CHENNAI: The walls of the Adyar Library Hall at the Theosophical Society was adorned with more than 200 temple photographs all by Arumugam Chandrasekaran, a retired law professor and a self-taught photographer. The exhibition was the display of his 10 years of hardwork where he travelled to capture the architectural wonders of India predominantly Tamil Nadu. “Photography has been my full-fledged passion post-retirement for more than 18 years now. Every picture has its own story. The purpose of this project is to popularise the lesser-known temples and make efforts to preserve them. I’d be happy if youngsters visit and go through the collection,” he said. He has also penned several law books and has worked in Dr Ambedkar Government Law College.
The 75-year-old used Canon 6 D mark 2 EOS and incidentally to the belief that Lord Ganesha should be the one while one embarks on a journey, the Sisiresvara Ganesha temple in Bhuvaneshwar was the first photograph his display. Several pictures of the sculptures at Thirubhuvanam temple near Dasapuram town in Kumbakonam and temples in Gangaikonda Cholapuram hold a special place in the photographer’s heart for the intricate Chola architecture and engravings. “Securing permission was a challenge. The temples maintained by Archaeological Survey of India were wonderfully preserved and securing permission there wasn’t a trouble. However, at certain places, using flash photography might cause damage to the paintings inside the temple walls. I had my pocket camera as the last resort,” said the resident of Besant Nagar.
He has widely captured the temples of Tamil Nadu and some of them include — Devipattinam Nava Bhasana temple in Ramanathapuram where the navagrahas are placed about hundred feet inside the sea; Padal Petra Sthalangal or Thirumurai temples glorified by nayanmars; Thirukazhukundram near Chengalpet, Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane and Kuttralanathar temple in Courtallam among others. Alongside the figurines in temple gopurams he also paid attention to Nandi (vehicle of god), nagavalli flowers (used for Lord Shiva), Dwajasthabam (flagstaff in temples), idols and devotees offering their prayers. “The features of temples in the north and south are strikingly different and diverse. Nowadays, people visit temple mostly for pariharams (prayers suggested as solutions to problems by astrologers.) Famous temples have become crowded ones. Most of us are missing out on the hidden gems in the rural landscapes,” said Chandrasekaran, who has also covered temples in the north like Akshardham in New Delhi, Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Ellora caves in Maharashtra and Sun temple, Konark in Odisha.
However, Chandrasekaran’s interest lies in nature photography. A couple of years ago he conducted an exhibition titled ‘The flora and fauna of Theosophical Society.’ Well-known in the social circle, he is a member of social media groups like Photographic Society of Madras and Madras Naturalist Society. With more than 8,000 photos uploaded on Flickr, he has 55 lakh viewers.The exhibition started on October 16 and expected to continue for a month from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm