Mylapore’s culture cues

In ancient south India, Mylapore was a hub of trade and religious activity and later on, in the early 20th century became the seat of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam. Filled with sacred groves and dotted with peacocks, Mylapore was an important centre of the Bhakti movement, with Nayanmars (Shaivites) developing rituals and traditions of worship which are religiously followed even today.

Novelist and historian R Venkatesh said Mylapore, also known as Mayilai, was described by shaivaite saint Sambandhar as, “a prosperous settlement with groves, splendid buildings and occupied with pious people, in the Padikam. Sambandhar also mentions that the area was filled with the fragrance of the Punnai tree, a large evergreen tree, which is the sthala vrksham (monumental tree indigenous to a temple) of the temple.” 

A centre of commerce, Mylapore’s European links are as important as its deep-rooted tradition, which gave a multi-cultural sheen to the locality. Venkatesh added, “From 1523 onwards, Mylapore had a European connection. In 1520s, the viceroyalty of ‘São Tomé de Meliapor’ commenced. A Portuguese fort and later an English fort existed in the Santhome area. The Luz Church (officially known as Church of Our Lady of Light) is 500 years old. There were seven churches in Portuguese Mylapore but only four remain today, which include the Santhome Basilica and St. Rita’s, which has a legendary Armenian inscription “in memory of the Armenian nation”. Mylapore is one of the very few towns in the world to be associated with an apostle of Christ (St.Thomas), through Santhome Basilica. According to experts, a church in Madha Church Road called “Madre De Deus”, within the present Dhyana Ashram campus, may have inspired the city’s etymology.” 

Every December, the temple halls and sabhas (cultural centres) resound with the sound of ragas, as the Margazhi music festival serenades rasikas around the world. Mylapore, which retains its old world charm while continuing to be a bustling city centre, is a cultural bastion — with ancient temple gopurams and church spires and mosque minarets towering over glitzy cityscapes.

Historian Pradeep Chakravarthy pointed out that Mylapore was a hub of commerce. “In ancient Mylapore, there were many trade guilds. Associations of traders met regularly in Mylapore to fix prices of commodities,” he said. 

Mylapore finds a mention in ancient Greek and European maps. “Known as Maliarpha or Meliapour, this area was referred in old Greek and European maps, indicating towards important trade links with the outer world. Italian merchant and renowned traveller Marco Polo had visited Mylapore just before 1300 AD,” said Venkatesh.

Mylapore is renowned as a centre for performing arts. The Margazhi music festival is a one-of-its-kind celebration of music and dance around the world. Pradeep said that some of the greatest musicians lived in the lanes of Mylapore. “Musicians like S Rajam and G N Balasubramaniam lived in this quarter. During the 19th and 20th century, the Kapaleeswarar temple had many devadasis (dancers) performing the ancient art of natya (dance). Gowri Ammal, one of the last devadasis, who taught the renowned Rukmini Devi Arundale, the founder of Kalakshetra, lived in Mylapore,” he said. Venkatesh added, “Papanasam Sivan was perhaps the first of the great musicians and composers who moved to Mylapore. D K Pattammal, a prominent Carnatic musician, had her initial training in Mylapore. Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, a 20th-century composer and vocalists like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Musiri Subramania Iyer and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar too lived here. Today, Mylapore has become a synonym for Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam.”

The magnificent Kapaleeswarar temple is a landmark of Mylapore. “According to legend of the Kapaleeswarar temple, the goddess worships Shiva as peahen. In the Adikesava Perumal temple, goddess Lakshmi is referred to as Mayuravalli Thayar,” said Venkatesh. For Pradeep, the ancient inscriptions found in the Kapaleeswarar temple are an important feature. “There are verses from the 6th century Nayanmar saints in Tamil, which describe each of the temple festivals that are celebrated even today. The older inscriptions mention the biggest miracle of the temple, where Poompavai, the daughter of Sivanesan Chettiar, was brought alive by Nayanmar Sambandanar, after she was bitten by a snake and died,” he said. Venkatesh added, “Incidentally, the Mylapore girl Poompavai is the only person to be mentioned 10 times in any thevaram (first seven volumes of Shaivite devotional poetry) song.”

