called Jaya Durga Siddhar. His disciples run a trust and also this temple. It is located in Raghavendra Nagar in Padappai, a suburb of South Chennai. You will be required to show your original ID card at the counter and provide your details for registration. Then, you will be given an access card. You could enter and exit the temple only with this. Once you enter the temple, you will feel like you are inside an IT company. The temple is very neatly maintained. Before entering the temple, you will be given a water bottle. And, before leaving the premises, you need to swipe your card to get Prasad. The temple authorities do not charge for this, and no Hundi exists. However, they have a laundry list of various sevas and services with t...

Around 20 km from Tambaram, the southern outskirts of Chennai, a small and lesser-known village called  Cherappanancheri  is located. An ancient  Chola period  temple called  Veemeeswarar  Temple is found in this village. Temple Layout and Structure Veemeeswarar is a  5.5 feet high  Shiv Linga. The Goddess  Swarnambikai  is also found in the sanctum along with Shiv Linga. She faces the southern direction, whereas the Linga faces the eastern direction. The temple is located on an elevated platform. Also, it is a Chola-style  Gajaprshtha  (apsidal) temple. Unfortunately, the temple is in ruins. A few years ago, the temple did not have a ceiling. The local villagers collected funds and put an asbestos sheet on top. The walls around the sanctum are entirely damaged. No niche image or any other Parivara murti is found in this temple. A comparatively new Ganesh temple is located near this ancient temple. Two Nandis,  on...