Today is the harvest festival of Pongal, which is celebrated here in Tamil Nadu. I am currently in a small town called Mamallapuram, about 45 km south of Madras, which is famous for it’s rock carving. There are temples and carvings dating from the 7th Century. Modern Mamallapuram is packed with large and small workshops where the craft of carving is still practiced. Walking along, one hears the “chink-chink” of hammer and chisel.
While I was in Varkala, I met two brothers who were there carving and selling their work. One of the brothers, Ramesh, speaks Hindi, and we talked. I mentioned to him that I was heading to Tamil Nadu for Pongal, and he invited me to his house to celebrate.
His family lives just outside a small town about 17 km from Mamallapuram. His father, and they have a small house (built by the father) on the edge of rice paddies. I was given a tour of the area, including the fields. To suppliment their farming income, many people in the area also make and sell bricks.
Ramesh’s mother invited me to help with the Pooja (prayer ceremony) for Pongal. A small flame was lit on a tray, and the ash was used to mark our forheads. A coconut was blessed over the flame, then it was cracked and the water poured on the ground. We then went inside to do another pooju at the house shrine.
Following the poojas, we sat down in the house to eat. We started, of course, with Pongal, a dish made from coarsely ground rice. Pongal I have had was always savory, usually with whole black pepper. This pongal was sweet, and delicious. We then had a traditional South Indian meal of rice, sambar and rasam.
Finally Ramesh and two of his brothers took me back to town to see the local Shiva temple. It is at the top of a large hill, and is reached by climbing 550 steps. The temple dates from the 7th Century. From the temple, we had a view all the way to the coast, some 15 km away.