Historian Rajesh Govindarajulu with individuals of heritage stroll at Kottai Eswaran temple close to City Corridor in Coimbatore.
| Photograph Credit score: Siva Saravanan S
The golden orange solar, seen amid the foliage of the neem tree at Koniamman Temple, prepares for its descent. A pigeon, comfortably perched in the course of the 84-foot tower on the entrance, appears to survey the group of people under. The solar, the neem tree, the tower and its resident pigeons should have seen scores of devotees coming into the temple carrying hopes, goals, sorrows, happiness, expectations, and disappointments, together with some materials choices to the deity inside. However on the second day of 2024, the bunch of people on the temple’s entrance aren’t there for mere devotion; they’re right here to look at — the heritage and historical past of Coimbatore, starting with the temple and its neighbourhood.
“Welcome to the 16th yr of the Coimbatore Heritage Stroll,” the phrases emerge from a wearable voice amplifier hanging on Rajesh Govindarajulu’s chest. “I’ve been utilizing this [device] for the previous few years as a result of it’s gotten difficult to talk by means of the visitors noise,” he tells us, the individuals of the stroll, organised by Rajesh and Priya Ramakrishnan, a conservation architect, as part of Coimbatore Vizha.
Born, raised, and settled in Coimbatore, Rajesh is a veteran chronicler of town’s historical past. The heritage stroll covers a distance of about 2 kilometres from Koniamman Temple on Peria Kadai Veedhi (Massive Bazaar Avenue) to Garadi Perumal Temple. It takes individuals by means of City Corridor, an interesting a part of town, the place communities of various cultures separated by languages, companies, meals, and faiths cohabit. It passes by means of a number of buildings and areas mutated by time. It helps in figuring out the previous enmeshed with the current.
Each 10 steps we take, we stumble throughout a bit of historical past hiding in plain sight. Rajesh pauses, identifies it, and unravels the tales it comprises. A weary white constructing belonging to Kurangu Seth (the founding father of the erstwhile ‘Monkey’ oil model) that has housed Mohandas Gandhi, Kasturbha, and Vallabhai Patel; the oldest police station within the metropolis; Tamil Shaivite scholar CK Subramania Mudaliar’s house on Vysial Avenue; the 120-year-old Athar Jamad Masjid, Suparaswanath Jain Mandir, and Garadi Perumal Koil (in the identical neighbourhood)… there may be a lot to absorb and marvel at.
Exploring a metropolis holds significance for numerous causes, in response to Rajesh. “There are quite a few hidden gems intertwined with town’s cloth that usually go unnoticed,” he says, “Uncovering these nuggets not solely satisfies one’s curiosity but additionally contributes to a deeper understanding of historical past. This data, in flip, aids within the preservation of town’s historic components, providing a glimpse into unfamiliar points. Observing and understanding the evolution of town’s development fashion, meals habits, and enterprise practices present worthwhile insights into its historical past.”
“Common guests can witness the gradual deterioration of outdated buildings, acknowledging the function of stakeholders in these modifications. This consciousness turns into a catalyst for public coverage solutions. Collaborating in these walks additionally brings consideration to environmental issues like noise and air air pollution,” he provides.
The stroll was an eye-opener for architect Tharangini, one of many individuals. “Although I’ve lived all my life in Coimbatore, I didn’t know the historical past of a few of these buildings. They aren’t mere bricks and stones; they’re a window to understanding the lifestyle of the previous. And, these areas are linked to on a regular basis social interactions,” she says.
“I didn’t know Coimbatore had this a lot historical past,” says Mareeswaran Ganesan, one other participant. He’s a mechanical engineer from Sennilakudi, Aruppukottai, who has been working within the metropolis for the final 4 years. “I do know town as an industrial city with possibly a couple of hundred years of historical past. However a number of the locations right here date again to 1000’s of years.”
Other than the astonishment over the antiquity of Coimbatore, the stroll additionally gave him the realisation of its multiculturalism. “I’ve roamed this space to purchase garments for Deepavali. However I by no means observed a Jain temple, a mosque, and a Hindu temple, all in the identical location! You will need to know and protect this historical past on this political local weather of non secular division. Because of this stroll, my respect for town as an outsider has grown,” he says.