07-26-2007, 07:07 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Thus wrote Camoens in 1572, while to the famed astronomer Ptolemy this 'rich, vast and grand' land was known as Mylarphon. This thriving port of the mighty Pallava dynasty remains the essence of Chennai and the cityâs values to the Chennaivasis as they close out one millennium and begin another.
Mylapore, it seems, has always been â and may continue to be - the religious and cultural epicentre of the Tamil people. Actually pre-dating the city of Chennai by several thousand years, Mylai or Mylapore was first built on the Coromandel shore. The arrival of the Portuguese in the mid-sixteenth century drastically changed the course of Mylapore's history. Having envisaged the idea of a colony at the shore, the Portuguese created Fort San Thome by pushing Mylapore inward, where it has stood since.
The Kapaleeshwarar temple that stands at Mylapore today is about 300-400 years old, though the temple is said to contain fragments of inscriptions dating back to 1250 AD. These inscriptions may be traces of the earlier shore temple that once dominated Mylapore. A great shore temple dedicated to Shiva stood for many centuries in the ancient coastal township of Mylapore, until the Portuguese arrived. In pushing Mylapore away from the shores, the Portuguese, it is believed, badly damaged this magnificent Shiva temple.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.chennaionline.com/toursntravel/...ai/mylapore.asp
Mylapore, it seems, has always been â and may continue to be - the religious and cultural epicentre of the Tamil people. Actually pre-dating the city of Chennai by several thousand years, Mylai or Mylapore was first built on the Coromandel shore. The arrival of the Portuguese in the mid-sixteenth century drastically changed the course of Mylapore's history. Having envisaged the idea of a colony at the shore, the Portuguese created Fort San Thome by pushing Mylapore inward, where it has stood since.
The Kapaleeshwarar temple that stands at Mylapore today is about 300-400 years old, though the temple is said to contain fragments of inscriptions dating back to 1250 AD. These inscriptions may be traces of the earlier shore temple that once dominated Mylapore. A great shore temple dedicated to Shiva stood for many centuries in the ancient coastal township of Mylapore, until the Portuguese arrived. In pushing Mylapore away from the shores, the Portuguese, it is believed, badly damaged this magnificent Shiva temple.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.chennaionline.com/toursntravel/...ai/mylapore.asp