Dinesh PG has quite evocatively reproduced portraits on paper, using charcoal powder, of the victims of ‘acid’ attack and very well emphasised the saying ‘eyes are the windows to the soul.’

Venue: Lalitha Kala Academy Hall, Thrissur, Kerala
Dates: Ends on 24th October, 2016
Artist: Dinesh PG, 094472 38833.

Some photos from the exhibition:

Pretty quickly we reached the Kalugumalai town and the driver was trying to take some more passengers for the onward return journey to Sankarankovil… guess it will help him to recover the fuel costs and he had better luck here and found four passengers.

Jain Abode:

I walked down the road towards the hill, it was a small town with a few shops selling religious items. I crossed the Kazugasalamoorthy Murugan Temple and 400 metres down the road the gate leading to the Jain abodes.

There is a massive pond right in the foothill, but I felt it was artificially created by a stone quarry that existed much earlier.

I walked uphill and it was quite an exercise. I crossed the Vettuvan Kovil enclosure, which was locked and found no one around.

After a few more metres I found a kind old man tending goats… I asked for the Vettuvan Koil watchman… he told me might have left for the day and pointed me a gap in the fence to get inside the enclosure.

We spoke generally about these hills and he told me on most weekdays there are hardly any visitors here except for the locals who come rarely to worship the Aiyannar temple a little further up near the Jaina abode.

I reached the Aiyannar temple and it was a small one with couple of Aiyannar statues (local village guardians deities).

A little further up on the rock face I could see the Jain bas-relief sculptures. I was astounded by the precise and exact dimensions of the sculptures… rows and rows of Jaina deities, Adinatha, Parsvanatha, Mahavira, Bahubali, Ambika Yakshi and Padmavati Yakshi from the 8-9th century CE.

I reached a small cave that was gated and locked. The sculptures were exquisite and it seems to the untrained eye that the open air and centuries of exposure to elements had not dimmed its glory.

I went about taking pictures of them and was reluctant to go down to the Vettuvan Koil (whose magnificence I was unaware). The Jain sculptures are a vital link to our glorious history and the artistic achievements of yore.

Kalugumalai Jain Monastery some facts: This is an ancient Jain site that has a natural cavern with rock beds where Jain monks and nuns observed penance and was an academic center for Jain theology for about 300 years during early Pandya period. An open air rock-cut abode for Tirthankara in three long rows, bas-relief panels of Jinas – Adinatha, Parsvanatha, Mahavira, Bahubali, Ambika Yakshi and Padmavati Yakshi. There are about 150 images sculpted on top of the granite rocky surface similar to several Jaina caves in Anamalai, Alagarmalai, Aivarmalai, Chitaral, Kilakuyilkudi, Tirupparankunram, Uttamapalayam, etc. The prime Jaina deity at Kalugumalai Jain monastery referred to in the inscriptions as Araimalai Alvar of Tirunechuram. The largest donor was Pandya King Maran Sadayan. The monastery became extinct after 13th century due to loss of patronage and the Bhakti movement.

Vettuvan Koil (Sculptor’s paradise)

The sky became a bit overcast… and by the time I reached the Vettuvan Koil after crossing the gap in the fence down the hill, it started drizzling. I could take a few pictures from the inner concrete enclosure around the excavated rock and the rock-cut temple.

I was totally mesmerized and was in awe at the magnificence and grandeur of this unfinished temple. The rain got stronger… I ran towards a freestanding rock that provided partial protection from the rain and sat there for about 40 minutes for the rain to abate. The view below was just awesome with the change in weather and with the constant wind and rain.

I let my imagination run wild and thought about the sculptor/sculptors who would taken refuge from the rain in a different era. I was longing for a cup of tea and something to eat preferably some onion pakoras… and my thoughts went back to the journey so far. I was the only person about in these hills, even the goatherd had disappeared… maybe all knew how to read the weather better than me. It was getting late… and was wondering if I will be able to get down to the temple a bit below. After a while, the rain gave up and all that remained was a slight drizzle. I gingerly went down to the temple as the rock steps had become a bit slippery. The rain washed away all the dust and grime, and the stones shone as if they were just sculpted a few hours back.

