Indian Columbus

A very short film about the river Cooum. It's a part of Payanam webseries.

The High Court of Madras, located in the George Town locality of Chennai, is not merely a court but an important historical and heritage structure. Ten years ago, when it was comparatively easy to get inside the court campus for an ordinary and common man like me, I briefly visited it and wrote about it. Nowadays, access to the campus is restricted. The only way to visit the site is through the heritage walk that is conducted every month by  Advocate Mr. N.L.Rajah . Through the walk he curated, I was introduced to some of the heritage structures and features that could not be accessed earlier or restored in the last decade. The historical information that I will provide in this article is referenced from the book "Madras Rediscovered" book by  Mr. S. Muthiah . Formation of the High Court When the Britishers settled in Madras, there were Choultry Courts in the beginning. They are equivalent to today's Magistrate's Courts. In 1678, the Court of Judicature, which...

There is hardly anyone in Chennai who doesn't know about the river Cooum. Geographically, the origin of the river is in a different place. However, per the Hindu tradition, the river originates from the holy tank of a Shiva temple in a village called Cooum. As per the legend, Shiva went to fight against the Asuras to help the Devas. As the Devas missed to worship Lord Ganesha, he got angry and broke the axle of the chariot of Shiva. To maintain his balance, Shiva placed his bow on the ground. Immediately, the underground water gushed out and washed his feet. It is said that this water is holier than the river Ganga. The water flees into the sacred tank, which is believed to be the origin of the Cooum. This tank stands near the Shiva temple in the village even today. Shiva is called Tiruvirkolanathar on this site. It is a colossal tank covering an area of about 2 acres. The tank is picturesque as it is surrounded by trees and shrubs. It is maintained well, and it has wa...

Kasi Viswanathar Temple is one of the oldest temples of George Town locality in Chennai. This locality is the original Madras, which was developed by the Britishers. As per a few records, the temple was built in 1806 CE. During the colonial period, many temples were constructed in this area. It is one of those temples. The temple is located on Krishnappa Naicken Tank Street in Kondithope. The vast tank covering an area of 1.5 acres is adjoining. Unfortunately, the tank has no water. Perhaps, it never had water in the past several decades. Who is this Krishnappa Naicken, after which the tank, as well as the street, was named? Did he construct this temple? We don't know. In fact, an Agraharam named after him (Krishnappa Agraharam) is located nearby. The temple is famous in this locality. Most North Indian devotees who stay nearby are daily and regular temple visitors. The east-facing temple has no gopuram. The east-facing sanctum enshrines a mid-sized Shiv Linga (Kasi Viswanath...

Perhaps everyone in Chennai city knows the Central Railway Station. Almost 50% of the population would have visited or heard about the Body Guard Muneeswaran temple, 1.5 km from the Railway Station. Less than 5% of people who visit this roadside temple would have taken the pain to enter the historic  St. Mary's Cemetery  next door. Even those brave hearts completely ignore the Roman Catholic St. Patrick's Cemetery that is located next. There are graves of a few prominent people of Madras found here. Sadly, no one has recorded or written about this so far. It is said that there was Presbyterian Cemetery located near St. Mary's Cemetery. I believe the lost cemetery was found at the same site where St. Patrick's Cemetery is now. There are a few graves dating 1800s and the early 1900s. They all belong to the original Presbyterian Cemetery, I presume. The modern-day graves dating 1980s and 1990s are found in large numbers. They outnumber the historic burials. The chur...

In the middle of the congested George Town locality of Chennai, this large tank covering about 1.5 acres is in a small lane. It is named Krishnappa Naicken Tank. Interestingly, the name is not associated with the temple on its banks, Kasi Vishwanatha Temple. The street itself is named after this tank, Krishnappa Naicken Tank Street. The old timers recollect that this tank was a dumping yard in the 1970s and 1980s. Thanks to the restoration work and the construction of compound walls around the tank, this is no longer used as the dumping yard. However, the tank remains dry always. As per a few records, the adjoining temple was constructed in 1806 CE. Hence, this tank must be as old as that temple. This tank would have been a water source and a significant attraction in those days. What has led to this sorry state of the tank is not known. Who is this Krishnappa Naicken? Did he belong to Kannada Naicken or Telugu Naicken? Was he a Dubashi? Was he a landlord? Why are this street and ...

The history of Chennai is only complete if the British era is addressed. Similarly, the travel itinerary for Chennai is only complete if its temples are included. I don't want to ignore either of them in this article. The temples of Greater Chennai can be broadly classified into three categories, the ancient temples, the British-era temples, and the later ones. This article focuses on the temples of the city that were built during the British period with their direct or indirect contributions. It was the time when the temples were patronized not by the Kings but by British agents. The Twin Temples of Original Madras There was a temple for Vishnu called  Chenna Keshava Perumal , located at the site of the High Court. This temple was believed to be referred to by Dr. Fryer, who mentioned that he had visited a Pagoda in 1673 CE. In 1710 CE, the Thomas Pitt map also indicates the existence of a great Pagoda in this region. It is beyond the scope of this article to analyze if this t...

India is a holy land where there are so many temple towns. But, only a few of those towns would have temples in their original forms. And many of those few towns are located in Odisha. Yes, Odisha has hundreds of such ancient temples that have retained their originality. The stars in the sky could be counted, but not the temples of this region. The temples of Odisha are not merely religious sites; they are architectural marvels, magnificent monuments, and the center for interesting iconography. Hence, the region has the capability to attract all sorts of people, such as devotees, tourists, art lovers, heritage enthusiasts and historians. Odisha, rightly called the land of temples, has monuments dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 16th century CE. The Hindu Temple architecture can be broadly classified into three styles namely  Nagara, Vesara and Dravida . The style of temple architecture followed here is called as  Kalinga . It is a sub school developed under the Nagara sty...