Announcing the third site seminar of Tamil Heritage School - Mukkudai Yathirai
Prof Swaminathan mooted and organized the concept of a Site Seminar, to familiarize a few individuals passionately interested in the heritage of the Tamil country, but clueless about where and how to start. His objective was to inspire to us know in depth and loving detail, the patrimony of artistic heritage - temples, monuments, paintings, sculptures, ad infinitum - that we have inherited, but are barely aware of; to visit such places, to imbibe the spirit of its creators, to soak in the scholarship of experts and researchers, to absorb the aesthetics and the history, and to pass it on to our colleagues and friends, families and future generations. This best done, in his mind, by reading the literature he has put together, by collecting and educating each other with backgrounds on it, by visiting such heritage sites for 3 or four days in the company of experts, and then hopefully disseminating what we have learnt and felt.
Our first trip was to Mamallapuram in January 2010, for three days. We called it Athyanthakaama Ashrama Vijaya. Our second, to Ajanta and Ellora, in January 2011, for five days, which we called Paranjothi Yathirai. I'll send brief writeups on these later. Now our third planned Site Seminar will be to Pudukottai, in southern TamilNadu from January 26-29, 2011. The sites we intend to visit include Sittanavasal, Kodumbalur, Thirumaiyam, Aavudaiyaar Kovil, Vijayalaya Choleesvaram, Tiru-p-punnavayil, Tiru-k-kattalai and Pudukkottai town itself.
We'll be meeting in the next few weeks, to read up on the literature, prepare ourselves with background info, discuss logistics, and suggest ideas to enrich the experience. We may have to book train tickets this week, so interested participants please let me know, the sooner the better. The ideal group size is between 20 and 25.
My role in this will be merely to co-ordinate and schedule meetings, and send messages. I wont be handling the finances or the logistics. We need volunteers to help in the organization of this site seminar. I suggest you volunteer before you are volunteered :-)