The Madras Literary Society, Colonial Lending Library: Attracts Chennai Photowalkers

Chennai Photowalk wanted to schedule and cover four important monuments in a photowalk during the Madras Week 2015 celebrations i.e, 1.  Freemasons’ Hall, 14 Ethiraj Salai, Egmore, Chennai-600008; 2. Madras Literary Society (MLS) library,  DPI Complex,, College Road, Chennai, 600006; 3. ‘Doveton House’ (built in 1798), Women's Christian College, College Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600006; and 4.  Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, Old No.50, New No. 6, College Road,  Nungambakkam, ( Near Shastri Bhavan) Chennai - 600034. Obtaining permission was appearing as tedious process. To our surprise 'History and Heritage of the Cooum River' a power point presentation was arranged in MLS Library on 15th August 2015 between 3.00 and 04.30 pm by Cooum Cultural Mapping group, Chennai. Chennai Photowalk arranged Walk # 1, a photowalk in consultation with PSG to visit the 203 year old MLS Library on the same date between 2.00 and 3.00 pm.

Mr.Venkatesh Ramakrishnan and Mr.T.R. Shashwath of Cooum Cultural Mapping group were already available in the premises. The young architect Ms.Thirupurasundari Sevvel, who loves to research into traditional architecture, is on a mission to preserve and revive the aura of the past. Since she is very keen in taking part in events that offer an opportunity to celebrate the city’s heritage, she made her presence in MLS along with volunteers of her Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai team.

Ms.T Sundari also plays an active role in MLS Library maintenance, use promotion and conservation of Library collections. The Librarian displayed few prestigious rare monographs held in the collection. The architect was explaining the history of MLS, the library building designed and developed in accordance with Indo Saracenic architecture with Rajasthani style elements i.e, brick and lime mortar wall, Madras  roof, Cuddapah slab flooring, high ceiling with interiors, tall windows with Jharokha balconies, designer jalli, ornate cornice molding along the top of an exterior wall etc. 

Mr.Mohan Raman, Secretary MLS welcomed the gathering. Mr. Sriram Venkatakrishnan, the heritage activist,  INTACH convener for the Chennai region, The Hindu columnist (column titled Hidden Histories)  and the editor of Madras Musings newspaper addressed the gathering for about 0.15 mts. on MLS. It was followed by power point presentation by Mr.Venkatesh Ramakrishnan and T.R. Shashwath on History and Heritage of the Cooum River. The following paragraphs may give you an understanding about the MLS Library:

Madras Literary Society Library 

Address: DPI Complex,, College Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006

Phone:044 2827 9666

Founded in: 1812  - 203 year old library

History:

The British East India Company relocated its capital from Madras to Calcutta in 1772. The British East India Company encouraged their employees (i.e, military officers and civil servants) to form societies. William Jones founded the Asiatick Society of Bengal 1784, 'to  encourage enquiry into the history, civil and natural, the antiquities, arts, sciences and the literature of Asia.' It immediately became the important learned society in the British colonies. The Asiatic Society of Bombay was also founded in Bombay in the same time to promote Asian studies based in Bombay. During this period the presidencies of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were subject to the direct control of the London Office of the East India Company. The societies played vital role in the promotion of Asian studies and served as the limb of the British Indian government. The societies not only collected books, but also documented anthropological and geological data and collected palm leaf manuscripts.

The 'Literary Society' refers to a society which desires to promote research in the chosen fields or subjects, publish newsletter and or learned periodicals and hold seminars, symposium and meetings wherein research findings can be discussed after presentation. The Literary Society of Bombay was founded 1804. The Madras Literary Society was founded in 1812. The Literary Society Libraries forming part of these Literary Societies served as the 'Clearinghouses', wherein the Societies identified, collected, collated and made access to data and information on 'literature, exploratory and scientific discoveries, experiences of the Civil, Military and Judicial officers of the respective presidencies. 

