Walking into the past

One of the best parts of this year’s Navarathri was the temple walk led by Rajesh Govindarajulu, who is is familiar with the customs and history of the city. The walk started and ended near the Manikoondu on an evening when the clouds loomed menacingly but the rain Gods decided to spare us. We set out to visit seven Amman temples where the deities were decorated in a grand manner for Navarathri. Along the way, we got to see and learn many historical facts about the old city.

At the Kannika Parameshwari temple on Vysial Street

Five-headed Ganesha at the Koniamman temple

The Five-headed Ganesha at Koniamman temple

The main diety in the central sanctum and some of the older deities at the back are most sought-after by devotees. Govindarajulu pointed out the five-headed Ganesha not far from the entrance and spoke about how the Cholas used the elephants captured in the Western Ghats around Coimbatore to conquer lands, near and far.

Kannika Parameshwari temple

During Navarathri celebrations, the Kannika Parameshwari temple on Vysial street has a rather unique practice. It is not the priests but a select group of men who decorate the deity for the day. These men stay in the temple premises during the nine days and perform their duty in the purest way possible. On the day we visited, the goddess was decorated drawing inspiration from the Baby Krishna, in a crawling posture.

Copper vessel at Badrakali Amman temple

The copper vessel at Badrakali Amman temple

Walking through the small by-lanes that lead to the Badrakali Amman temple gave us a true perspective of the old town and the communities living around it. A young priest and a couple of boys not older than 12 were our hosts at this temple. We were shown an antique copper vessel in which water is placed in front of the deity and prayers are performed.

The illustration at Draupadi Amman temple

A bird’s-eye view of what Coimbatore looked like many decades ago

The Draupadi Amman temple on Dharmaraja Koil street boasts of the longest kundam (fire walk pit) in Coimbatore, measuring up to 60 feet in length. A very colourful and interesting illustration inside the temple gives a birds-eye view of what Coimbatore looked like many decades ago, with the temple and kundam in the foreground and the Periyakulam in the background.

Kamatchi Amman temple

The striking contrast between the old and the new at the Kamatchi Amman temple

This temple is over 450 years old and a very popular one on Big Bazaar street. A few decades ago, the surface of the temple structure was cleaned using sand blasting technique to remove layers of paint and lime to expose some of the older carvings and the true colours of the granite structure. While this temple remains majestic with its old architecture, modern structures tower over it in the immediate vicinity to show the striking contrast between the old and the new.

Paniyaram stall

Piping hot paniyarams at the corner stall around Kumaran Market on Big Bazaar Street

All this walking made us hungry. The corner stall around Kumaran Market on Big Bazaar Street had the locals crowding around it for hot paniyarams. Saranya was working at lightning speed doling out piping hot paniyarams along with coconut chutney and a spicy onion chutney. At ₹20 a plate for seven paniyarams, these plates were quintessentially hot sellers. This corner stall also had the famed Settu Billas — a layer of chutney and a mound of grated vegetables sandwiched by two crispy murukkus.

The Nagalingam tree at Ramalinga Sowdeshwari temple

The Nagalingam tree at Ramalinga Sowdeshwari temple grows through the temple

The Ramalinga Sowdeshwari temple is one of the bigger temples in the neighbourhood. The colourful kolu and the decorated deity, especially for Navarathri were some of the highlights. The collection of Ashtalakshmis was also strikingly beautiful. Over the years, the structure of the temple has undergone some changes but it was gratifying to see that the temple authorities had made an effort to save the trees around it by providing appropriate outlets for them to go through the roof to tower over the temple.

Rajesh Govindarajulu leads walks in old Coimbatore revolving around temples, food and heritage. To know more, write to info@doitall.in