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TRAVEL JOURNALISM IN THE CONTEXT OF
PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY AND CULTURE: A PORTRAYAL
OF TAMILNADU
IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE (1900 –2000)

     JOJAN JOB, M.A.(MC&J)., M.Phil., M.A(Phil), M.Phil
     Department of Journalism, SFS, Madras Christian College,
     Tambaram, Chennai – 59. PH:9382888921
   When Ross Pesman reviewed The Cambridge Companion to Travel
    Writing, in Australian Book Review, the reviewer wrote,

   “Everything     travels and travel is a metaphor for
    everything, travel and travel writing have become the
    subject of intense scholarly interest and debate.
    Travel, once largely the domain of geog-raphers, and
    travel writing, previously relegated to the status of a
    sub-literary genre, now engage attention from literary
    studies, history, anthropology, ethnography and, most
    fruit-fully, from gender and post-colonial studies”( May
    2003:13)
The Aim and Purpose of the Study
The aim of the study is to examine the articles on Tamil
Nadu published in National Geographic in the context of
philosophy, history and culture. All the articles were written
in the period of 1900-2000. The researcher will see
whether these articles reflect the Tamil Nadu according to
the period of writing in various levels. The researcher will
also try to find out how the western media like National
Geographic magazine portray Tamil Nadu through the
articles. Even though the world changes many times
western journalism likes to see India as mystic land. The
researcher would like to study the purpose of the magazine
in the context of Orientalism, postmodernism and cultural
studies also.
Travel Discourse in National Geographic
       Travel writing is a multifaceted process. It is
representing a culture, which reflects on the mind of
the narrator as well as his attitude on the object he
narrates. The attitude is molded by the culture he
was brought up and the culture he has interacted
with all these mirrors on his writings. So from the
academic point of view it is a discourse to be
analyzed because here the big question arises -
Who writes for whom and what perspective he
writes?. In a travel writing the beautiful interplay of
self, place and other is portrayed.
National Geographic- A brief history
The National Geographic Society (formed in
January,13,1888),            headquarters          in
Washington.D.C in the U.S, claims themselves as
one of “the largest non-profit scientific and
educational institutions in the world.” The National
Geographic magazine is currently published in 32
language editions in many countries around the
world with more than fifty million readers’ monthly.
Linda Steet (2000: 19)writes:
 “Nowhere in the world is there another magazine
exactly like the National Geographic…. Its purpose
is and always has been to promote science and
education, and it educates in the most effective way
by portraying this thrilling world and its life in
clear, vivid, comprehensible manner, stripped of
dull, technical verbiage, and mirrored in many
striking pictures.
Gilbert H. Grosvenor, who gave shape to the policies of National Geographic
gave guiding principles for the magazine in 1914. Linda Steet (2000:17-18) in her
work Veils and Daggers summarizes the same:
•“The first principle is absolute accuracy. Nothing must be printed which is not strictly
according to fact. The Magazine can point to many years in which not a single article
has appeared which was not absolutely accurate.
•Abundance of beautiful, instructive, and artistic illustrations.
•Everything printed in The Magazine will be as valuable and permanent value, and so be
planned that each Magazine will be as valuable and pertinent one year or five or ten
years after publication as it is on the day of publication. The result of this principle
is that tens of thousands of back numbers of The Magazine are continually used in
school rooms.
•All personalities and notes of trivial character are avoided.
•Nothing of a partisan or controversial character is printed.
•Only what is of a kindly nature is printed about any country or people, everything
unpleasant or unduly critical being avoided.
The content of each number is planned with a view of being timely. Whenever any
part of the world becomes prominent in public interest, by reason of war,
earthquake, volcanic eruption, etc., the members of the National Geographic Society
have come to know that in the next issue of their information about that region,
presented in an interesting and absolutely non-partisan manner, and accompanied by
photographs which in number and excellence can be equaled by no other
publication”.
Presenting the Orient in National Geographic as Other
So the society and the culture of another part of the Globe is
systematically covered and presents in front of the literate
cosmopolitans, urban world of the developed nations as a new
dish from the oriental world. National Geographic do this for
the past hundred years. No doubt, they educate the people. No
doubt, they unveiled the visuals of the east to the popular
mindset of the American and European community. But only
with the hidden agenda of the portrayal of the Asia and Africa as
the mystery. Only with the view that, as Kipling opined, east do
not know how to represent them.
Discourse Analyses
    To analyze the articles in National Geographic, used the discourse
analyses –Waitt (2006, 64-65) discusses various aspects of discourse
analysis.
    “(i) to explore the outcomes of the discourse in terms of actions,
perceptions, or attitudes rather than simply the analysis of statements/
texts;
    (ii) to identify the regulatory frameworks within which groups of
statements are produced, circulated and communicated within which
people construct their utterances and thoughts; and
    (iii) to uncover the support or internal mechanisms that maintain
certain structures and rules over statements about people, animals,
plants, events, and places in existence as unchallengeable, „normal‟, or
„common-sense‟ rather than to discover the „truth‟ or the „origin‟ of a
statement”. Waitt (2006, 64-65)
Orientalism
It was Edward Said (1995:12) who studies seriously on the one idea
which he described in his work Orientalism.
 “Orientalism is the discipline by which the Orient was (and is)
approached systematically, as a topic of learning, discovery, and
practice. But in addition I have been using the word to designate that
collection of dreams, images and vocabularies available to anyone who
has tried to talk about what lies east of the dividing line. These two
aspects of Orientalism are not incongruent, since by use of them both
Europe could advance securely and unmetaphorically upon the
Orient.”
Aspects of Caption
    Catherine A. Lutz and Jane L. Collins (1993:76) study in detail
about the captioning in National Geographic Magazine seriously.
They write
    “At National Geographic, captioning pictures is separate from
both writing and photography, and equally important. Because
marketing studies show that 53 percent of subscribers read only
picture captions, not the text, editors see captions as a crucial
opportunity to give these casual readers a fix on the article-to
expose them to its major themes and give them some information
to carry away with them. Thus it has established a separate
department charged with legend writing, which employed then
writers in 1989. Each writer is assigned one article each month to
research and caption.”
Articles and captions Published on Tamil Nadu during the Period of 1900 – 2000