I could get some wonderful pictures of the intricately sculpted statues and figures, figurines, gods, goddesses and the grand sculpted border designs.

I felt truly elated. It was about 5:15 pm and the skies were darkening again… I reluctantly walked down the hill to the small bus stop and I skipped the Lord Murugan temple. I promised myself I will come again soon. I got a town bus at about 5:40 pm and got back to my room by 6:45 pm. It was a quite an eventful day and the rain poured for another couple of hours into the night… a perfect ending to a beautiful day.

Legend of Vettuvan Koil: The Vettuvan Koil is a stunning piece of art and its beautiful carvings are evidence of the passion that went into its creation. Legend has it that a sculptor was commissioned by the Pandya kings during 8th and 9th century CE, to construct a temple on the foothills of Kalugumalai. The sculptor chose to make a rock-cut temple. The sculptor’s son disagreed on his father’s choice of location and had a serious argument. The son without his father’s knowledge started working on the other end of the hill and matched the chisel stroke with the ones of his father to sound as one stroke. The father soon came to know of his son’s disobedience and the eventual construction, and in a fit of anger the father threw his chisel at his son, which struck the son’s throat and was killed. The son’s work, “Vettuvan Koil” stands unfinished in Kalugumalai.

Vettuvan Koil – Some facts: This is a Hindu cave temple and a freestanding monolithic rock cut temple /vimana. It is about 300 feet in height and the entire hill spreading about 50 acres. This vimana was built during the Pandya period between 8th and 9th century CE. This east facing monolithic rock cut temple is compared with the monolithic Kailasnath temple in Ellora, the temples of Pallavas at Mamallapuram, and the temples of Pattadakal in Bijapur, Karnataka. The sculptors have only completed the roof and two tiers below. The walls and floors including interiors and exteriors sanctum and mandapam appear rough and unfinished. The main sculptures of Mridanga Dakshinamurthy, Narasimha (Vishnu), Siva, and Brahma are truly breathtaking and magnificent. If this temple had been completed, it would have been the best monolithic temple in the Indian subcontinent. The monument is maintained by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu. The entrance to the monuments is free. Kalugumalai is around 20 km from Kovilpatti. All the buses to Sankarankoil via Kovilpatti will stop at Kalugumalai. Kovilpatti is well connected with Madurai and Tirunelveli.

Credits:

Text & Photos: Sastha Prakash for www.realindia.in
Info: Various web sources.

On route the bus stopped at a small restaurant in a place called Kanipatti and I had a sumptuous lunch (I always wondered how the sambar and other curries tasted great without the addition of grated coconut as we do at home in Kerala). The roads were great and there were few traffic snarls. Reached Madurai at around 2:30 pm and the bus dropped me off in a distant bus stop called Arapalayam. I tried calling Mr Chandrabose, with whom I had made prior arrangements for accommodation. Mr.Chandrabose runs a small homestay and a children’s home called Dil Se. I could not get through to him and with the assistance of Karthik I reached another bus stand called Mattuthavani and hired an autorickshaw to take me to Dil se Homestay. The autorickshaw driver took Rs.200/- for getting me there (I spent only Rs.190/- for 265 km to Madurai), it was a total rip off. Then I came to know there was no power at my host’s place and the owner’s phone had run out of battery charge. Anyways, I was glad to reach the homestay.

I met Mr Chandrabose and he was quite happy to meet me. We had spoken on the phone on many occasions and I have sent guests to Dil se through realindia.in

Mr Chandrabose is a Gandhian and a member of the Gandhi museum in Madurai and he runs an orphanage for young financially backward students. He currently has 12 children living him. Many have completed their term in school and some will be going home. Mr.Chandrabose soft-spoken person with varied interests in charity, Gandian studies, and peace activities. He has had a recent cataract operation and is limiting his travel and other activities.
Mr Chandrabose asked for tea and told me an amazing story related to his recent trip in January to Srilanka. This trip to Srilanka was organised by a Japanese Buddhist Organization called Nipponzan Myohoji (Japan Buddha Sangh). It is founded by Nichidatsu Fujii. They are a group of Buddhist monks and nuns of the Nichiren Buddhist sect, who pray for world peace and have pagodas all over the world.

