Karpagambal

For some reason, the Karpagambal Temple in Mylapore, Madras has been in my thoughts this morning. The wonderful Dravidian temple built by the Pallavas in the 7th century is one of favourites. Unlike some of the great temples in places like Madurai and Trichy, the Karpagambal is right in the heart of an Indian metro city.

It was a pleasure for me to visit the temple and the area during a hectic business trip in February. Away from the usual crowds of Chennai, Karpagambal and its pond take you back to another era. The simplicity, charm and cleanliness of the area are also a major turn-on.

As much as I love Banganga on Malabar Hill, the feeling at the ancient Madras temple is different. It's one of continuity, of traditions that have been passed down through several scores of generations. Another temple that has that kind of aura is the Bull Temple in Basavanagudi in Bangalore. I wrote an article about that temple and the area a couple of years ago.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2009/08/28/us-bangalore-neighbourhood-idINTRE57R0TG20090828

Images from Egmore

These pictures were taken at the crack of dawn in the Egmore Area of Chennai.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7444188@N05/sets/72157626028719511/

Singara Chennai

That was a short and sweet stay in the city formerly called Madras. I managed to drive by different parts of the city and see some lovely green neighbourhoods. No, I couldn’t manage to wake up and see the sunrise on a beach but I was able to take in a bit of the city.

My favourite area is Mylapore in the vicinity of the Karapagmbal Temple. There is something so old-world, charming and pre-British about the place and kudos to the locals and municipal authorities for maintaining cleanliness in the area. The temple, with its lovely tank and imposing Dravidian Gopuram is an indicator of how the village of Chennaipatnam would have looked a few hundred years ago. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with the masala dosa I had at the Karapagambal Mess. I am used to the high standards of Coimbatore’s Annapurna and Arul Jyothi, so despite the fact that place was reeking with character I didn’t think the food lived up to the ambience and surroundings.

We also had a wonderful evening at the Madras Gymkhana, a typical British-era club for the city’s elite. I have to comment that many of the institutions built by the British last till this day and many among them thrive. Among these are the numerous old churches in the city. Madras has a large and visible Christian community and most walls, which have religious paintings to avoid the blessings of those answering nature’s call, contain images of Christ and the Virgin Mary along with those of Hindu gods.

Chennai reeks of positivity and with the improvement of its port and the mushrooming of special export zones we have an economic boom in the making. Let’s hope the metro project work goes on here like it did in Delhi and not follow the Bangalore and Bombay experience.

Morning in Egmore

Chennai or Madras is getting a metro of its own so the construction activity is everywhere. We had a nice ride to the hotel in Egmore from the airport, except for the fact that the semi-blind taxi driver nearly rammed the car straight into a police barricade!

Egmore is a pretty charming locality and the beautiful St Andrew’s Church is a landmark that stands out. The lovely church built by the Scots in the 19th century in a compound with well-manicured lawns is in contrast to the area outside the Egmore station, with its usual smell of urine and homeless people.

Madras is an early to rise city, where you get the newspaper delivered at 5:30 am! When I went out to take a few pics, I noticed that people were already on the move and on their way to work. And the rotting smells and stench were overpowered by the pleasant scent of flowers that the women wore on their hair.

Southern Odyssey

I am about to embark on a one-week tour of the south. I start with Madras or Chennai as it's officially known now. I have always had warm sentiments towards the city and it's nice and courteous people. Of course this is a business trip, but I will try my best to wake up early in the morning and get some nice shots of the city at dawn.  Not to be missed are Chettinad cuisine and a nice Tamil meals-packet for lunch.

Then it's my return to Bangalore, a city that I have not had the best history with. In all fairness, I was happy there for most of the two years I lived there and it was a great experience. There's a lot I love about the city: it's youth, it's tree-lined avenues, flowers, lal bagh, Cubbon Park and the charming neighbourhoods of Basavanagudi and Malleshwaram.