Temple Tales: Secrets and Stories from India’s Sacred Places

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This delightful and enchanting book opens the doors to the secrets and surprises hidden in temples across the country. These unique temples are not just places of worship, but living museums of architectural wonders, mind-boggling sculptures, graceful dances, colourful crafts and many other cultural activities. More than anything, they are treasure troves of lore and legend, teeming with tales of gods and goddesses, demons and devotees, plants and beasts, the magical and the mysterious - all just waiting to be discovered by you.

Join Sudha G. Tilak as she takes you on an unusual journey to the country's most sacred places, where the lines between fact and faith are blurred and stories come alive!

Sudha G. Tilak only takes up jobs that allow her to tell stories - tall and truthful. She has worked for over 20 years as a journalist with Indian and international publications out of Chennai, Kolkata, the UK and Delhi. Currently she works with a travel publication and lives in Gurgaon with her husband, son and imaginary pets, Posto the ginger cat and Idli the Labrador. This is her first book for children.

My earliest memory of temples goes back to Tirunelveli, the town where I was born, in southern Tamil Nadu. My grandfather's home stood in a lane sandwiched between two temples by the River Tamarabarani: the Chokkanathar (Shiva as 'the dude who slayed') Kovil, and the Vishnu temple we simply called Perumal Kovil. You could hardly ignore these two striking buildings when you stepped out of the house.

Temple visits were a huge part of my summer vacations. A visit to the Nelliappar Temple in Tirunelveli was really exciting for us kids, because it meant getting to feed puffed rice to the eager fish in the temple tank, tug at the long rope chains of the temple chariot during the festival and scramble on the temple elephant's back as it ambled down our lane. On festive nights the temple's processional deity, covered in gold and garlands, would be taken down our street for the devotees to offer worship.

Our trips to the beach were always marked by a visit to Tiruchendur's Murugan temple on the shoreline. This was followed by the teasing my dear cousin had to endure after each tonsure, as my aunt believed that shaving off the hair on his head was her best offering to the temple deity!

Then there was a visit that involved a thrilling train ride on the bridge over the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean to reach the huge Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram. Another one took us to the Kanyakumari Temple, at the country's bottom-most end. I remember us kids splashing about in the cold sea water as we watched the drama at dusk, when the sun set over the sea rocks. There was also a trip that involved a breathless trek up the hill in Tiruchi to reach the Ucchi Pillaiyar Temple.

My big sister, who studied botany for a while, was the one who taught me the many names of the temple trees and flowers and provided able company in tasting the insatiable deliciousness of the laddoo from the Tirupati Balaji Temple or the panchamritham from Palani Temple.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages