Photo by Bourne and Shepherd 

 THE PAINTe:d corridor in the: MADURA TKMPI.E 



A court of many pillars is a feature in every Dravidian temple, and this example is 

 decorated with painting as well as carving. The great temple at Madura, of which this court 

 forms a part, was built between the years 1630 and 1680, the golden age of Indian architecture. 



have been one of the chief guests at the 

 marriage, does not get there on the ap- 

 pointed day, and so when he arrives he 

 finds all the ceremonies finished. A rep- 

 resentative of Meenachi goes down to 

 the river, Avhich he must cross, to meet 

 him and bring him to the temple. 



But when Allagar learns that they have 

 not waited for him he refuses to enter 

 the town, and will not see his sister or 

 send his gift. Thousands of people have 

 gathered in the river bed, which is dry 

 at this time of the year, and they wel- 

 come Allagar with great rejoicings. He 

 is one of the popular gods of South In- 

 dia, and has a great hold especially on 

 the Robber caste. They make much of 

 all his peculiarities, and even weaknesses, 

 and it is not too much to say that much 



evil takes place in the name of religion 

 during this festival. 



That the people do not regard religion 

 merely as a piece of asceticism is clearly 

 seen by the devices that are found there 

 for amusing them. The whirligig and 

 the imitation Ferris wheel do a great 

 business. Hawkers sell all kinds of toys, 

 including balloons, whistles, jumping- 

 jacks, etc. And fathers, mothers, boys, 

 and girls buy them freely and seem to 

 enjoy them. The crowd is a gay one, 

 and, though a few are actually busy car- 

 rying on the ceremonies around the im- 

 ages, ninety-nine out of a hundred seem 

 busy with their own amusements. The 

 elephants attract much attention. The 

 beggar with his monkey comes in for his 

 share of the good things and the ascetics, 



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