Mylapore Institute of Policy Research (MIPR) has created a draft paper, pitching the sites of two historic temples – Sri Kapaleeshwar and Sri Adi Kesava and their immediate environment – for UNESCO’s Living Heritage status. Shiv Kumar, President, MIPR, said, “Mylapore is like St Paul’s in London, where people go for a stroll in the evening and listen to the choir. In Mylapore, there is a cultural daily life in the heart of a big city, where there is a sustained tradition of music and worship.” Since time immemorial, life around Mylapore revolved around Bhakti, with the dual worship traditions of Nayanmars and Alwars followed even today.

The MIPR draft paper highlights two unique traditions of the Kapaleeswarar temple. The Nadaswaram is the main instrument of musical performance. The Oduvar tradition, which revolves around the recitation of Tamil songs composed by various Shaivaite saints, are sung by members of Desikar community.

The Arubathimoovar festival at Kapaleeswarar pays tribute to the 63 Nayanmar saints every April. The Theppovatsavam or the ‘Float Festival’ takes place in January, where lakhs of devotees throng the temple tank as the grand floats of deities are taken out. In Adi Kesava temple, the 10-day Pey Avatara Utsavam commemorates the birth of Peyalwar, who along with Boothathalwar and PoigaiAlwar was known as Mudhal Alwars (the early Alwars). Thiruvadipuram, another 10day festival is in memory of Andal. (Data: MIPR)

The peacock references abound in this area. Venkatesh said, “One is the legend of the Kapali temple (where the goddess worships shiva as a peahen). The emblem of the San Thome Basilica also has peacocks.”

Sridhar Venkataraman, an IT educator and history enthusiast, who regularly conducts food walks across Mylapore, said the area boasted of family-run eateries, in existence for more than half a decade. “Since the locality has a huge population of Brahmins, there are many ancient eateries serving simple, authentic vegetarian fare. The European influences were largely restricted to the outer fringes of Mylapore, far removed from the traditional culture dominated by the temples,” he said. Sridhar listed out top three, ancient eateries:

This 16-table eatery has been around for 70 years and is currently run by the third generation of the family. The place has a loyal clientele, who frequent this eatery for their authentic cuisine. They serve only snacks and breakfast. Their idly, vada and Pongal is very popular.

The eatery has been around for 50 years now and run by the second generation. The variety rice served for lunch is popular and this eatery serves snacks like bajji and bondas. Following an age-old tradition, kozhukattais are served every Friday, to honour the owner’s mother, who inspired the eatery and its name (Maami means mother).

A trip to Mylapore is incomplete without a glass of refreshing rosemilk from Kalathi. This hole-in-the-wall joint is around 80 years old and the third generation of the family runs the shop. Their popular rosemilk is the toast of the town and is supplied to other places in the city, though not aggressively branded. 

Mylapore was a cultural melange. According to Pradeep, “During the ancient period, there were many Jains and monks who lived in Mylapore.” Venkatesh added, “The Jumma Mosque was built in 1699 and the Nawab, according to historians, lived in Mylapore before he shifted to Chepauk.”

Thiruvalluvar, celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher, composed his legendary literary masterpiece, Thirukkural, in Mylapore. However, a temple dedicated to this legend lies in dire neglect. “The Thiruvalluvar temple in Mylapore, situated off Mundagakanni Amman Koil Street, is not taken care of by the authorities,” said Sridhar. 

This lesser-known temple is dedicated to poet and saint Thiruvalluvar, who had written Thirukkural, the Tamil literary magnum opus on ethics, in Mylapore.

This park, located on Luz Corner, is believed to have existed from 1940. It is popular among the residents of Mylapore, for its cultural activities and other events.

The 500-year-old Luz Church was one among the oldest churches in the city, built in 1516 by the Portuguese. The word “Luz” means light in Portuguese.

The iconic Kapaleeswarar Temple is a prominent landmark of Mylapore. This Shiva temple has a prominent Dravidian architecture.

This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped as Adi Kesava. Peyalvar, an Alwar saint, was believed to have been born in this temple.

The bhajan sessions around the temple’s four Mada streets every day during the month of Margazhi was started in the early 20th century and is popular even today. 

The Lighthouse was the scene for a skirmish during World War I, when German warship SMS Emden bombed the city of Madras on September 22, 1914.

This landmark church was built in the 16th century, by the Portuguese, over the tomb of St. Thomas, an apostle of Jesus.