Mylapore

Mylapore is the oldest area within Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. To this day it enjoys prominence as an important part of Chennai city and is well connected with other parts of the city by the Metropolitan buses and the MRTS. It is often referred to as the downtown of Chennai. The place is famous for the Kapaleeshwarar temple.

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Legend has it that Goddess Parvathi, the divine consort of Lord Shiva, did penance at Mylapore taking the form of a pea-hen, in order to be wedded to him. The name Mylapore is derived from this legend - "Myil" in Tamil means a peacock. The famous Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore and its beautiful temple tank are associated with this legend.

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Mylapore is also associated with the Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar who composed the great Tamil work Thirukkural. There is also a temple dedicated to him here. It is widely believed that Thiruvalluvar was born in Mylapore, and hence the temple is supposed to be the home where he had lived centuries and centuries ago.

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This place is also associated with Ptolemy the Egyptian traveller. He is supposed to have arrived at this place, which was once a thriving port city.

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Marco Polo's travels also contain references to Mylapore and the practices of observing certain unlucky hours everyday, during which all normal activity is suspended

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The apostle St. Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus is supposed to have come to Mylapore. It is to commemorate this that the Portuguese built the San Thome church after destroying the Kapaleeswaraar temple that stood at its place. The present Kapaleeswarar temple was built 300-400 years ago at a different location.(See external links).

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Mylapore can also be seen as the hub of the cultural events in the City. Every December several sabhas in Mylapore (besides those in other parts of the city) organize a 5 week long Carnatic music festival called the December Music Season. The Parthasarathy Swami Sabha in Mylapore is the oldest Sabha in Tamil Nadu. The Madras Music Academy, Mylapore is an important nucleus of Art events in the city.

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Mylapore Times, a weekly neighbourhood newspaper, covers relevant issues relating to the neighbourhood of Mylapore.

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Chennai: Chennai (சென்னை in Tamil), formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fourth largest city. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.45 million (2005), the 367-year-old cit...

Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, "Land of the Tamils") is a state at the southern tip of India. The bordering states/territories are Pondicherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The island nation of Sri Lanka, which has a significant Tamil minority,...

India: The Republic of India is a country in South Asia which comprises most of the Indian subcontinent. India has a coastline which stretches over seven thousand kilometres, and shares its borders with Pakistan to the west, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, and Bangladesh...