The Ulsoor Parichay was designed as a two-part event, about 3 hours in duration. The first half was an exploration of the Someshwara Temple – dedicated to Eshwara or Shiva. HR Prathibha, Convenor, INTACH Bangalore Chapter, led the group of 45 (the group seems to be get larger with each Parichay!) through the history of the temple and the legends associated with it. Prathibha talked to the group about how it was probably the jackfruit that gave the area its name. She also talked in depth about the temple itself – how it is attributed to the 10th century, how it (strangely) lacks any inscriptional evidence, how the Yelankanaadu Prabhus, especially Kempegowda, carried out enlarged it and added the imposing gopura. She drew the attention of the group to the characteristic elements of the Vijayanagara style that you can see here, and then also spoke about the myths behind some of the figures depicted in the temple. Perhaps a couple of hours is too little to explore this fascinating world of mythical lore and legends.
We also happened to see the celebrations of 'Aadi Krittike', a significant day in the Tamil calendar, which actually fell on the 29th and is celebrated as the birthday of Murugan (Shiva and Parvati's son, elder brother of Ganesha) in whose honor offerings are carried in a 'kaavadi' – two pots hanging on either side of a bamboo pole balanced on the shoulders. As part of a vow, devotees carry the kaavadi around the temple and then offer milk to the Lord. They take a vow of silence, with only the beat of the drums or a ringing of the brassbells tied around their ankles to announce their presence in the temple. Some of the women on Sunday had pierced their tongues and many go into a trance-like state. Celebrations will continue for about a week. As Satya (Sathya Prakash Varanashi, Consulting Architect, Founder Trustee - CIVIC Bangalore and Udbhava) later commented, it was a perfect coming together ofour age old cultural traditions in the midst of our sacred built heritage. After snacks at the temple, Sathya took over the reins and set the interactive tone with a googly on the location of the Halsuru Gate Police Station (no, it isn't in Ulsoor, it is near Corporation Circle; to know why, come for our next Ulsoor Parichay!).
He spoke about the evidence of British planning evident in Ulsoor, such as the conservancy lanes that they set up in the interest of health and hygiene. We had a discussion on the neighbourhood profile. Satya felt that though there is a predominance of Tamils (encouraged settling here by the British?), unlike the Brahminical settlements ofBasavanagudi and Malleswaram, Ulsoor has always had settlers of all communities and regions. He talked to the group about the bustling and ever-interesting Halasur Market, the old clock tower (now being replaced by a public toilet), about urban changes (so evident inUlsoor), and then we went through some of the winding lanes of Ulsoor, like the Anjaneya Koil Street, where some people were kind enough to let us see their house. Sathya and Pankaj pointed out the vernacular style of architecture, with decorative lintels, a 'jagali' or 'thinne' on either side of the doorway, red oxide floors, and so on. One of the houses had a charming sloping roof with skylights and pillars with niches in the walls for storage. The owner had gone to a fair bit of trouble to stay true to the traditional design. Typical centralcourtyards shut out the noise of the street and lead into the bedrooms. I think everyone was reminded of childhoods spent in the village houses of our grandparents…
Unfortunately for us, the rain cut short our Ulsoor walk. Sathya had wanted to take us to the RK Mutt, and then onto Old Madras Road, where much of the character is in the process of change, being demolished to make way for Namma Metro. There is much still left to see and do.
Hopefully, Sathya will agree to Ulsoor – the sequel!
By Meera Iyer & Swati Reddy
