CONTRAST

 CONTRAST

The term ‘contrast’ does not require any explanation and it always sets the tone for comparison. Comparison can be of any 2 things with little or no justification from any related parameter. The present effort of mine relates to two places which share common / contrasting features. They are-- Srirangam and Srirangapatna the two well known places by virtue of their association to the river Cauvery; new ones may prefer to name the river ‘KAVERI’. But the old spelling imposes the right phonetic compulsion on sounding the name more appropriately than the lax freedom which embraces the revised spelling. Leaving aside such trivia, anyone familiar with the two places would instantly recognize that both are islands formed by the same river though at different geographic locales in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.  Both have the same value as pilgrim centres for members of Vaishnavite tradition –presided by the same deity Lord Ranganatha. Besides, Srirangam and Srirangapatna are respectively proximal to major towns [cities?] Tiruchi and Mysuru. Both Tiruchi and Mysuru host a lot of institutions of higher learning and are proudly places of Value to HINDUS, CHRISTIANS and MUSLIMS with places of worship for all faiths. Both TIRUCHI and MYSURU have supported weaving of fabrics of tradition and both places are like spots of grandeur being liberally surrounded by vast acres of land thriving on agriculture[villages] . But by the elegance in ‘lay out’ or town planning Mysuru looks ‘one-up’ with  its ‘auto-regulating’ circles,  fountains and well-lit city junctions and quite imposing buildings in all such circles named after important personalities of Wodayar kingdom of Mysuru; the place is known for the picturesque celebration of Dasara festival that marks the  ‘NAVARATHRI’ season of South India. Such captivating elements are conspicuous by absence in Tiruchy. The palace in Mysuru is indeed a piece of marvel of grandeur by design and expanse. That way Mysuru readily passes for a city in sharp contrast to what obtains of Tiruchy by way of layout or architectural pieces of work.

Coming to the topic of Srirangam and srirangapatna, the former scores over the latter by virtue of its square formation with the massive temple at the centre [much like the planning in Madurai]. Srirangapatna is a humble 3-road town and all the three roads nearly run parallel through the length of the town in East-West orientation ; the railway station and the temple are at the West end of the town while the east end is marked by Tipu’s summer palace [Daria Daulat].  Srirangam temple faces South and has three entry points along East, North and South with none on the West. In Srirangapatna, the river arms are parallel to the length of the town; in Srirangam the river arms are Coleroon[Kollidam] on the North and Kaveri on the South while such a naming of river arms is unknown in Srirangapatna.

Though in both places, the river is ‘Kaveri’, the texture of the river bed is highly rocky in Srirangapatna, while that in Srirangam is rich alluvial sand [gold minefor Sand thieves]; in fact, segments of the river in South face of Srirangam haS ‘QUICK SAND ‘ and has trapped quite a few unwary visitors who had unwittingly entered the river . In contrast, the river along the northern face in Srirangapatna is home for Crocodiles and warning signs are on display in areas around the east end of the town. The places have death traps of Geological / Biological nature respectively in Srirangam and Srirangapatna.

Though the presiding Deity is Lord Ranganatha in either place, the ease of ‘Dharshan’ is far greater in Srirangapatna by a well-lit Sanctum Sanctorum, unlike in Srirangam where just an oil wick is the lone  mode of ‘lighting’ in Sanctum sanctorum. In view of the persistent stream of visitors in Srirangam, the personnel ‘on duty’ at Srirangam temple do not permit visitors' stay for over 40 seconds or so. Such rigid postures by employees, make viewing the Lord an exercise of a very brief opportunity [for ‘Dharshan’].

Amity among persons of different faiths / practices is quite prominent in Srirangapatna unlike, a veiled suspicion among different faiths in Srirangam. A sharp contrast between the two places is that in Srirangapatna members of the sects- Vada kalai’ and ‘Then kalai’ are quite cohesive in observing the celebrations devoted to Shri. Vedanta Desikan [vadakalai] and Shri. Manavala Maamunigal [Thenkalai] who respectively championed the foundation of the two sects. Such cordiality is not vivid in Srirangam. Further, the two temples widely differ in the flow of funds from public donations. In Srirangapatna, the two sects get on amicably well with no semblance of friction in any observance. The East end of Srirangapatna has concentrations of members of Islamic faith and at the western segment, Hindus are concentrated ; the two groups live in harmony though parts of Karnataka are known for brittle / volatile prospects of communal violence. These are the prominent items of contrast between the two places.

Prof. K. Raman