Francis Whyte Ellis (1777–1819), a British civil servant was inducted in the Indian Civil Services (at the time a division of the British East India Company) in the Madras Presidency and soon elevated to the position of Collector of Madras in 1810. He was also a member of the Member of the Madras Literary Society. He planned and founded  "the College of Fort St. George" "a major Knowledge Centre" at Madras in 1812. The purpose of establishing the College of Fort St. George was to train East India Company officials in native languages. Ellis was an erudite scholar and he developed good relations with best Indian scholars like Pattabiram Shasthri, Muthusami Pillai, Udayagiri Venkatanarayanayya, Chidambara Vaathiyaar and Syed Abdul Khadar. Ellis influenced them to train the Indian students in grammar and law. The trained Indian students were employed in College of St. George as instructors to teach the  civil service recruits arriving from England. The newly recruited civil servants of the Madras Presidency spent their first two years learning one of the South Indian languages. 

The College of Fort St. George was functioning in the campus wherein Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) now functions in College Road. Of course the name College Road was to indicate the College of Fort St. George as its landmark. The college functioned here till 1854.

Madras Literary Society and Library complemented the 'College of Fort St.George,' 'the School of Language and Oriental Studies' in the training of the newly recruited Civil Servants of the Madras presidency. 

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) was established in London in 1824 by a group of notable scholars and colonial administrators. It was intended to be the British counterpart to the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, which had been founded in 1784, by the noted Sanskrit scholar and jurist Sir William Jones. According to a charter received from King George IV, the Royal Asiatic Society was affiliated to associate societies in India (Calcutta, Bombay, Bangalore, Madras, and Bihar). In 1830 the Madras Literary Society became an Auxiliary of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and has generally been known as the Madras Literary Society and Auxiliary of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Libraries controlled by different bodies which were in need of space were invited to occupy some portion of the Connemara Public Library. The Madras Literary Society Library was the first to function inside the Connemara Library until it was shifted in 1905 AD to its present building on College Road. The Madras University Library occupied the space vacated by the Madras Literary Society Library and functioned there until 1928 AD when it moved to the University Buildings at Chepauk. The Oriental Manuscripts Library which was also housed in the Connemara Public Library till 1935 AD, moved into the University Buildings at Chepauk.

Library Building: 

The single - storey library building is a red-brick structure with intricate sandstone trimmings inspired by the Rajasthani style of architecture. The walls and columns were built with brick and lime mortar. The high Madras Terrace roof is still strong. The flooring looks even and smooth. It was built for library purposes with an enormous hall and high ceiling for natural light. It appears like a two storey building from outside.

Library Furniture: Rosewood tables and chairs used in the reading hall .

Funds

The Expenditure for maintaining the library is met by the Madras Literary Society.

Full Time Librarian: A full time librarian is serving the library

Opening Hours

Madras Literary Society Library serves the public daily from 10.00 am. to 05.00 pm. on weekdays. The library is closed on Sundays, three National holidays and selected festival holidays a year.

Collection

The stock of volumes stood at 83,000.  This well stocked library has valuable reference and research material: Old East India Company records, learned periodicals of the Asiatic Society, old and rare books of Tamil grammar, and even old issues of Punch magazine published in 1870. The library collection also includes fictions, philosophy, literature, history, linguistics and other subjects. The books are soiled and due to age and some books brittle.

The library has received good number of books by way of donations from individuals, institutions and Governments. Apart from this MLS library also builds collection by purchasing from the funds made available by the MLS. 

Some of the rare books in the collection include books like Arretolis Opera Omania QVAE Extant Graece and Latine, published in 1619 (the earliest book available in the library). Philosophie Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Issac Newton's Masterpiece Pricipia Mathematica in Latin) and Robert Boyles works  Vol. III (1772) are some of the rare books in the Science collection.

Access

Stack Room: No distinct stack room earmarked for the library. Books are stacked in multi-storey wrought steel book racks supported by ladder type staircase. Books are arranged in open access system. However some are classified or restricted and available for reference only.

Classification and Cataloging

Books are classified according to Dewey Decimal Classification System (version not known).

Card catalog system is not found within library premises. Searching the books could be according to the classification sequence.

Users

Any person is eligible to use MLS library service. 