The story is about a Japanese Buddhist monk during the peak of the Tamil Separatist movement. The monk lived in Jaffna and goes about the town beating a drum and chanting Buddhist slokas for peace and non-violence. The LTTE faction was not comfortable with this monk (as the Sinhalese are Buddhists but of the Hinayana sect and the monk of the Mahayana sect) and they kept threatening him. The LTTE forced the locals not to provide food and made life miserable for this monk. The locals smuggled food to this monk on occasions. The top people in Nipponzan Myohoji came to know the plight of this monk in Jaffna and they sent another monk to bring him back. Finally, the harassed monk left Jaffna for good to Chennai, India, but the other messenger monk stayed back for a couple of days more to see the ravages of war and pray for peace. On the fourth day, a different set of LTTE fighters saw this monk and mistook him for the earlier one and threatened him with death. The messenger monk did not resist and said if killing him will bring peace, he was ready to die. I was told the LTTE shot him dead in the same street square.

Now after the end of the brutal Srilankan war, the Nipponzan Myohoji foundation sends people to Jaffna and conduct prayer meetings in the same spot on the death anniversary of the messenger monk, and pray for his salvation and world peace. I was totally touched by this story and was glad that Mr Chandrabose related this to me.

Mr Chandrabose has built a small Buddhist temple in his village and Buddhist monks visit the temple and his place often. I had an opportunity to meet a lady Buddhist monk on the last day of my stay at Dil se Homestay.

My room was ready and a little boy came with me to show me the room. The rooms are located a bit away from the Children’s Home. It was clean and airy on the first floor. After freshening up, I went down to the main house and spent some time with the children of the home, who were spinning tops. I took some pictures of the boys and the surroundings.

I got back to the room and had a bath. At around 7:45 pm, a boy came and told me that dinner was ready. I had my dinner with the children of the home. The dinner was simple and tasty consisting of chappathis and cauliflower curry. Mr Chandrabose spoke to me about his life, the starting of the Home for children and how his wife and children were very supportive of this idea (his wife and children take active interest in running this home) He told me that apart from sending the children to school, he teaches them basic survival skills.

It was quite a day and I went to bed content and happy that there are some truly nice people in this world.

I’ve never taken this route to Manjoor before. Miles and miles of tea estates, clumps of sholas, grasslands, potato fields dote the landscape.

It was one of the most beautiful drives I have had in the recent times. We reach Manjoor and this place has not changed at all. The same idyllic settings, many small houses built for the Electricity Board workers, a few shops, and fewer vehicles.

The Snowdon factory is about 1.5 km after Manjoor and location was just perfect in the midst of rolling tea estates. We parked the jeep about 200 metres away and took a walk to the factory.

As we entered the gates, we could see piles of firewood and a couple of lorries still laden with recently plucked tea leaves. We found the manager’s office and wow that was one of the best office settings that I have seen. If you are stressed one peep out the window will set you right. It was like an eagle’s nest and the view priceless.

We spoke to Mr. Kannappan, who is the owner of the Snowdon Tea Factory, about organising a packaged tour that would include a visit to the tea factory and Shivkumar will coordinate with this. He was game and agreed to the packaged tour. Later we went around the factory and as the leaves were coming in and drying, the machines were idle. But Shivkumar explained the tea manufacturing process to me…
1. Withering. Once the plucked leaves come to the factory they are spread out in breezy large rooms.

2. Rolling. Then the leaves are rolled in rollers.

3. Oxidization. The rolled leaves are left in climate controlled rooms to oxidize and this gives the dark colour, aroma, and flavor to the final tea dust/leaf.

4. Drying. The oxidization process in stopped using the drying process. The leaves are slightly heated. These leaves are sealed and sent to the auction houses.

It was wonderful trip. We returned back to Ithalar by 11 am.

