CHENNAI: On an overcast Saturday morning, I walk along the broad footpath of Pallavan Salai as vehicles zip past me. On my way, I request an auto anna to direct me towards the much talked about Bodyguard Muniswaran Temple. “A few metres down the Central Bus Depot, you will find brand new two- and four-wheelers parked to your left and priests performing rituals on them; you can’t miss it,” he points out.
True to his description, the small, crowded shrine has several devotees and the entrance is littered with lemons, camphors and coconuts. The temple houses a foot-tall idol of Muniswaran — a manly figure with a large moustache. Before performing the puja, the priest hands over a plate, on which the devotees place their vehicle keys, and pray for accident-free rides. He places those keys at the feet of the deity to seek His blessings.
A set of priests who are posted outside, perform the rituals on the vehicles. They do the aarathi — with a coconut bearing a lit camphor on top — in front of the vehicle to ward off evil eye. Then, the coconut is smashed open. Lemons are kept under the tyres, a black thread and garland are tied to the number plate. Sandal paste is smeared on the vehicle. This age-old practice is believed to safeguard the driver and vehicle from accidents. Devotees can also purchase custom-made evil eye protectors, camphors, flowers, country cigars and camphor to offer the deity.
For the past 162 years, K Lalitha and her ancestors have been the temple’s trustees and license holders to perform the puja. “The temple also houses his consort Kateri Amman and Saptha Kannigal. Sundays, ammavasai and Chitra pournami are special days for performing rituals. People from all parts of the city and neighbouring towns have been coming to worship the deity. We reopened after the lockdown relaxations, around July, and it’s been busy since then. Besides this, people come here on the Fridays in Aadi to prepare pongal and also to tonsure their head as offerings to the God. The black thread given here is sacred and made of real hair. It’s really powerful,” shares Murali, a priest who’s been working there for 16 years.
The many stories
Over time — with many myths and legends — the temple’s presence and popularity began to reach far and wide. Krishnakumar TK, an avid writer on temples of Chennai in his blog Indian Columbus, breaks down some of the legends behind a Hindu deity having an English prefix. “A popular legend is that in 1919 CE, a few labourers from the north Arcot district brought a Muniswaran idol and placed it under a neem tree adjoining the military barracks. A British troop commander objected to this and met with an accident the same day. Since then people started believing in the power of the deity to protect from accidents,” he surmises.
Historian Padmapriya Baskaran highlights other popular theories. “Some believe that the deity was brought from Padi where the armed forces of Pallavas and Cholas were stationed. Thus, Padikaattu Muniswaran somehow became Bodyguard Muniswaran. The bus drivers from Central Bus Depot would also stop and pray every time a bus leaves and enters the depot. Whenever a new bus was rolled out, they made sure the puja was performed on it. Some people have also accepted Muniswaran as their family deity. All these are stories and there’s been no documentation as such,” she notes.
A legend cannot become a fact without historical evidence to support it, says Krishnakumar. Sharing a possibly logical reason behind the name, he says, “The site where the Government Hospital is located today used to be the governor’s residence until 1946. The original building was purchased by the British from the Madra family in 1750. The bodyguards of the British governor used to live here; so it used to be called Body Guard Lines Road and was only later renamed to Pallavan Salai. This could be one reason why people began referring to the deity by the name.”
Lesser-known lores
It’s a common practice for people to pray for safety at temples near the borders whenever they travel to other villages or towns. Kumar C, a long-time devotee of Muniswaran temple recalls, “I remember my ayya coming here to perform puja for his bullock cart and cycle. Once we started purchasing bikes and cars, we continued the ritual. I would do the puja for my brother living abroad as well. He’d worship the deity through WhatsApp call. My children continue to do the same. We strongly believe the deity protects us and real-life incidents have only re-instilled that.”
While the temple has got ample popularity, many might not be aware of a mosque that shares the name. The Governor’s Bodyguard Mosque is located a few metres down the temple, in a slum area, on the banks of the Cooum river. The nearest well-known location is the Periyar Bridge.
“The governor used to stay in the massive residence on the other side of the Cooum that’s prone to attack from the enemies. Most of his bodyguards were Muslims and they stayed on the Body Guard Lines Road there to keep a closer watch on him. They built this place of worship in the late 1800s. Thus the mosque came to be called the Bodyguard Mosque. The current structure of the mosque is believed to be the renovated one,” Krishnakumar explains.
The locals say that the mosque is crowded on Fridays and is frequented by renowned officials from the Madras High Court. Among the many historical places of worship that Chennai houses, the Governor’s Bodyguard Mosque and Bodyguard Muniswaran temple are only two smaller ones along the alleys that have carved an identity for themselves, based on the unshakable faith Chennaiites have placed on them.
Tales and trivia
(Source: Krishnakumar TK)