There have been mails on Tour :: around Chennai. Madipakkam - Velachery - Tiruvanmiyur - Santhome - Allikkeni - Tiruvottiyur ;
Mamallapuram - Thirukkazhukundram - Manimangalam :: Can be considered.. There are mails flown already on these places. Can we sum up first and work out a programme?
Re DK etc., You are right about their irrelevance. To the limited extent of History & Culture - we can discuss. Like pickles... Not main dish.,
Previous DMK Government was sanctioning about Rs. 10000 to poor girls for wedding under "Moovalur" Ramamirthammal Scheme. Moovalur is a village near Kuthalam between Kumbakonam and Mayiladudurai. Whenver I cross this place I used to think of this lady and made enquiries. Though the younger generation did not know, from some of the elderly I understood that : The Lady died unmarried. when she was very young she attended a meeting of Gandhiji and was attracted towards freedom struggle. She refused to get married, deserted the family, went to North, joined Nethaji's army - became a commando in women army - lost her life in Burma war prior to Independence! We have heard of Jansi Rani and others. but not heard of our neighbour - Moovalur "Ramamirthammal". Fittingly the Government sanctioned about Rs. 10000 for the marriage of poor woman.
The need to search for True History is still growing !
This morning National DD re-telecast on Rajarajeswaram around 8.oo am. They were showing a Dwarapalaka near the sanctum entrance and describing :
The ankle (feet) of the Dwaralbalaka is caught by an elephant which was partly swallowed by a crocodile - to enable us assess the proportion of the Dwarabalaka - who shows the Darjini mudhra - Right Index finger upright and left palm towards sky - cautioning the person entering the sanctum : "Inside the sanctum is Brahadeeswarar - Lord of the Universe! Behave yourselves!"
I think we should learn to look beyond the sculptures also !
Congrats new members.. interesting messages are posted.. Group is now more active..
Thanks for your clarifications. This is what I expected from my last paragraph of my last mail. Yes I totally agree with you, but my point is that, our history has been detoriated by the politicians for their personal gains. I did not know about what you said about periyar, but from what you say, we can understand that he was neutral. But not the current days Dravidian followers. Just the thread how history is detoriated made me to write about DK and the Ayodhya excavations.
Dear SPS, Well said, these are just like pickles and not our main dish. Sorry for deviating for a while. ooruga kaaram surrunu eerinadhula, sapattu taste konjam marandhu pochi.
I am very happy that the one day tour idea is getting momentum. Can we plan something soon, as a trial tour. This weekend is also a long weekend, and sunday should be fine. But if short notice is not enough, lets plan for next month sundays. Kamal, can you please take the initiative of fixing the place and date.
SPS, you mentioned Madipakkam. I live in Madipakkam for the past 22 years. What historical significance it has. I never knew that. Can you throw light on that. I heard that a sivan koil in Moovarasanpet near madipakkam is some 1000 years old and Madipakkam was called Chaturvedimangalam in the olden days. But when I visited that temple I cant feel that its a historical place. Kindly explain.
I can take the initiative, but i am too busy to make trips due to my MBA exams till Dec 31st. So, someone else can take initiatives if any trip before Dec 31st.
I think it should be Madambakkam and not Madippakkam.
The places worth visit around chennai can be Madambakkam (Dhenubureeswarar), Thiruvottiyur (I'm not sure if it is Vadivudai amman or something else), Manimangalam (2 temples are there. One for shiva and one for vishnu. Even Rajaraja's inscriptions are also there), Velacheri (Dhandeeswarar koil, but i haven't visited that). In Thiruvanmiyur (Marundheeswarar), nothing is left to see after the recent Kudamuzhukku.
The trip can be named as 'Pallava naattup payanam' and can visit all pallava temples in 3 days. (One day for pallava temples in Kanchipuram, one day for Mamallapuram and another day for Dhalavaanur, Mandakappattu, Maamandur - all Mahendra's cave temples and Manimangkalam where the war described in SS between Mahendra and Pulikesi happened).
First let us decide the places and then date and participants.
May be not, directly in Madipakkam. But, Dhenupureeshwarar temple in Nooththancheri is considered to be built by Kulothungan II, Anabhaaya kulothungan.
The local priest say, the external madapam was built by Pallavas. But, I doubt it, as pallavas were not in rule during that time. Anabaaya being the one to have built the sanctum and pallavas the outer mandapam, was little conflicting.
But, it is a very nice temple. We have Lord Narasimha and Lord Sarabeshwara on the oppsite pillars. And pradoshamis very popular and peaceful.