Where is Royapettah High Road? In Mylapore.

Where is Alwarpet bus stop? In Mylapore.

Thank God! Mylapore Club and Mylapore Chit Company are in Mylapore. Mylapore must have been in existence right from the time of the Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar. He lived here with his wife, Vasuki, and wrote Tirukkural. It is obvious that Mylapore must have been a well-established habitat during that time itself. On the seashore of Mylapore, ice-blocks were unloaded from ships and stored. What was called Ice-House for more than one and a half centuries has now been named "Vivekananda House". In "Brammandapuram", a part of the ancient Tamil book "Pathinenkeezhkanakku", Mylapore has been referred to as "Pirinthaaranya Kshetram" and its boundaries included the entire Southern Chennai. This is an observation of Mr. K.Sampath, a resident of Mylapore, who is doing some research too.

Mylapore has an ancient story to its credit. Poompaavai, a young girl born in Mylapore, was bitten by a snake and she died. Her father had wanted to get her married to Thirugnana Sambandar. After her death, her father collected all her bones and preserved them. When Sambandar visited Mylai once, her father, with profound grief, gave Poompaavai�s bones to Sambandar and told him, "I had brought her up only for you". Sambandar uttered, "Paavai, get up!" and Poompaavai regained life. Paavai�s father was very happy and offered his daughter in marriage to Sambandar. But Sambandar refused and said, "Since I gave life to her she is like a daughter to me," and walked away.

Mylapore has several other great spiritual links too. One of Jesus Christ�s thirteen Apostles, St. Thomas, resided in Mylapore. He went from Mylai to St. Thomas Mount (Parangi Malai), via Adyar and worshipped the Holy Cross made of stone there. It was during this time that he was killed by a Brahmin with a spear, says an account of St. Thomas. In those days the people of the West considered all Indians Brahmins.

But certain people raise doubts about St. Thomas� arrival here. The Luz Church and the Santhome Church were all built in the sixteenth century and all these prove the presence of St. Thomas. The Cathedral on the seashore was built at a later date. But the glory of Mylapore is dependent on the Kapaleeswarar Temple, Kesava Perumal Temple, Madhava Perumal Temple and the two tanks. There was a time when these tanks were overflowing and the float festivals of these temples were celebrated with great pomp and splendour.

Till recent times the western bank of the Mylapore tank was used as a dumping ground by all passers-by. Just opposite to that is the temple tower with the words, "SIVA SIVA" glowing with neon lights in the night. God-fearing people might think that the misuse of the tank might be reason for the water scarcity in Chennai.

Let us scan Chennai again....

Ashokamitran
(Translated by Sujatha Pradeep)