Membership is open to common public. Every member can borrow maximum of six books at a time for a period of two weeks. An annual admission fee  of Rs.850+50- per member is collected every financial year. At present this Library has 200 members on roll.  The distinguished members in the past include Annie Beasant, Subhas Bose  Dr. S. Radhakrishnan,  TT Krishnamachari and CP Ramaswami Iyer.  Library delivers Books on loan to elderly at their home at a nominal charge of Rs.20 per set.

Reading Area

The reading area is located at the entrance. Around 20 seats are made available for users to sit and consult the books.

Publications

The Society published a learned periodical called the Transactions of the Literary Society of Madras from 1827 and continued from 1833 under the name of Madras Journal of Literature and Science and was published up to 1894. Till 1858 the periodical was edited by the committee of the Madras Literary Society and Auxiliary of the Royal Asiatic Society. The volumes published during 1880 was edited by Gustav Oppert, Ph. D. (Professor of Sanskrit, Presidency College, Madras; Telugu Translator to Government; Curator Government Oriental Manuscripts Library; Fellow of the Madras University).

Reference

1. 19th & 20th Century Madras Journals and the Lawrence Asylum Press. ‘Pages from History’ by Dr. A. Raman, Charles Sturt University, Orange, New South Wales, Australia. Madras Musings Vol. XIX, no.10; September 1-15, 2009
2. Forgotten library: 200-year-old Madras Literary Society. Divya Chandrababu, Time of India 14, Mar  2014
3. Kinship and language by Theodore Baskaran. Frontline. Volume 26 - Issue 14 :: Jul. 04-17, 2009
4. Madras Literary Society. Chennai Best.com. August 27, 2015
5. Scholarly Societies Project sponsored by the University of Waterloo Library: Madras Literary Society 
6. Survivors of time: Pages from the past. Asha Sridhar. The Hindu 4th October 2011.

Students Taken To Madras Literary Society Library To Encourage Reading Ability - Thanthi TV (Youtube)

Heritage Walk in and around Madras Literary Society with V Sriram by Murugesan Chander (Youtube)

Chennai Anna Nagar Township Emerged from World Trade Fair 1968: Madras Week 2015 Photowalk Experience

Visvesvaraya Tower @ Anna Nagar Tower Park,

As part of Madras Week celebrations, Chennai Photo walk organized its Walk # 3 in collaboration with Social History Group founded by Ms. S. Thirupurasundari Sevvel, (T Sundari), the popular architect and the local history enthusiast around the 'Neighborhoods of Anna Nagar Tower Park'  on 23rd August 2015 between 07.00 and 08.30 am.

Ms.Thirupurasundari Sevvel, a staunch advocate of antiquity

Here are some interesting facts about Ms. S. Thirupurasundari Sevvel, . B.Arch (SRM University), BA (HONS) Architecture (University of Birmingham under Architecture Exchange Program), Masters in urban and regional planning (MURP) at Université François Rabelais de Tours, who is an architect, town planner in Anna Nagar and her family has been living in this neighborhood for generations.  She was thrilled to take note about the cities  abroad maintained a thorough documentation of their layout and development. Being influenced by the passion of the common people of various cities in documenting the history of the city, Ms.T.Sundari determined to do something similar and began by focusing on Anna Nagar. Being an architect, designer,  town planner and a staunch advocate of antiquity it was very easy for her to get started. She ascended up by launching a Social History group and also formed Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai (volunteer) team. She continued to collect, collate and document enormous data about Anna Nagar (including hand bills, booklets, photographs, press clippings etc.), the township developed by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in the early 1970s following the World Trade Fair in the area in January 1968. She is eager to learn and use what she has learned.  The walk #3 was lead by this young, aspiring and enthusiastic architect. The members of the Chennai Photowalk and  volunteers from Social History group have come across with outpouring information about Anna Nagar.

Since from the commencement of the photowalk she shared all relevant information at the relevant points. The participants also interacted with her and some of them recalled anecdotes from their memories. Till 1950s the area was identified as 'Mullukadu' alias 'Velankadu' since the locality was full of thorny bushes. The locality was formally named as Mullam Village and is still being referred by the Land and revenue department for all official purposes. It was also called as  'Naduvakarai' for other purposes.

