The air was blistering with heat as we slowly meandered
through the streets of Pondicherry, a Union Territory formed out of four
enclaves of former French India. We had
arrived in the city the evening before and from what I read in a hotel
brochure, I knew that I wanted to pay a visit to the Manakula Vinayagar
Temple. Having been in India for 2 ½
months, I knew my path to be graced with serendipitous moments of unexplainable
radiance whenever I surrendered completely to my environment. Needless to say, I was quite content to stroll
through the streets with no real direction or intent.
We worked our way down Jawaharlal Nehru Street, a street
that flourished with activity. The wide
avenues teemed with motorbikes, rickshaws, taxis and bicycles, all seamlessly in
movement together in a precise yet precarious flow. Along the sidewalks were bakeries, shoe
shops, wine stores, banking institutions and textile shops showcasing fine
fabrics of silk and decorative sequins.
From every direction, the city seemed to be bursting with life in
vibrant colors. For respite from the heat, we frequently ducked into bookshops,
multi leveled department stores and one of my favorite shops which was filled
with long glass encasements containing rows of decorative candies and sweet
cakes.
Suddenly the sound of
bells, drums and chanting clearly emerged amidst the cacophony of early evening
traffic. I couldn’t help but turn left
down a narrow road to bring my senses closer the pleasing sounds and the smooth
sweet fragrance of incense. One side of the alleyway was lined with large stalls
and vendors selling flowers, books, trinkets and baskets filled with coconuts,
long grass and incense. On the other
side of the alleyway was a large light blue temple complex with throngs of
people milling in and out of the entrances.
The structure was adorned with colorful carved images of Hindu deities
that lined the entrance and the roof, which was layered in tiers rising to a
narrow tip that pointed to the sky. The
structure and its carvings were much more than my eyes could retain in one
glance. Standing to the right of the temple
door was an enormous elephant with a regal and protective presence. I watched her with admiration as she
interacted with the devotees entering and exiting the temple. After a bit of hesitation, the gentlemen at
the shoe check convinced us that we should enter. For 10 rupees, I left my shoes to be checked
and then purchased a basket of offerings; candles, coconuts, long leaves of
grass and a garland of flowers. We entered
the temple, and stood in line while the priests took the individual baskets of offerings
to the enshrined deity.
I had found myself inside Manakula Vinayagar Temple, a temple
that the Jesuits and Missionaries had attempted to demolish on several
occasions throughout history. This was a sacred place that the local population
managed to salvage every time. The structure was cavernous on the inside with
various forms of Ganapathi embedded into the walls. The inside of the temple
possessed its own ebb and flow of activity, buzzing in similarity to the city
outside. When it was my turn to present
my basket of offerings, the priest asked me my name and took the basket
forward. He soon returned the basket to
me with the coconuts and grass remaining.
Being unsure of what was supposed to happen with the remaining
ingredients in my basket, we wandered around the spacious interior until one of
my friends asked a passerby for direction.
“You can take the remaining offerings to Lakshmi, the elephant at the
entrance,” he replied. The beating of my
heart hastened.
We stepped outside, where Lakshmi stood in front of the
entrance. Her trunk was swaying. She was
beautiful and unconfined with paint adorning her forehead. She looked directly into my eyes, watching my
every move. I pulled the long leaves of
grass from my basket. She then unfurled her long trunk to where I was standing
and took the offerings from my hands to her mouth. She slowly brought her trunk back again to
where I stood and patted me gently on the head.
A passerby near the entrance confirmed “That is your blessing. She is
blessing you….”
