Mylapore- You live there after leading aeons of virtuous life

For people who are highly sensitive to vibrations around them, entering the boundaries of Mylapore will be a highly uplifting experience as one becomes intensely aware of the spiritually charged atmosphere...I have always believed that one gets to reside in Mylapore only after having done many a good deed in past many births.. Think about it, there is the Kapaleeshwarar Kovil and temple tank, there is the Srinivasa Perumal Kovil, Madhava Perumal Kovil, the Mundaga Kanniamman Kovil, the Shirdi Sai Kovil, Hanuman Kovil, Navashakthi Vinayagar Kovil, the Santhome Cathedral, the Ramakrishna Universal Temple, just to name a very few of the spiritually energising centres. What makes these places special is the years and years of sanctified chanting of Mantras and prayers..which cleans up the atmosphere of the dreg and dross of impure thoughts, malificient attitudes etc.

Mylapore is not just for the spiritual seeker- it is for the ardent shopper as well- come Dussera season and there is no place in Chennai to shop for Kolu dolls better than Mylapore Mada Veedhi. Scores of vendors begin unravelling the precious dolls a few days before Dussera begins- and what a sight it is!! from miniature dolls of Gods and Goddesses to the huge Viswaroopa dolls it is sheer feast for the eyes... This is the time when women of all age groups flock to MAda veedhi to eitherdrink in the festive sights or to drive a hard bargain to buy the dolls.. In adition to the dolls, buying trinkets for giveaways to ladies visiting the households is the next fun thing- there are numerous shops that sell inexpensive but beautiful gifts- small statues of Gods and Goddesses, Kolams, key chains, thoranams, bowls, baskets, innovative Manjal Kumkum sets and so on. the roadside shops stack every Bindi design known on planet earth, bangles made of different materials and in many hues, Photographs of Gods and Goddesses, Sloka books etc. The Mada Veedhi market caters to every customer from every stratum of life- you can walk away with a worthy purchase immaterial of your budget and that is the speciality of Mylai..

It is impossible not to mention the vegetable market in Mylapore.. The freshest vegetables and fruits just pull you unto them for purchase.. the ladies selling Keerai beckon to you like a good old friend enticing you to buy a refreshingly green bunch of Keerai and they are open to negotiation on the price.. and no better place to buy flowers than Mylai- the jasmine strings are closely knit unlike the rest of the city, (where you need directions to find where the next flower is strung on the thread) and the speciality is the Malli Chendu- a thck and heavy length of very very closely knit jasmine blossoms- and trust me the flowers are priced definitely lower than elsewhere in the city.

Other attractions of Mylapore are the Ambika Appalam Depot, the Dappa Chetty Kadai where all sorts of Nattu Marundu (indigenious medicine) can be purchased, the Giri Trading Agency, Srividhya Manjal Kumkumam shop, Mysore Silk Palace, Karpagam mess, Bharatiya Vidya Bhaven , Sangeetha hotel etc..

If you are a resident of Mylai, count youself a step away from salvation- for only the most spiritually evolved souls get to live there.. and my hearty congratulations to you on living in one of the best places on planet Earth!!!