Entrance Arch

Ayyanar Statue

In the 1967 General elections, the DMK swept Madras State, winning all 25 Parliamentary seats and 138 of the 173 Assembly seats. Anna became Chief Minister on March 6th, sworn in along with his Cabinet by Governor Ujjal Singh at Rajaji Hall. In January 1968, the Government hosted the Second International Tamil Conference in Madras. In January 1968 Madras hosted the World Trade Fair. In the absence of World Trade Fair of January 1968, the Anna Nagar township would not have taken shape. The most popular 135 feet tall Tower with  fourteen tier cyclic ramp spiraling to the top and finial (supported by an elevator) was designed and built at the center of the expo grounds as a watch tower and it stands still as the landmark of Anna Nagar. The pavilions were set up around this watch tower and these pavilions were permanent structures. The facade of the Tamil Nadu Pavilion was designed like the models of the 'Temple Tower' or 'Temple Gateway' as well as the 'Temple Car.' Later on after the Trade Fair these structures were auctioned. The present Anna Nagar Ladies Club and the Anna Nagar Club served as the Thailand Pavilion and the Kerala Pavilion respectively. The four entrance arches were constructed all the four cardinal directions of the World Trade Fair. Now the entrance at the East stands majestically bearing the name 'Anna Nagar Dr.Visvesvaraya Tower Park Arch.'

WTF Motif

Enamel Board

The thick brick wall on the right side of the arch bears the bas relief image informing the theme of the World Trade Fair i.e, the strong man is about to strike the hammer on the anvil; two chimneys with smoke; electricity pole and the crane chain. Also there is an enamel board conveying the information about the setting of bas relief on the eve of Indian World Trade Fair held in the month January 1968 by Perarignar Anna.   The vacant grounds before arch (now occupied by the structures of Kandaswamy College for Men) was used for VIP car parking. The public transport terminus was located around the Round Tana.

Round Tana

The shuttle vehicles served to transport people from Round-tana to the W. T. Fair grounds. Also there was a star hotel to accommodate foreign delegates at Aminjikarai PH Road - Nelon Manickam Road junction. The huge  Ayyanar Statue with thick moustache appear beating drum was installed to commemorate the Second World Tamil Conference.

Plaque: Inauguration of Tower

World Trade Fair Tower was initially named as Panch-Sheel Tower as the commemoration of the five principles of Panch-sheel enunciated by Jawaharlal Nehru and later it was rechristened as Visvesvaraya Tower to honour Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya,  the Diwan of Mysore (1912 - 1918), an engineer, scholar and statesman. The park covering an area of  15.35 acres came up only in 1979. The Park around the Tower was developed in stages in later times. The tower, park equipped with an amphitheater, a bird-watching deck, badminton courts, kids play area, a skating rink, a lake, and other facilities are being maintained by the Chennai Corporation. The World Trade Fair collected an entrance fee of 05 -10 paise from visitors to climb up and to have the panoramic view of the World Trade Fair grounds. Later Madrs (Chennai) Corporation collected Rs.5.00 as an entry fee from visitors. Over the last five years the visitors were not allowed to the top due to few miss happenings.

TNHB Model House G.Floor + F.Floor, Ext. Stairs

The town planning people preferred to formally name this locality as West Madras Extension. Later it was rechristened as Arignar Anna Nagar. Over a period of time the name was shortened as AA Nagar and thereafter 'Arignar; the honorific syllable was not pronounced by the public. Finally the name Anna Nagar became the official name.

The project fetched roads and public transport facilities. The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB), a state government board set up in 1958 to address housing needs of the lower and middle income groups.  TNHB was the only major provider and it built large colonies in Anna Nagar. At this point of time the residential plots measuring 1.5 ground land was offered at a cost of Rs.4500/- with a 75 per cent Government subsidy to build houses to promote the layout initially. TNHB also geared up to construct typical TNHB model residential buildings - with ground floor and first floor with internal toilets and exhaust fans as well as external staircase - at the request of the land owners. However only very few takers were there for this area that was without facilities like schools, hospitals, markets, etc. Ms.Sundari mentioned about one or two typical TNHB houses surviving still (which is now W-Block).


