The Inner View of the Parthasarathi Temple, Triplicane, like Mahabalipuram, represents the influence of the earliest wave of Vaishnavism that broke over South India and contains a temple dedicated to Krishna as Divine Charioteer or Parthasarathi, the only one of its kind in Southern parts. There are several beautiful images in the temple including one of Krishna in black metal, as the charioteer bearing scars of the wounds he received from arrows in the Epic battle.

There is a tank in front of the temple in which, it is said, owing to a curse from a Rishi, fish cannot live. The temple was founded by a Pallava king, a fact testified to by the Vaishnava poet, Tirumangai Alwar and corroborated by an inscription of the 8th century found in the temple. According to inscriptional evidence, the shrine was rebuilt on an extensive scale in 1564 A.D.

Mylapore contains a beautiful temple and tank dedicated to Siva under the name of Kapaliswara. The name of the town has its origin in a legend according to which Goddess Parvati is said to have incarnated as a peacock (mayura) and worshipped Siva here in order to obtain deliverance. The legend is commemorated in a fine sculpture in the north prakara of the temple.

A number of well known Tamil saints and poets are associated with this place. Sambandar, of whom there is a fine image in the temple, is said to have restored a cremated Chetti girl to life by singing a hymn in praise of the deity. The poetess saint Avvayar's memory is commemorated by the peculiar representation of Ganesa in the temple, with his trunk uplifted, as he is said to have done when he raised the poetess to Heaven. A few yards to the north of the Kapaliswara temple is the shrine of Saint Tiruvalluvar, the author of the Kural, who spent his last days in Mylapore. The Vaishnava poet, Peyalwar, is said to have been born in a well in Mylapore. The Mylapore shrine is pre-eminently associated with the annual festival in honour of the 63 Saiva Nayanmars conducted annually in the spring. The place was included in the town of San Thome when it rose to prominence in the 16th century.

There are numerous other temples in the city, particularly in George Town, with traditions going back to centuries past. Flourishing in the busy part of the city, they are well endowed and supported by the wealthy mercantile classes. Among such temples may be mentioned the Kandaswami temple dedicated to God Subramanya, the Mallekeswar Temple, and the Kachaleswar Temple.

Above all and being the most ancient of them is the Madras Town Temple dedicated to the twin deities, Sri Chennakesava Perumal and Mallisvaran who are the patron deities of the city. This temple is almost coeval with the foundation of Madras. The original shrine, which stood in old Black Town, was demolished in the 18th century to make room for the north glacis of the Fort; and the present temple was built a few years after 1760 in the present George Town.

Tiruvottyur is a famous place of pilgrimage five miles to the North of Madras. The deity of the place is known as Adipuriswara and the linga in the temple is said to be in the form of an ant hill.

The place owes its celebrity and sacredness to the miracles wrought by the well known Tamil poet and ascetic Pattinathu Pillayar, whose samadhi still stands within the town. The place is also associated with the Tamil Nayanar Sundaramurthi, who met and fell in love with Sangili in this temple and accepted her hand in marriage.

The town and temple had great fame and importance in medieval times. Many Chola rulers visited this shrine and made large grants to it. Kings, ministers, princesses, merchants and others vied with each other in building shrines and making valuable gifts to them. The main temple abounded with a number of Mutts or charitable institutions such as Rajendra Cholan Mutt, Kulottunga Cholan Mutt and others wherein devotees were fed every day, and with a number of colleges housed in open pavilions or mantapas such as Vakkanikkum Mantapa where discourses (in Logic) were held, Vyakarnadana Vyakhyana Mantapa where grammar was presented and commented upon. Its festivals were attended by kings.

The Chola king Rajadhiraja II attended in person a festival in the temple in the 9th year of his reign. His successor Kulottunga III was present at the Rajarajantirumantapam to witness; the Aui festival and later held a durbar. Sankaracharya is said to have visited the temple, which is corroborated by an image of his in the temple.

The temple's greatness was such that a nobleman of the locality was entrusted with the office of acting as hereditary warden to the temple.

Tiruttani is a town in the Chittoor district, situate on the M. & S. M. Railway. It is a picturesque sacred town like many others in South India surrounded by lovely hills and valleys. It has a shrine built on a hill, dedicated to Sri Subramanya and is famous throughout South India as a place of pilgrimage and worship.

The local legend says that it was at this place that Subramanya destroyed the Asura known as Sura Padmasura and others and that the chief of the gods Indra, on whose behalf he killed the demon, pleased with him, bestowed the hand of his daughter, Devayana, on him. Subramanya thereafter is said to have lived a life of blissful penance and meditation. Hence the name of this place Tiruttani or Blissful Repose. The path to the temple which is majestically built on the hill is by means of two flights of steps, one on the east and the other on the west of the hill.

