Rally takes heritage buffs off the beaten track

CHENNAI: Drivers at the heritage trail rally which set off from Thoraipakkam's AKDR Golf Village on Sunday did not arrive with modified vehicles or safety gear. What they brought along instead was the zeal to explore forgotten heritage sites and monuments in and around Chennai.
Organised by Friends of Heritage Sites (FoHS), a social space for heritage enthusiasts, the one-day rally covered more than 150km.Participants first set off to the megalithic site in Amoor and then proceeded towards Thirupuleeshwar temple in Vayalur. The third leg was to Saluvankuppam, a heritage site near Mamallapuram. At least 22 cars participated in the rally, which was the first of its kind in the state.
"Our goal is to identify lesser known locations of historic importance and undertake awareness programmes and activities. The heritage trail car rally was organised to create awareness about three historic and pre-historic sites. We also had three historians talk about each site. The response was great," said Sharmila Ganesan of FoHS. Scholars K T Gandhirajan, Chitra Madhavan and R Gopu spoke about the sites in depth.
Gandhirajan, who has excavated many pre-historic cave art sites in Tamil Nadu, said the idea of the car rally was to introduce people in Chennai to important heritage sites apart from those in Mamallapuram which were well-known. "There are a number of important heritage sites in Kancheepuram district. But people know very little about them. The megalithic site in Amoor near Siruthavur is a neglected place today. Being part of a heritage car rally was a great experience," he said.
While scholar Chithra Madhavan spoke about the Thirupulleswar and Vaikunda Perumal temple in Voyalur, Gopu explained the importance of the Shiva temple and Sapthamatrika temple and the excavation site in Saluvankuppam near Mamallapuram. "The two temples in Voyalur have inscriptions belonging to four different dynasties. It was a great opportunity for the participants to know more about them," said Gandhirajan.
On the third leg of the rally, Gopu spoke to the participants about the Shiva cave temple as well as the three different epigraphies found at the Athiranachanda Mandapam, the Saptamatrika temple and the newly excavated Sangam period Murugan temple site in Saluvankuppam.