She was also telling that Anna Nagar is the first township and the unique township in Chennai to follow standard addressing system followed in the western world. Areas expanded after the formation of the initial 1970 layouts do not follow the standard nomenclature. Therefore finding door numbers in various streets is the most  challenging task. The residential houses are numbered in a disorderly pattern and even avenues and blocks are also difficult to find out. 

Ms.Sundari is curious about the stories associated with townships like Anna Nagar, Shenoy Nagar and even bus stops. She explained how she would find answers to question like: How did Blue Star got its name? Actually there was no name or landmark to locate this bus stop. One transport driver got worried about this and came out with a name 'Blue Star' as there was a laundry with the name 'Bulooo Star.' I was also curious to know about Shenoy Nagar has been named after whom? She gave immediate answer as Joseph Patrick Lasrado Shenoy (JPL Shenoy - shorter form) of the Indian Civil Service (ICS). The ICS officer hailed from a Catholic family of Mangalore. Most of the years of JPL Shenoy's service were spent in the then-Madras Presidency. He retired as the Commissioner of Madras Corporation in 1944.

'Although Anna Nagar may not have a centuries-old heritage like Madras, it is certain that a few decades from now Anna Nagar too will have heritage to cherish.' The photowalk came to an end by 08.30 hrs.

Reference

1. A blog site to document Anna Nagar T. Madhavan. The Hindu August 12, 2013
2. Celebrating Madras Week – in colour Madras Musings VOL. XXIV NO. 10, September 1-15, 2014
3. Spotlight on Anna Nagar Vipasha Sinha. The Hindu August 2, 2014
4. The change from silent NADUVAKKARAI to busy and bustling Annanagar -tracing the social history of annanagar. July 17, 2013.
5. There are many ways to celebrate Anna Nagar. Vipasha Sinha The Hindu February 7, 2015

Engal Kalyanam Galatta Kalyanam - Sivaji Ganesan, Jayalalitha - Galatta Kalyanam Tamil Song Rajshri Tamil (Youtube) (Galatta Kalyanam Tamil Song shot in the World Trade Fair 1968. Singers: T M Soundararajan, P.B. Srinivas, P. Sushila, L.R. Easwari, C.S. Ganesh. Director: C.V. Rajendran.)

Namma Annanagar Video -1 TS sev (Youtube)

Old Anna Nagar(chennai) from 1968 to 1972 Sundar Ramamoorthy (Youtube) 

Virupakshishwarar Temple: Fourth of the Seven Siva Shrines of Mylapore

 

There are hundreds of lesser known temples in Chennai. Few ancient shrines in Mylapore are still lesser known even to literate Chennai locals. You may easily miss the Virpaksheeswarar Temple, an in shadow ancient Shiva temple in Bazaar Road, Mylapore. Don't miss this temple if you happen to cross Mylapore.  This oldest living temple in Mylapore is not very big and even disfavoured for its  lesser scale architectural features; yet its history and epigraphy earn an important position among Mylapore Shiva temples.  Sri Venkatesh Ramakrishnan was very keen in motivating and guiding the CPW team to visit the most blissful and sacred temple in the heart of the city. Best to visit these Shiva temples with someone knowledgeable about Chola history.

After visiting Madhava Perumal temple we proceeded towards the busy Bazaar street and passed through the Karaneesvarar temple to locate Virpaksheeswarar Temple. We found the western gateway (A Torana Vayil ornated with stucco images of Shiva and his consort). However the new main gateway or rajagopuram is at  Virupakshishwarar Sannidhi Street (off Bazaar Road).

Sri Virpaksheeswarar  Virupa + Aksha  Virupa means strange or ‘Contradicting the Nature’ and Aksha means Eye i.e., Three eyed Lord Shiva. Term refers the THIRD EYE of Shiva. The Shivalingam, representing the three eyed Lord. is considered as huge among the seven Shiva shrines of Mylapore. The temple complex includes the main sanctum, sanctums devoted goddess Vishalakshi (consort of Lord Shiva), Selva Ganapathy, Murugan, Chandikesvarar and Navagrihams. 

