Thursday, June 4,2015.
A typical summer day in Chennai marked by the unbearable morning heat. To bring some relief, the evening weather seemed to show some mercy. Boosted by my boredom and unusual absence of my quintessential laziness, I decided to get myself out of the caged Tamraparani hostel and spend my evening at some tranquil spot in the city.
I started my bicycle journey at around 5:45 p.m. The Taramani IIT gate was crowded with some local people and school children. I stopped and asked one of them, “OMR Road eppadi pokum?”. Thank God that he understood my broken Tamil. He gave me an elaborate description on how to reach the OMR Road. When it comes to guiding people, Tamilians turn so enthusiastic. And that is something that I love about them.
I reached OMR Road and took the help of another localite to find the way to Beach Road. He directed me to a stretch that lead to Besant Nagar, and Beach Road happens to be somewhere in between. With the help of a few more localites, I could spot out Beach Road.
The roads are marked with beautiful trees on either sides. I passed by the posh villas and apartments, and the famous arts school, Kalakshetra. It is one of the best residential areas that I have seen in Chennai.
Pedaling a few more miles, the sound of sea waves started resonating in my ears. I have been cycling now for about 5 kms and I was already feeling a bit weary. That weariness did not last so long.
Temple bells. Tamil devotional songs. Roadside flower sellers. A quintessential piece of the famous Tamil architecture.
Destination reached!!
Arulmigu Mahalakshmi Temple (Ashtalakshmi temple) was just footsteps away from me.
I kept my sandals outside and entered the temple. With very few devotees inside the temple, the atmosphere was so calm.
The temple is constructed in such a way that the shrines of the eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi is placed in three different floors. I started from the first floor which had the shrine of Lord Vishnu and Mahalakshmi, which faces the sea, towards the east. The Vedas and Purana says that Goddess Lakshmi emerged out of the oceans when the Devas and Asuras churned the Ocean of Milk, and Lord Vishnu married her.
The priest ,with the typical attributes of pot belly and Vibhuti all across the body, stood beside the shrine. He nonchalantly gave me some Vibhuti and directed me to the staircase on the left which led to the second floor.
In the second floor, one can see Gajalakshmi(Lakshmi of elephants), Vidyalakshmi(Lakshmi of knowledge), Vijayalakshmi(Lakshmi of victory) and Santhanalakshmi(Lakshmi of progeny). This level was so uninhabited and I couldn’t even find any priest here. I took the staircase and moved on to the next level. The next floor, the topmost one, is exclusively reserved for Dhanalakshmi(Lakshmi of wealth). Now this is something that raised some questions in my mind. Why did they place Dhanalakshmi in the topmost floor? Why not Vidyalakshmi? Do they intend to tell the devotees that wealth is above everything in this world?. With these unanswered questions, I prayed and did pradakshina around the shrine.
The exit from this floor, took me to an open space which presented me with the majestic sight of the vast stretch of the sea. I could feel the cold breeze of air on my face. I took out my tablet from bag and captured a few images of the sea and the temple, and the mandatory selfie which I always restrain myself from posting on social media.
Climbing down the narrow staircase on the right of this open area, I reached the last level, where the remaining three Lakshmis: Adhilakshmi(The primeval Lakshmi), Dhanyalakshmi(Lakshmi of grains) and Dhairyalakshmi(Lakshmi of courage) were placed. I did spend more time praying to Dhanyalakshmi than Vidyalakshmi and Dhanalakshmi. With that I finished my tour of the Ashtalakshmis.
Moving ahead to exit the temple, I saw the shrines of Lord Ganesha and Lord Guruvayoorappan. It was so surprising to see Lord Guruvayoorappan’s idol in a temple in Tamil Nadu. I have visited quite a few temples across Tamil Nadu with my parents, and this is the first time I am seeing(or rather noticing) such a thing. I had missed the Dashavatara shrine, which I came to know about later from one of my friends.
With a heart full of peace, hope and faith, I stepped out of the temple. The sound of the sea waves was so enthralling. I went and stood beside the sea shore for some time. As it was so isolated and dark, I didn’t dare to go too close. But I wished, if the waves could come closer to me, kiss my feet and steal the sand beneath it.
I looked at my watch. Time was 7:00p.m. I did not want to get late for dinner. So I walked back to where I parked my bicycle. I got on to my bicycle, glanced at the temple and the sea, and thanked them for making my evening so wonderful. Through the narrow streets and the busy main roads, I rode all the way back to my hostel.