After a cup of tea, I thanked Shivkumar for his time and said goodbye. I got the bus at 11:15 am and got back to Ooty by 12 noon. Then I packed my bags to get back home. I had arranged with PR Ramesh to get me a ticket on the Ooty train at 2 pm.

After breakfast, I took the bus to Lovedale and went over to Chalet at Lovedale homestay. I was told that the owner was not around and asked to come again. It turns out that he is an old college mate and friend of mine.

Later, I walked much further… the country-side lush with recent rains and farmers busy planting potatoes, carrots and cabbages. After about three km or so, I chanced upon a beautiful village called Kerada.

It is a typical Badaga village, a cluster of houses and a couple of temples, surrounded by vegetable fields and tea estates. I went about photographing the village and I was invited to join a festival. The village was celebrating the 12th anniversary of a Ganapathi temple. After prayers, I was invited to the community lunch prepared for this occasion.

It was a simple fare of rice, sambar, rasam and pickles. It was the most delicious food I had in quite some time. Maybe it was the hunger or the pleasant surprise or both.

One can see the Nilgiri train going towards Ooty from this village.

I was quite content with how the events of the day turned out to be. Badagas are known for their simplicity and generosity. Every person I met in the village asked me to come to their home and have some tea. The real India is still vibrant in small villages. A visit to a Badaga village is highly recommended to get to experience their fantastic hospitality.

As I was waiting for the next bus to Ooty town, I was offered a lift back to town in car and that was a perfect end to the visit to the homestay and this little village. The young driver picked up a couple of other people on the way, probably a custom here. I met an interesting retired policeman who I remember seeing  during my resident days in Ooty. He was complaining that Ooty town is now totally commercialised and there is no charm or character left in the town, and he felt it is getting worse day by day. I could see this radical change and agreed with the retired policeman’s observations.

The driver, I never asked his name, left me at Charing Cross. I walked over to the internet cafe where they offered wi-fi, but the connectivity was poor. I was told it was the same all over the town and Coonoor was much better compared to Ooty in net connectivity.

I walked over uphill to the Nilgiri Library. It is a beautiful Gothic-style building next to the State Bank of India branch.

I was a member of the library for a number of years. I walked into the library and familiarity and nostalgia struck me with equal force. I miss this place terribly. I met Ms Daphne, the librarian, a petite Anglo-Indian lady and I introduced myself. She remembered me. She introduced me to Ms Anandi Chandran and I told them the purpose of the visit. I had come across Ms Anandi’s pictures in a group in FB and came to know she is avid birder. She showed me some pictures she had taken of birds around the Nilgiri Library (always a haven for birds). I was quite glad to meet another book-lover and a birder.

The Nilgiri library came to being in 1859, catering to the British soldiers and their families cooling off in the Ooty. It has a vast store of popular books, reference books, and periodicals. With their permission I took some pictures of the reading room and the building.

I did see the ex-MP Master Mathan in the reading room and a couple of foreigners visiting the reading room.

I was quite happy with how the day turned out to be and got to my homestay by around 7 pm.

Stanley had met an English couple going about in an A/c car and staying away from the heat and dust. He wondered what was India without the heat and dust. He said he could afford to travel in A/c cars and live in star hotels, eating the same continental food that he was sure the other couple did. But he wanted to experience the real India, interacting with the locals, travel the way the locals travel and eat the local food, the scenes and sites were just incidental. He is planning to go over to Delhi where his friend’s father had created some mural work in a church near the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

I told him I was there in Kochi to cover the Biennale event for Realindia.in and also explained the concept to him. I could but agree with his style of travelling in India. He warmed up to our  concept and spoke at length about travel for travel’s sake. Yes, the Realindia blog and Realindia.in could be  lots of work, but fulfilling he said. It is quite encouraging when like minded people talk of your ideas. I felt good about our prospects with this initiative.

We paid the bill and I came to know he was staying in the same home stay where I was and walked down to the place. It was a very interesting conversation and Stanley concluded that this concept of Realindia is very viable and maybe this is exactly what people are looking for while traveling in India.