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PhotoS: Soma Basu

Silence reigns The ancient temple and a river that runs by it

A fine example is Thiruvattar, a quaint little place located on the National Highway between Kanyakumari and Thiruvana nthapuram.

Nestled amidst shady groves and plantations, Thiruvattar initially appears like a village on a holiday.

Clean and narrow, freshly laid cemented roads, devoid of any human or vehicular movement lead me to the village, essentially a pilgrim centre.

I criss-cross through a maze of orchards and groves. In between thatched huts and modern houses crop up. The ground is wet, as showers preceed me.

Soon shlokas waft through the air and bring me by the side of Sri Adikesavaperumal Temple, one of the 108 divyadesams of Lord Vishnu, built about ten Centuries ago. Though noted for its workmanship in wood and stone, it is the picture perfect setting of the shrine that grows on me.

Surrounded by three rivers, namely the Kothai, Pahrali and Thamirabarani, the natural beauty of the place is bewitching.

Constructed on an elevated platform, the temple looks like an impregnable fortress.

One has to undertake a downward spiralling trek to reach the rivers The rains have made the track slippery and I take small careful steps.

The sight of a green coloured snake slithering across ahead of me gives a few jitters. The walking track flattens in some parts and is dotted with deep pits and brick kilns on either side. They are replaced with fresh green grass beds and puddles of water.

The unpolluted breeze refreshes me as I head straight to touch the cool still waters of Thambiraparani.

The fertile foliage of banana plantations in the foreground lend an exquisite green touch to the landscape. Colourful butterflies hover around.

Everything is absolutely still and silent here. I walk back to the temple that has several inscriptions dating back to the period of Rajendra Chola in the early 11th Century. Built in Kerala style of architecture, the temple was known for its murals though most of them have faded.

There are very few devotees inside. One of the priests tells me that everyday the rays of setting sun illuminate the face of the deity.

Every third and fourth day in the Tamil month of Purattasi and third to eighth day of Panguni, the sun rays fall on the feet of the deity.

This temple is noteworthy for its size too, encompassing, as it does, a thousand-pillared mandapam that runs around the sanctum sanctorum. The inner circle has 250 pillars each carrying sculpted images of Deepaklakshmi, none resembling the other. The presiding deity is in an imposing reclining posture and can be viewed through three openings in the sanctum sanctorum, unlike in other temples.

Thiruvattar is an ideal place for communion both with nature and God.

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