The corridor is spacious. The main shrine comprise pillared mukha - mandapam, ardha - mandapam and the main sanctum. Lord Virpaksheeswarar appears in the form of huge Shivalingam under the east facing Dravidian vimana. The ornate pillars of the mandapam support the plain roof. The level of the granite floor is raised and covered with modern granite slabs. As a result the bas relief images on the square faces of the pillars have got sunk below the floor level.

The most affected bas relief image is one Sivanesan Chettiar, who reconstructed this historical shrine. He was the contemporary of saint Thirugnana Sambandar (Thevara Moovar), who lived around the 7th century A.D.  Saint Thirugnana Sambandar restored the life of the young girl Poompavai, the daughter of Sivanesan Chettiar. Sometime back the girl died due to snake bite and Sivanesan Chettiar preserved her ashes in an earthen pot. Thirugnana Sambandar restituted the girl  back to life by singing  Poompavaipathikam (10 Thevaram hymns in praise Lord Kapaleeswarar). From the presence of bas relief of  Sivanesan Chettiar on the pillar, you may guess the period of this temple.

Goddess Vishalakshi, the consort of Virpaksheeswarar appears in a separate south facing sanctum which can be accessed through the above mukhamandapam. A small granite Nandhi image appear before goddess sanctum. It is customary to install simha image before goddess sanctums in later Chola period Shiva temples. Of course there are enough variations. There are shrines dedicated to Lord Selva Ganapathi, Lord Murugan, Lord Chandikeswara and Navagriha (associate) deities.

The temple is under renovation. The tall five tier rajagopuram, with interesting colorful stucco images is being built at the southern gateway. The holy water tank with intact flight of steps on all four sides of the water body appear very quaint. Like here almost all the holy water bodies of the temples are subject to ill-maintenance and all intermittent toils in tank cleaning are worthless.

From literature we learn that there are Saptha Sthana Temples around Tiruvaiyaru region: 1. Tiruvaiyaru, 2. Tirupazhanam, 3. Tiruchotruthurai, 4. Tiruvedhikudi, 5. Tirukandiyur, 6. Tirupoonthuruthi and 7. Tiruneithanam. Like Saptha Sthana Temples of Tiruvaiyaru region, there is a set of Seven Holy Shrines (Saptha Sthana Temples) of Mylapore. Each Saptha Sthana Temple is represented by one sage (rishi) 1. Vashishta, 2. Adri, 3. Angirasa, 4. Kutsa, 5.  Gautama, 6. Brigu and 7. Kasyapa. It is highly auspicious to worship all the Saptha Sthana Temples in a single day (example: Mahashivratri Day, Krithikai Day) as pilgrimage in the following order:

1. Sri Karaneeswarar Temple, Sage (Rishi) = Vashista. Period: 12th Century. Location: Bazaar street (off Kutcheri Road) 

2. Sri Theerthapaleeswarar Temple, Sage (Rishi) = Adri. Location: Natesan street (Krishnampet. way to Triplicane) 

3. Sri Velleeswarar Temple, Sage (Rishi) = Angeerasa. Location: South Mada street (way to Chitrakulam)
4. Sri Virupaksheeswarar Temple, Sage (Rishi) = Kutsa. Location: Bazaar street (off Kutcheri Road) 

5. Sri Valeeswarar Temple, Sage (Rishi) = Gautama. Location: Gopathy Narayana Chetty street (opp. to Kolavizhiyamman temple) 

6. Sri Malleeswarar Temple, Sage (Rishi) = Brigu. Location: South Mada street (opp.to Karaneeswarar temple) 

7. Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple, Sage (Rishi) = Kasyapa. Location: Mylapore Tank.

 

Sri Virpaksheeswara temple is the fourth among the Seven Holy Shrines (Saptha Sthana Temples) of Mylapore dedicated to Lord Shiva. 

