Theosophical Gardens - Chennai

A Haven of Serenity and Wildlife

The peaceful gardens of the Theosophical Society spread over 100 acres but only a portion of this is open to the public. The Theosophical Society, founded towards the end of the 19th century, aims to unite people regardless of religion or belief in the search for Truth, which is sought through "study, reflection, purity of life and devotion to high ideals." This is a place that is primarily about people who hold a common ideal however the grounds offer a rare opportunity to escape the noisy Chennai traffic. It is one of the few green areas where one can walk peacefully in the city.

The grounds are famous for one of the largest Banyan trees in the world, covering an an area of about 57,000 square feet.

The gardens are filled with the symbolism of religions and beliefs from all over the world and there are temples, churches and shrines giving space for quiet contemplation.


The air is filled with the scent of the colourful, flowering shrubs that attracts clouds of butterflies - some as small as a fingernail, others as large as your hand. The peace here provides a haven for all sorts of insects and birds.

It is possible to catch glimpse of the large fruit bats, known as "Flying Foxes" presumably due to their reddish brown fur and pointed faces. They roost in their colony throughout daylight hours. These large bats, with a wingspan of around 80cm, are nocturnal and fly over the city in hundreds as the last light of day fades away. They feed on fruits such as ripe mangoes.
.

Birds call out from high trees - a golden oriole resplendent in yellow; a bright green parakeet or the spotted black and white of the Asian koel. You might catch sight of turquoise and green bee-catchers, noisy crows and musical mynahs. A glance ground-ward reveals the delicate tall structures of termite mounds and scurrying bright red beetles . Dusty webs of unseen spiders shroud some bushes and all around are the bright colours of flowers.


.

The Taj Mahal and Agra

Timeless Love

Famous for the Taj Mahal, Agra gives the impression of being timeless with its camel trains, laden carts, rickshaws, cows, water buffalo and monkeys joining the traffic on the road. Somehow it retains a village atmosphere, despite its size.

"Listen to Time,
Old eater at his fruit,
Spitting seeds, the brute
Who has no brain or rhyme.
How artfully he moves
Catpawing through a clock
And never stops to talk
But purringly he proves
With so much sound - no more
Than if you strain an ear
At one a.m. you hear -
The shutting of his jaw."

~ Lawrence Bantleman, 1942-1995 ~

The Taj Mahal, Agra was built by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. It was completed in 1648. Created out of white marble which reflects the colour of the sky, the patterned inlays are made using semi-precious stones ... and the beautiful calligraphic script from the Q'ran is created with inlays of black onyx.

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love."
~ Sophocles, 496-406 BC ~

Across the river, glimpsed from a distance, there was another type of existence - one where the washing is done in river water and washing is laid out or hung up to dry on the riverbanks.(Click to see a larger size)

The City of a Thousand Temples

Kanchipuram/Kanchi

75km from Chennai, lies one of the seven holy cities of India - a pilgrim centre for Hindus. This town was once a capital of the ancient Pallavas. There was a time when it could boast of more than a thousand temples and even today it has well over one hundred. We visited only two - the Kamakshi Amman Temple where legend has it that Kamakshi offered worship to a Shivalingam made out of sand, under a mango tree and gained Shiva's hand in marriage and the Ekambara Nethar temple - a vast temple that spreads over 40 acres with tall gopurams (temple towers) and an impressive pillared hall.
The details below shows some of the carving on the main gopuram at the Kamakshi Amman temple. These offer safe haven and a fine vantage point to the bands of monkeys that roam the area.


Shoes are not allowed inside the temples. The paving slabs are normally worn smooth by the passing of thousands of feet, but in the large Ekambara Nethar temple the area inside the gate is sandy gravel - tough on soft Western feet. It was early evening when we arrived, even so the walkways were baking hot causing me to hop from foot to foot. It was a relief to enter the cool covered courtyards.


Our visit coincided with the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Ganesh is an important, non-sectarian deity that is worshipped all over India. As we drove towards our destination we saw countless idols such as the one below. These are worshipped over a period of days and at the end of the period, in great festive spirit, they are transported to the nearest body of water for submersion.

Hindus worship Ganesh, the son of Shiva, before starting anything new in their lives. He is believed to be the remover of obstacles and is worshipped as the God of new beginnings He is also worshipped as the God of Knowledge, Wealth, Wisdom and Education.

The two elephants below stood inside the temple and took a small donation of money from people. The donation was slipped quietly back to their keeper with a deft swing of the trunk. Then elephant raised its trunk to the head of the worshipper to bless them.

The elephants seemed willing enough and the crowd loved them, laughing with glee at the blessings they gave, but when I looked at this photo, I thought the elephant's eyes looked resigned

Tucked away in the background this one stood, tethered on a short chain. It was swinging its trunk in the most unhappy way. We would like to have seen some water nearby for it.

I was fascinated by the clearly visible shape of the baby inside this pregnant monkey's tummy. Once it is born it will cling to this very same spot.

The gate of each temple is a place where the needy wait in the hope of a little kindness from visitors .... and, of course, there are business opportunities too for scented oils, wicks, fruits and flowers to offer to the gods.

Vehicles undergo a puja ceremony which is supposed to protect them from harm. The puja usually involves cleaning the vehicle, decorating it with flowers and images of deities, then performing an arati (this is what the man below is doing - showing a flame) and a prayer will follow. Fruits and sweets are offered to the vehicle and then consumed in blessing.