South India beckons pilgrims

CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu – Pilgrims, adventurers and Filipino tourists in general would find a visit to southern India a fulfi lling journey with centuries-old Catholic churches standing alongside Hindu temples and British colonial architecture in the historic region.Tamil Nadu, the 11th largest state of India, is home to the famous National Shrine of St.Thomas Basilica, a church built over the tomb of St. Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. Behind the church is the Bay of Bengal, one of the areas severely affected by the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami.

“Many people believe that when the tsunami struck in December 2004, the area behind the church was protected because of the presence of the Pole of St. Thomas,” said P. Esther Rani, a tour guide accredited by the Indian government’s Ministry of Tourism. However, at least 110 people living along the Marina Beach in this city died when their homes were hit by huge waves.

St. Thomas came to India in 52 A.D. to teach Christianity and died a martyr in 72 A.D. He introduced Christianity to this state where Hindus comprise the majority or about 75 to 80 percent of the population. Currently, Christians are a minority community comprising six percent of the total 8.9 million population, Rani said.

The Basilica, located in Maylapore, Chennai, is an interesting place for Roman Catholic devotees, as this is among the three churches built above the tomb of an apostle of Jesus Christ. The other two are St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy, and the church of St. James in Spain.

“The St. Thomas Basilica is an important pilgrim destination for Christians in India and all over the world,” Rani said. “Most of the tourists who visit this church are from Europe, America and Australia. Only a few Asians are visiting the place.”

The St. Thomas Basilica also houses a museum that includes the lance-head that killed St. Thomas, a rare piece of his bones, and other valuable artifacts. It was originally built by the Portuguese but was rebuilt by the Britons in 1896.

Located very near the St. Thomas Basilica is Our Lady of Light, also known as the Luz Church, derived from the Portuguese name Nossa Senhora da Luz. Built by the Portuguese in 1516, it is one of the oldest Roman Catholic shrines in the city of Chennai.

The Sacred Heart Basilica, located in Pondicherry, was built by French missionaries in the18th century. The church showcases the Indo-Gothic architecture. Pondicherry is a small state in south India, where half of the population is French-speaking.

Rani said there are a total of eight Roman Catholic churches in south India.

‘Land of temples’

Tamil Nadu is also well-known for its centuries-old temples built by rulers of different dynasties, namely Pallavas, Chola, Vijayangar and Pandyas, using the Dravidian-style architecture. Dravidian architecture consists primarily of pyramid-shaped temples called `Koils, and has many statues of gods, warriors, kings, and dancers.

Most of the Shiva and Vishnu temples were built by the kings between 3rd A.D. and 15th century and are located in the city of Kanchipuram, about an hour and 10-minute drive from Chennai. Shiva and Vishnu are Hindu gods.

Some of the famous temples in Tamil Nadu are Sri Ekambaranathar, Sri Kailasanathar and Sri Varadharaja Perumal in Kanchipuram, and the Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai.

The Sri Ekambaranathar Temple was built 1,500 years ago. It is made up of 1,000 pillars and is considered as one of the oldest and tallest temples in Tamil Nadu, according to Rani. The Sri Kailasanathar, on the other hand, is created by the kings of Pallavas during the7th century. The original fresco and vegetable paintings could still be observed at the back of the sandstone carvings.

The Sri Kapaleeswara Temple in Chennai is a 37-meter high structure made up of 1,500 stucco fi gures. It is one of the oldest and largest Shiva temples in Chennai.

According to Rani, the maximum height of a granite temple is 76 meters while the minimum height is 27 meters.

“Most of the people who want to visit the Hindu temples are Malaysians, South Africans and Indonesians. They usually come in groups and the minimum tour is four days, while the Americans and Australians normally stay for 10 to 14 days for the pilgrimage,” said the 39-year-old Rani, who has been a tourist guide for 18 years now.

She said pilgrim tourism in Tamil Nadu has been growing for the last four years and is signify cantly contributing to their economy.

“More and more tourists come every year to visit our famous and historic temples,” she said. “India is one of the holiest countries in the world. Our forefathers believed that if they touched the ocean water in India they would be purifi ed and ready to go to heaven. Most of the believers are in India.”

One of the most important tourist destinations in south India is Mahabalipuram with its ancient temples and rock carvings. The Sea Shore Temple was built by Pallava kings in the 7th century. In 1984, it was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one of the world’s cultural heritage sites.

Another must-see temple in Mahabalipuram is the Pancha Pandava Rathas or Five Rathas,built by the Pallavas in the 7th century using the monolith Indian rock-cut architecture. It is also listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four of the Rathas are believed to have been scooped out of a single rock formation.

Rani said stone sculpture is the main source of living in Mahabalipuram. The villagers export their products to countries like Sri Lanka where Hinduism is also a predominant faith. She said the statues are displayed in palaces

and hotels.

Rani said the public buildings built by the Britons in Chennai City have also become historical monuments in Tamil Nadu.

“The British people used the Indo-Saracenic architecture. The vast majority of these buildings are made of red bricks,” Rani said.

One of the most popular British structures in Chennai is the Fort of St. George, the first building used by the Britons when they arrived in Chennai on Aug. 22, 1639.

Currently, the Fort of St. George houses government offi ces like the Tamil Nadu State Parliament, the Chief Minister’s Offi ce, the Chief Secretariat Offi ce and the Army Office.The St. Mary’s Church, the oldest and fi rst Anglican church in Asia, is also located inside the Fort of St. George.

‘Silk capital’

The city of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu is famous for its world-class, handwoven silk. About 1,500 families living in a village called Little Kanchipuram produce silk using the traditional handweaving technique.

“It takes them almost a month to fi nish a six-meter textile used to create sari, the traditional dress of Indian women; shawls, bed sheets and table covers,” Rani said.

“They teach their children to do handweaving, so the skills are passed on from generation to generation. The people of Kanchipuram are the only people producing silk in Tamil Nadu,” she said.

A shop owned by one of the families in the village buys the products from the residents. One-third of the earnings go directly to the families. The store sells handwoven scarves for as low as 480 rupees, Rani said.

Rani said Tamil Nadu is also one of the most industrialized states in India. Multinational car companies like BMW, Porsche, and Hyundai as well as Nokia have set up their factories here, hiring about 6 000 to 10,000 people per company. It is also where the best engineering and medical schools and information technology companies are located.

“You have to visit south India because people here are friendly and helpful,” Rani said.“We are an industrialized state but we still manage to preserve our culture.”

She said the women still wear saris and go to temples and churches regularly. “Friday is a holiday in India because people go to temples to worship,” she said.

The best time to visit south India, according to Rani, is during the months of December andJanuary.

“The festivals are held in the months of January and December and these festivals are for all religions,” she said.

This reporter was one of the journalists from Southeast Asia invited by the Indian government to tour different parts of south India as part of the India-ASEAN (Associationof Southeast Asian Nations) tourism cooperation.