Soliloquy

by Mohul Bhowmick

Notes of Light – Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

This post is dedicated to the temple town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. On the way after a foray on the southeast coast of India, I stopped by in Madras – primarily to board the flight back home – and made the most of a spare day to visit Kanchipuram.

Located about 70 kilometres from the capital, Kanchipuram is supposed to house more than a thousand temples. Of these, the Kailasanatha, dedicated to Siva, is most renowned. It was built in the 8th century AD by the Pallavas. The Ekambaranathar, also dedicated to Siva, is also renowned, specifically for having a pond in its premises.

The Ekambaranathar temple stands tall near the centre of Kanchipuram, with a colourful autorickshaw in the foreground.
Pilgrims throng the centuries-old Kailasanatha Temple.
The entry and exit into the Kailasanatha is a hole-in-the-wall, which makes feelings of suffocation seem normal to the pilgrim.
The intricate carvings on the Kailasanatha speak about its heritage, of being built by the Pallavas, then vanquished by the Cholas, and then left as a souvenir by the resurgent Chalukyas.
An old lady awaits the passage of time, not with impatience, in the central courtyard of the Kailasanatha.
Women giggle – as if caught doing something naughty – when asked by the guards not to rest on the carvings on the walls of the Kailasanatha.

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Mohul Bhowmick

Mohul is a national-level cricketer, poet, sports journalist, travel writer and essayist from Hyderabad, India.


Copyright © 2015 by Mohul Bhowmick.

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