 

Inscriptions commencing from 11th to 16th century A.D have been discovered, e-stamped,  documented and published in the ASI / SII volumes. Some were inscribed inside the main sanctum and hence not accessible. Presently lithic inscriptions  are damaged or discorded due to negligence or improper renovation methods.  Dating back the reign of Vira Rajendra Chola (1063–1070 CE), the most ancient lithic document, records about the gift of two cows. Two important inscriptions one going to Pandya reign and the other going to the reign of Kopperunchinga I (1216–1242 A.D) the petty Kadava chieftain of the 13th century A.D. The fragmentary inscription, inscribed on the Mahamandapa pillar is accessible to all. It records the gift of gold in the name of prime deity for purposes of offering of flower garments,  perfumes and for ablution of deities for one year.

Though the 12th century lithic record was discovered on the mandapam floor and documented meticulously by ASI, the same has been covered with modern granite slabs. Much worn-out fragmentary record could have served as a crucial document to comprehend about the rich antiquity of Mylapore. Will the temple administrators and the government show firm commitment for preserving / conserving the inscriptions and the monuments for the enjoyment of present and future generations? 

Reference:

A temple awaiting a gopuram. Chitra Madhavan in Madras Musings 20(8), August 1 -15, 2010

Madhava Perumal Temple, Mylapore: A Photowalk Experience

Chennai Photo-walk (CPW) arranges photo-walks twice in a month to walk around Chennai streets, exploring the surroundings, exercising participants' creativity and clicking pictures. Retrowalk # 20 'Thiru Mayilai' is one such photo-walk planned around Mylapore (Meliapor as per Portuguese records), the town of peacocks and heritage suburb of Chennai on 12th July 2015, Sunday in between 06.30 - 09.30 am. The walk went well and was participated by umpteen number of CPW members and few new entrants. Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, the historical novelist (English novel 'Gods, Kings and Slaves', Tamil novels 'Kaviri Maindan' (a sequel to Ponniyin Selvan), 'Kanchiyin Tarakai' (a sequel to Sivakamiyin Sabadam) and 'Tillayil oru kollaikkaran'), heritage lover, founder of Ponniyin Selvan Varalatru Peravai and key activist for a band of volunteers planning to culturally map the Cooum, was very kind enough to participate in the walk and was literally guiding us to the ancient monuments around LUZ. Other heritage lovers from different groups of Chennai also participated including Sri R. Gopu and Smt. Padmapriya Baskaran.

Venkatesh Ramakrishnan & Guests (Picture by Gopalakrishnan)

 The walk commenced from Madhava Perumal Temple, Madhava Perumal st, off the Kutcheri road, and extended to few Shiva (Chola period) temples in Bazaar road, Tiruvalluvar (memorial) temple,  Apparswamy temple, Luz church and ended at Nageswararao Park.

Picture by Gopalakrishnan

Immersed in history, Mylapore is the hub of Chennai and a place of great antiquity. It brings back the attribute and the image of South Chennai. Ancient Hindu temples, mutts, historical churches come through side by side. You can witness at least one festival in a week happens here. Happening place. Two little known Vaishnavite temples and several Saivite temples and the Chola inscriptions bear testimony to Mylapore's connections with the Cholas. The Vaishnava classics (religious works): ‘Divyasuricharitam' and ‘Guruparamparai'  have referred Madhava Perumal and Kesava Perumal temples of Mylapore.

The Thenkalai, Vaikanasa agamic,Vaishnavite (east facing) temple is dedicated to Madhava Perumal. Lord Madhava Perumal appear seated inside the main sanctum under Ananda Nilaya Vimanam (Similar to Ananda Vimanam in Tirupati) with the upper hands holding the conch and the discus, the lower right hand in abhaya hasta and the left hand holding the Kaumodaki, the gada (mace weapon) and flanked by two consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi.

Stucco image of Prime deity above lintel

The prime deity is also known as Kalyana Madhavan since the celestial marriage with goddess Amritavalli Thayar took place at this shrine. Aravind Madhavan is the prominent procession deity (Utsava murthi) appear in a  standing posture flanked by two consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. The other procession deities of the main sanctum include  Narthana Krishna, Vishwaksena, Sudarsana and Anjaneya. Niranjana Madhavan (Little Madhavan),  the unique archa murti (ablution deity) appear standing with two upper hands holding sankha and chakra and the lower hands show abhaya and kati-hasta (hand resting on the hip) mudras.

