The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...
In the days gone by , the Shaivite saints used to walk from one temple to another, living on the temple premises, cleaning it up, performing the rituals, singing songs in praise of the Lord, and then move on to the next temple. This way, they managed to visit an astounding number of temples on foot. After visiting the temples in the Thanjavur – Kumbakonam belt, it seems to me that they were wise, for that is certainly the best, and maybe the only way one can see all the temples in the area. The city of Kumbakonam alone has about a hundred temples. One can then imagine the number of temples there are around the city. In fact, for every kilometer in any direction, one comes across at least one Shiva and one Vishnu temple. Every village seems to have a big temple, either dedicated to Vishnu or Shiva. While the Vaishnava temples are well maintained and seem prosperous, most of the Shiva temples, though built beautifully, are in disrepair, and lack funds. Many of them don’t even have enough...