There are a number of sacred pools or springs in and around the place in all of which the devout pilgrim bathes. Distribution of food is considered very meritorious in this sacred shrine, and many pilgrims make it a point to feed the hungry and the destitute in fulfillment of their devotions at the shrine. There are numerous choultries scattered all over the place indeed one suburb, Matamgramam, derives its name from a large collection of mutts and chattrams therein.

Kalahasti is a town in the Chittoor district and a railway station on the Katpadi-Renigunta section of the M. & S. M. Railway.

Kalahasti has a temple dedicated to Siva and is famous throughout South India as a sacred city and place of pilgrimage. The Linga of Kalahasti is one of the five supreme Lingas, famous in South India as representing severally the Five Great Elements. This Linga is said to represent Air or Vayu. The name of the Deity is said to be derived from a legend, that he was worshipped jointly by a spider, a cobra and an elephant (Sri = a spider, Kala = a serpent and Hasti = an elephant). Their marks are still visible on the Linga which is a Svayambu (natural).

The town and temple are situate in beautiful natural surroundings. The river Swarnamukhi flows on one side of the town which is on the other side bounded by hills. The temple is a huge and beautiful one, with magnificent gopuras. The temple, apart from the fame and sacredness of its Linga, is noted as the scene of the devout sacrifice and worship of the well known Tamil Saint, Kannappar.

Kannappar was a hunter by birth and daily offered to Siva part of the game he killed during the day. One day while offering his devotions to the deity, he saw water welling out of one of the eyes of the deity. Finding other means useless, the saint plucked out one of his own eyes and inserted it into the deity's. The water ceased to flow, but some time after the other eye of the deity also manifested the same condition. And Kannappar, undaunted, plucked out his remaining eye and substituted it for the deity's, rendering himself in the act totally blind. The deity, pleased with his heroic devotion, blessed him and gave him salvation.

The goddess of this temple is reputed to possess curing powers over women possessed of evil spirits. The most important festival in this temple is that of Mahasivaratri which lasts for 10 days in February-March. The fifth day of the festival corresponds to the Sivaratri proper when the pilgrims bathe in the sacred river, pray and keep vigil all through night often fasting the entire day and night. There is also a big festival on the third day after Sankranthi in January when the Deity is taken in a palanquin round the Kalahasti hills—a circuit of 20 miles.

Tirupati lies in the midst of the Seshachalam hills at a distance of seven miles from Tirupati East, a railway station on the M. & S. M Railway.

It is the most sacred Vaishnava temple city of South India. It has also a great reputation throughout India on account of the great saving power of its Deity, cherished by North Indian pilgrims as Balajee.

The temple and town are sacred from very ancient times. According to legend, it is said to have been a very sacred place in all the four aeons as Vrishabachala in the Krita Yuga, Anjanachala in the Treta Yuga, Seshachala in the Dwapara Yuga, and Venkatachala in the present Kaliyuga.

At one time there seems to have been some dispute as to the identity of this Deity. Ramanuja, the great Vaishnava Reformer of the 12th century, is said to have settled the dispute and established the worship of the Lord Srinivasa.

The temple is situate on one of a group of seven hills rising to an altitude of 2,500 feet. The path lies across six hills which all afford wonderful scenery. The seven hills represent the seven heads of Adisesha; the centre of the serpent's body is Ahobala Narasimha and the tail-end is Srisaila Mallikarjuna. The temple is a beautiful one built of stone with a fine gopura and tower.

Crossing the entrance gopura, one first sees the golden Dwajastambha (Flag-staff). After passing it, there is a thousand pillared pavilion (mantapa) beyond which lies the Sanctum Sanctorum whose vimana was gilded by Tatacharya, the Rajaguru of the rulers of Vijayanagar. The pillars are all well-wrought, adorned with sculptures and add greatly to the beauty of this hill temple.

Elaborate religious service is carried on in the temple every day. There are morning darshans of God, known as Shuddin, Tomala and Archana, followed by a free Darshan; these are again repeated in the evening ending in a free Darshan. Special services are performed on the payment of proper fees by pilgrims. There is an annual Brahmotsava festival also lasting for 10 days. A number of temples in the neighbourhood are also held very sacred—Sri Govindaraja sami's temple at Tirupati, Goddess Padmavati's temple at Tiruchanur, a village 8 miles from Tirupati.

