CHENNAI: The final day of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival began on a cold and windy Sunday morning with people gathering in different pockets of the neighbourhood to learn about the area’s history from its temples to its architectural tradition.

The walk titled ‘Three Mylapore Temples: Histories, Traditions, Stories’, was led by historian Chitra Madhavan, who guided an enthusiastic crowd through the temples, beginning at the popular Kapaleeswar Temple.

As the crew rallied through the streets, Mylai was up in spirits with little kids decked up for their performances at the temple to commemorate Margazhi.  “These temples preserve our stories and histories,” said Madhavan as she led the crowd to the Kesavaperumal Temple on Sannathi Street, the second stop in the walk.

The temples stand the test of time and are proof of the changing geographies of the city. Once upon a time, Kapaleeswar Temple was closer to the sea, but later moved into town in the 1800s. She also drew attention to the symbols on the domes and architecture, from Ganesha’s changing mudras to Shiva’s avatar as the god of dance, Nataraj. 

“We often miss the details on these domes, despite having lived here for years. We’re too busy to notice. This walk helped us to pause, and I think now I see the temple in a new light,” said Ramya, a resident of Mylapore.

Her sister, who is back from Australia for a vacation in India, shared that the walk was “insightful, and keeps returning to these events as a way to learn more to teach her kids about the homeland”.

The walk came to an end at the Srinivasa Perumal Temple, with the clouds greeting the team with slight drizzles.