CHENNAI: Our country’s historical and cultural heritage has transcended over so many centuries that in most cases the reasons behind these cultural practices have been forgotten. There is meaning behind our practices — for instance, the kalasam atop a temple was traditionally made of only bronze or copper to act as earthing during lighting storms, and traditionally all idols were made of the same metals for good vibrations. “People look at the idols as a pooja item, or in some cases as curios.
In fact, poojas have become like a transaction of needs,” says Pradeep Chakravarthy, historian and behaviourist. In order to bring out the deeper context of our culture and customs, Mantra Gold Coatings is having a mythology series with Pradeep and Rakesh Ragunathan, a musician, food traveller and raconteur.
“As things are becoming contemporary, people are not understanding the basics, like what Ganesha stands for. We all know only the basics of his history, but don’t go beyond surface level. So Pradeep and Rakesh will talk to contemporary people in contemporary ways to make them understand the basic things,” explains Pankaj Bhandari, founder & MD, Mantra Gold Coatings.
The first talk will be on three idols — Ganesha, Gomatha, and Gautama — and the transition of their images across the ages in Tamil Nadu, accompanied with music by Rakesh. “Most people think Ganesh Chaturthi originated in Maharashtra, but the worship of Ganesha started in the earlier Pandya period, more than 1,700 years ago, in Tamil Nadu. In the Chola period he moved from being a minor god to a major god who got his own temples. Ganesha went from being a short, round elephant image to a classier, slim graceful looking Ganesha in that period,” explains Pradeep.
As for Gomatha, he says there will be stories which celebrate the cow and what it stands for. “There’s an instance in the Ramayana, when Bharatha quotes an instance, where Kamadhenu is flying in the sky, and she sheds a few tears seeing some cows working hard in the hot afternoon sun. And those tears fall on Indra and scorched his hands, astonishing him with her deep compassion. That’s how the cow moves from a sacred animal to a symbol of compassion,” he elucidates.
He adds that Tamil Nadu was one of the places with the strongest Buddhist population 2000 years ago. All this information was arrived at by putting together old books, temple inscriptions and looking at the connections between history, geography and economics.
So why these three idols iparticular? “Ganesha is always the first god we pray to, in any temple and at home. And as for Gomatha and Gautama, they haven’t been explored as concepts yet,” says Rakesh. For him, music, mythology and food are all interlinked. “We will be presenting it all in a relatable way — like old wine in a new bottle!” he laughs.
The mythology series will be held on June 24 at 3.30 pm, at Mantra Gold Coatings, TTK Road. For details,
call: 24991023