Earlier Adyar was famous not only for the Theosophical Society but also because it housed the residences of some affluent people. Along the beach it was the dwelling place of fishermen. The word "Adyar Beach" had some realistic and not so welcome meanings. The Adyar Library was a world-renowned one till recent times. This library, which was a part of the Theosophical Society, has a lot of texts of ancient scriptures, many of them about Buddhism. The founder and first President of the Theosophical Society, American Colonel Olcott, has mentioned these texts in his autobiography "Old Diary Leaves". Col. Olcott and the other founder, Madam Blavatsky, established the Theosophical Society in Adyar. Most of us do not know that it was a very revolutionary decision in many ways. There was a general opinion that this was also a group of ascetics like any other one but the only difference was that they were also clad in white. But the truth was different.

These Westerners accepted Indian philosophy and also believed that the saints who lived in the Himalayas were a guiding force. It is also said that one such saint appeared before Colonel Olcott and gave him a turban. The turban is still preserved in a steel almirah. The name of the saint has been given as just "Muni" in the "Old Diary Leaves" book. Even though the Theosophical Society has been established all over the world, the impact is maximum here.

In the past whoever came to Chennai used to go around certain places - one was the Zoo (near the Moore Market), the second, the Museum and the third was the Marina Beach and the last was the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society occupied a very vast area with old-fashioned buildings here and there. The other areas resembled a jungle. This place was well suited for the spirits to wander, in which the members of the Theosophical Society believed.

The Adyar Bridge was only 20 feet broad then. If you stood on the bridge and viewed the seashore, you could see the Chettinad Palace and certain small islands in the middle of the river. I have stopped by while on a bicycle so many times and stood there watching the seashore for hours together. Very rarely a vehicle or a horse-driven cart would pass by. But today, closer to the old bridge a broad new bridge has been built. And be it day or night, thousands of buses and other vehicles pass through this area. Very few can walk by in this place. This road which passes through Adyar is a very important road to reach the southern parts of Tamil Nadu.

Ashokamitran
(Translated by Sujatha Pradeep)