Vimanam of Prime deity

The east facing temple comprise a sanctum (garbagriham), an antechamber (or vestibule or antarala) that connects the sanctum to a pillared hall (mukha-mantapa) which is preceded by ornately pillared main hall (mahamantapa). The dwi-tala (two tier) Dravida vimanam with hard granite base  (from pada-bandha adishtana to prastara) structure and with  brickwork kanta (neck), octagonal sikhara and stupi (finial) having mahanasika. The sanctum can be accessed through the east and south facing entrances.  The three arched niches on the bhadra segments are without images. Opposite the main sanctum is the small Garuda shrine.

Main Sanctum & Tower

Goddess Amirtavalli Thayar appear in a separate east facing sanctum (to the right of the main sanctum) near Santhana pushkarini (holy watertank) and the sanctum is the simple brickwork structure.  There are separate shrines for Bhoo Varahar, boar form of Lord Vishnu and goddess Andal who has got some unique significance with Madhava Perumal.  A separate shrine for Lord Rama along with Lakshmana, Sita and Anjaneya is also seen in the corridor of this temple. Peyalvar (the third alvar), one among the three prime alvar saints, was probably born in the 7th century AD on a red  water lily flower (Bot. name: Nymphaea rudgeana) in a 60-feet deep well known as Manikairavam located in Arundale street (south-east of this temple). The saint is believed to be the incarnation of the sword of Lord Vishnu (Nandakam). Since the saint showed crazy bondage with Lord Vishnu, he probably acquired the unique name 'Pei' Alvar (Pei in Tamil means ghost). His Tamil hymns are compiled as  "Moonram Thiruvandhadhi" in the Vaishnavite seminal work Nalayira Divya Prabandham. There is a separate shrine for this alvar saint in the north corridor. Also there are shrines for acharyas like Ramanuja, Manavala mamunigal.

The most eye-catching feature is two four pillared mandapas (pavilions): one is located before the rajagopuram and the taller one inside the south corridor houses the viswaroopa form of Anjaneya with folded hands facing the sanctum. The roofs exhibit exclusive angled patterns of squares.

The square bases of pillars of the mandapas have the ornate bas relief images, depicting various forms of Lord Vishnu and His consorts, associate deities and Alvar saints.

Legend

Sage Vyasa prayed for Lord Vishnu's grace and appealed him to indicate the most holy shrine where he could observe deep penance. The Lord heeded Vyasa's prayers and appeared before him to indicate Madhavapuram (the present Madhava Perumal shrine). The sage built hi hermitage and observed deep penance. The chapter in Mayurapuri Mahadhmiyam of the Brahmandapuranam, a Puranic literature narrate the story.

This temple is encircled by all-embracing tall perimeter wall and the most impressive five-tier rajagopuram at its eastern entrance. The holy tree of this shrine is the Punnai tree (Bot. name: Calophyllum inophyllum) meant for Lord Krishna and the plant can be seen behind the main sanctum.

Location:

The Madhava Perumal Temple is located in the Madhava Perumal Koil Street (off the Kutcheri road), Mylapore, Chennai. The entrance arch from can easily be located nearer to Sanskrit college, Royapettah High Road. The temple can also accessed from the Mylapore Tank bus stop. Just follow the well known Kutchery road, then turn left to Mundakkanni Amman Koil Street. After passing by the Mundakkanni Amman temple, turn right to Madhava Perumal Koil Street.

Festivals

Theppotsavam in Maasi (Feb - Mar)
Chitrai Brahmotsavam Annual Festival (Apr - May)
Varaha Jayanthi Utsavam in Chitrai (Apr - May)
Navratri (Sep - Oct)
PeyAlvar Avatar Utsavam in Aipasi (Oct - Nov)
Margazhi Tiruppavai Festival (Dec - Jan)

Timing

    7.00 A.M - 11.30 A.M - 4.30 P.M - 09.00 P.M

During Margazhi (Dec - Jan) months the temple is kept open from 05.00 A.M and is closed at 08.30 P.M

Contact details: Madhavaperumalpuram, Mylapore,  Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India . Ph #: 044 24985112