There are a number of pools in the hills and below which are deemed sacred and which are resorted to by pilgrims—Sri Swami Pushkarani near the temple on the hill, Akasa Ganga four miles away on the hills containing a slender waterfall whose waters are daily taken to the temple for religious use, and Kapilathirtham, a sacred tank, a mile and half distant from the Tirupati town, where Siva is said to have blessed sage Kapila with a vision of Himself and his Divine Consort. In the last thirtha, ceremonies are often performed to please deceased relations, accompanied by gifts.

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Nine miles south-east of Chingleput is Tirukkalikunram, one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimage in Tamil lndia. The temple, which is dedicated to Siva under the name of Vedagiriswarar, is situate on the top of a hill and commands a fine view of the country around, the Seven Pagodas and the sea to the east being visible from the shrine on the hill.

The shrine is built of three huge blocks of stone, which form its inner walls; and on these walls are cut in relief sculptures, one of Siva and Parvati with the child Subramanya; another of Siva as Yogadakshinamoorthi with two rishis, the subject of the local legend of the kites; and a third on the southern wall representing Siva as Chandeswara and Nandikeswara.

Beneath this shrine, to the east of the hill, there is a monolithic cave, called locally Orukalmantapa. It consists of two verandahs, 2l1/2 feet broad and 26 feet deep cut into the rock. The verandahs are supported by massive pillars. In the upper verandah is a cell in the centre of which is a huge Lingam. Tall, beautiful figures of Brahma and Vishnu, cut out of the rock, flank the cell. The cell has the appearance of a sanctuary and was originally a place of worship. It is probable that this cave-shrine, with its Lingam, represents the original Mulasthana Temple sung of by Tamil poets and saints. This cave was excavated by the Pallayai king, Vatapi-konda Narasimhapottaraya, in whose time the monolithic Rathas at Mahabalipuram were commenced. It was this temple that was the cause of the till's sacredness and fame, and represents the original deity who cursed the two rishis to become vultures.

There is a beautiful tank at the foot of the bill known as Sankhathirtham. Occasionally valampuri sankhas or right turned chanks, so highly valued by the Hindus, are found in this tank. The temple at the foot of the hill is the Moovar Kovil (the shrine of the three saints : Appar, Sundaramurthi and Gnanasambandar, who did not ascend the hill for fear that their feet would pollute its sanctity). It has two courts and a tank within the Nandi Tirtha. It has been rendered very sacred by Manikkavachaka's songs, entitled the 'Lyric o£ the Eagle Mount'. According to the local Sthalapurana, Suraguru, a Chola ruler of Mahabalipuram, built it and is represented by carvings in it.

The temple has been patronised by the successive dynasties of South lndia. The Chola king, Rajakesarivarman Aditya I, renewed a grant made to the temple. There is a copper plate sasana in the Madras Museum, which says that Vijayaranga Chokkanatha Nayaka con­structed a mutt in this place and made provision for its upkeep in A.D. 1717.

The classical name of the place is Vedagiri, which means that the hills represent the four Vedas. The Vedas were originally intact and one; but many divisions were made in them by rishis. The Vedas, desiring to be one and undivided, together with their Angas (sciences), approached Siva and prayed to be placed together and high in the reverence of men. Lord Siva directed the Vedas to take the form of the mountains at Tirukkalikunram, promising that He Himself would dwell on their tops as a Linga for ever receiving their worship and that He would shine from there as a beacon light to the dark and maya enclosed world. Hence the hill came to be known as Vedagiri. The well-known feature of this hill-temple—the diurnal appearance of a pair of kites—which has given it age long fame and celebrity, is the subject of another subsidiary legend. Once upon a time there lived two saintly brothers, the elder of whom was devoted to Siva and the younger to Sakti. On one occasion they fell into a quarrel as to the relative superiority of the deities they respectively cherished and worshipped. Siva Himself appeared and told them that He and Sakti were equal and co-ordinate and that they need not quarrel over a doubt which never could arise. But the brothers continued their quarrel. Siva, becoming angry, cursed them to become vultures ; but, on the rishis falling at His feet in true repentance, Siva promised them liberation at the end of Kaliyuga. The two rishis were accord­ingly born as vultures, named Adi and Sambu, and daily worshipped Siva. Hence it is that two birds—the metamorphosed and erring rishis—daily visit the sacred hill to adore Siva and are fed. The phenomenon, whatever be the nature of the legend behind it, is a most striking daily event and serves greatly to enhance the reverence to, and worship of, the local deity by the Hindus. The phenomenon is several centuries old and has been testified to by foreigners as well. Several Dutchmen visited the place in the 17th century; and their signatures can be seen engraved on the pillars of the Mantapa on the hill.

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