Somewhere in Chennai....

A team consisting of officers from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department, IIT professors, highway department officials and sthapathis (sculptors) visited temples across Chennai and its suburbs to check the strength of the temple towers, which usually grace the entrance to the shrines. “We noticed a sculpture of Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar sitting cross-legged, with some palm leaves in his hand, at the Kalikambal temple in Broadway. Another sculpture depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi was found at the Karneeswarar temple in Saidapet,” said an official. “The Kalikambal temple also has a rare painting and a sculpture showing Goddess Kali blessing Chhatrapati Shivaji.” It is said that Shivaji visited the temple in the year 1677 and offered prayers. Historical records indicate that Shivaji’s army came down south up to Kancheepuram, then under the sway of the Nawab of Arcot, who owed allegiance to the British. Legend has it that he visited the temple after he heard that the presiding deity was Kali, his favourite goddess. A long line of Maratha kings, who were descendants of Shivaji, later controlled the Thanjavur region for nearly two centuries.