Assembled crowds at IIT Madras, 1965

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Institute Events , Visiting VIPs

This photograph was taken during the visit of Sringeri Sharada Peethadhipati Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Swamiji. The visit has been recorded in an article titled ‘Brief look at the history of temples in IIT Madras campus’ by Arun Ayyar, Harish Ganapathy and Hemanth C. The authors note that the Swamiji visited the temple on 7 November, 1965, the same year that the construction was completed.

The temple is located on Delhi Avenue near the main gate of IIT Madras. The main deity of this temple is Lord Shiva who is worshipped as Jalakanteshwara along with his consort Devi Katyayani.

According to a website, the Shiva lingam was present under a mandapam and a thatched roof near the IIT lake prior to the establishment of IIT Madras. Residents of villages nearby would offer their worship to the Shiva lingam. It was with the suggestion of Mahaperiyavaa that the residents of the Institute built a temple during the establishment of IIT Madras to continue the worship of the idol.

Seen in the photograph, Prof R. Krishnamurthi (Head of Humanities Department, extreme left) and Mr. Y. S. Ramaswamy (Superintending Engineer, second row, fifth from left).

Collection:

Gourishankar Collection

Album Name:

Visit of Sringeri Swamiji, 1965

Photograph ID:

001/0258/IMG_0327

Album ID:

0258

Date:

7 November 1965

Photographer:

C. Gourishankar (1936-2002). A geologist by qualification, Gourishankar started his career as a photographer after working for many years with the Geological Survey of India. In everything that he did, Gourishankar strove to achieve flawlessness and impeccable quality. Thus his photography too was characterised by this drive for perfection. Every photograph that Gourishankar took was meticulously planned and shot and printed with diligence and patience. Gourishankar carried out most of the official photography at IIT Madras in the 1960s.

Event:

Visit of Sringeri Swamiji