Tiruvalluvar:
In the centuries preceding the christian era,Tiruvalluvar lived here and wrote tirukural,an anthology of wisdom
Mylapore:
The oldest part of Madras is probably Mylapore.It is named after goddess Parvathy,who took the form of a peahen and performed penance to marry lord siva in the form of kapaleeswara.
Mylapore was the home of peyalwar.In the 7th century A.D Tirugnana Sambandar visited Mylapore and described it thus:
"where honey-trees grew in beautiful gardens in the sea-shore,where devi appeared in the form of a pea-hen and kapaleeshwara tookm her in marriage".Mylapore was a seaport and commercial center under the pallavas.The pallava king Nandivarman-III was known as Mylai-kavalan,the protector of Mylapore.
The original Temple which was near the sea,was washed away and the present temple rebuilt much later.The gopuram(entrance) is 120 feet tall.Inside the temple is the punnai tree, beneath which the legend of Mylapore grew.
Triplicane:
Yet another old part is Triplicane or Tiruvallikeni,the sacred lily tank.The temple of Parthasarathy through a recent building,originally existed in the 8th century.
Tirumangaialvar sang of Tiruvallikeni:
"The fragrance of the kuravan flowers in cool shady gardens where cuckoos sing and peacocks dance.....The sun's rays never penetrate the thick foliage of tiruvallikeni"Neither Mylapore nor triplicane houses anymore trees or peacocks :( .As the city grew,the first casualty was its natural surroundings.
