Thiruvanmiyur those days

The Southeastern corner of Chennai City, Thiruvanmiyur, which was once a village in the outskirts, was highly inaccessible. Off the Lattice Bridge, in the Lattice Bridge Road, if we take up a trip for about half a mile in the rugged road crossing the fields and barren lands we can have a glimpse of the Western tower of the Thiruvanmiyur temple.



This was the situation years back. The streets adjoining the temple and the tank were also visible immediately. To the East of the Sannathi Street was the Fishermen colony. Since Thiruvanmiyur was not linked by buses then, the temple could be reached only by foot, cycles or the jatkas. I remember my cycle tyre to have got punctured on a hot day when I was crossing the barren land in that rugged road.

The temple

The first time that I went to the Thiruvanmiyur temple was with a young ascetic. We hopped from Mylapore to reach Adayar by bus from where we foot the distance to Thiruvanmiyur. When we reached the temple only, we were aware that the temple was an abode of many other ascetics. The temple's antiquity can be seen in its pillars and the sculptures seen in these pillars have lost their charm due to continuous sea erosion.

The reigning deity of the temple Lord Marundheeswarar graces the temple facing the West. The name 'Marundheeswarar' means that the Lord is the means to any cure and liberation from all the bonds of this world. The temple being situated in the outskirts of the city was not the only reason for the ascetics to throng the place. About forty long years have passed after this incident.

There are certain questions like where those ascetics slept, what they did for their food and how did they manage the troubles from poisonous insects and animals, which do not have an answer. But one thing is for sure. The temple tank was filled with water to the brim.

Let us scan Chennai again...

Ashokamitran