Scenes From Chennai: Part 2-- The Beautiful!

As with everywhere in India, there is much that is astoundingly beautiful and never gets old, no matter how many times I see the same sort of loveliness.  

It was hard to include ALL that I captured, so I have picked my most favorites and divided them into three catagories: 

1) temples (deities, creatures, architecture-- a VAST majority of the photos I took, as you will see!) and churches 

2) neon deities 

3) flowers/nature

Feast your eyes and enjoy! 

1. a. The temples: Unfailingly eye-catching and amazing... hard to fathom the amount of time that went into building, sculpting and painting the hundreds of creatures and characters adoring these houses of worship. Most of these photographs were taken in the neighborhood of Saidapet, where I first stayed in Chennai. Deeply religious, the people there have just about as many local temples as we have Starbuck's in the U.S.! (And personally, I would MUCH rather see temples myself!) 

In Hinduism, it is considered that there are 33 major deities (the likes of Brahma, Vishnue, Shiva, Lakshmi, Durga, Ganesh, and so forth) and hundreds of lesser gods. This being the case, most of the time I was clueless as to which was being worshipped. Shiva is certainly the MOST popular and prominent deity, far as I could discern, so half the time if I guessed I were looking at a Shiva temple, I would be right. After awhile, though, I gave up asking... it really mattered little. Most important was to appreciate the beauty--and reverence--that I witnessed taking place in and around these temples. (Of course, on the other side of the coin, there was also the pushing and shoving to get closer to the idol...which often involved receiving "prasad"-- a gift of food, holy water, etc. I found this endlessly annoying...but such is the culture, what to do?!) Though each was unique, there were a lot of commonalites to all, especially the indredibly tall, pyramid-shaped rooftops. (The taller they are made, the closer one is to heaven, I surmise!) Some had more characters than others...all were magnificent in their own right. I never tired of visiting--and photographing--as many as possible.

(I felt too overwhelmed to do more than just a few captions... so you can comment and ask me about any of these photos, if you are curious!) 

I cannot even begin to imagine how many artists--and hours and hours of work--it must have taken to sculpt--and then paint--these hundreds (if not thousands?!) of creatures on these temple roofs. I wish I could have gotten closer to each one... the detail, the color and intricacies... so very incredible!!! 

Ganesh-- my favorite--very popular deity. He is said to have the body of a man but head of an elephant, as you can see...and he is the son of Shiva and Parvati. 

Roaring lions are seen above many temple entrances...I guess because they are fierce and protective? Warning off any visitors with bad intentions, perhaps?

Another imposing--and most popular--deity: Hanuman, the monkey god!

This sweet little temple was right outside the door of the apartment complex where I stayed in Saidapet. I often woke to the music coming from this temple, and enjoyed watching a large number of devout  worshippers coming here in the evenings. 

A temple "guard"

Palaku -- a small, chariot-like vehicle for transporting and displaying the temple deity. It is fittingly ornate... only the best to honor the god!

1.b. Churches: While not as beautiful or unique as the Hindu temples, they still had their own impressiveness and stories. For example, the most famous-- Santhome basilica-- is said to house the remains of St. Thomas, one of Christ's 12 disciples. Photos inside this church boasted of a visit from Pope John Paul...it is said that the saint's remains are buried here. Oddly, in the inner sanctuary, there was only a mannequin version of him in a glass case behind the priest's pulpit. Where the actual remains were...well, this remains a mystery to me...ha ha ha! 

The Santhome basilica-- impressive, yes... especially against the lovely blue sky! The air was surprisingly fresh and clean in Chennai... a fact not to be taken for granted in India, that's for sure!

basilica interior

Equally impressive: don't recall its name, but this was a famous church in a popular square near the beach of Besant Nagar, the second neighborhood I stayed in after leaving Saidapet. The church had lighting that changed colors...it was quite pretty...and the area around it was filled with hordes of people, especially on the weekends. 

Sooo pretty, soo nice to watch it change colors!!!

A little hard to tell, but this time it had a tinge of lavendar... 

And finally, blue! You can see that multitudes were heading inside for evening services. 

2. Neon deities: I found this quite amusing: the "modernization" of the deities, lit up with brilliant neon lights. Maybe this festive lighting was inspired by the Christmas season...who knows? But I definitely enjoyed this colorful version of the gods!

3. Flowers and nature: The place I wanted to see the most--the gardens of the famed Theosophical Society of Chennai--were, of course, closed. Quite disappointing. So... I had to content myself with some of the foliage I saw in my roamings around the city. Best sights, though, were of the myriad flower stalls and small vendors, generally in proximity to the temples. People purchase flowers to make their offerings to the temple deities, and it has never failed to inspire awe in me... not only because of how beautiful the creations are, but also because of the incredible patience of the people who create them. 

You will generally see every deity inside of a temple adorned with these magnificent garlands. Each temple has its main deity, but then also others in "lesser" temples--in supporting roles, as it were! So...there are plenty of them to garland inside every temple! 

Not SO very beautiful, but this was a park in a marshy area outside of the hustle and bustle of the city, so I was grateful just to have a quieter, more peaceful place to wander, close to my first Airbnb stay in Chennai. 

A better spot, only discovered on my last day in Chennai: I wandered over to a college of sorts, famed in Chennai for its instruction in various art forms, including performance art. Unfortunately, I missed all the performances that had taken place in December, but I did enjoy a brief exploration of the campus and its lovely, natural setting. While I wandered, I could  hear students practicing classical Indian music, and see them dancing through the windows. So lovely! 

A strange sort of algae, growing on top of the pond/marshy area. Thought the bright green quite pretty!

Not a natural pond but man-made...still, a lovely and peaceful spot for meditation. 

On of the best aspects of India: the magnificent banyon trees. Considered quite sacred, they are also favorite homes for cobras! I have yet to see one of these magnificent snakes but would really like to...albeit, from a safe distance!! 

There will often be deities under these trees... 

Next up: in contrast to the beauty... the real DOWN side of being in India... brace yourselves!!!