 Title, Date, Pages   Selected Captions of Photographs           Selected Quotes from the
                                                                          Articles
The Madura            PORCH OF A THOUSAND
Temples               PILLARS, MADURA - Photo: J.S
March 1908            Chandler, Page 220
218-222               GOLDEN LILLY TANK,
                      MADURA – Photo: J.S Chandler,
                      Page 221
A Hindu Religious     During this ceremony the gods are
Festival              anointed with perfumed oils from the
June 1909             lemon, saffron, banana, coconut,
582-583               sugar, raisins; then milk is poured
                      over, and the devotees eagerly secure
                      the sacred draught enlighten the
                      forehead and eyes, and then drink
                      what remains in their palms, after
                      which incense and camphor gum are
                      burned. These vast throngs show
                      slight regard for caste, and the rule of
                      seclusion for women is apparently
                      forgotten. Page 582
The Temples of   A WONDROUSLY RICH          The Temple (Shrine) at
India            TEMPLE OF SOUTH            Chidambaram and great gopura
November 1909    INDIA, CHIDAMBARAM,
                                            in background. The gopuras, or
922-971          Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page
                                            pagodas, at Chidambaram are
                 946
                 A HINDU ASCETIC OR         the oldest in southern India and
                 HOLY MAN, Photo: W.M.      marvels        of      sculptured
                 Zumbro, Page 947           ornament. The temple is
                 A UNIQUE SNSCRIT           enormously rich and contains an
                 LIBRARY: TANJORE,          unequaled treasury of jewels
                 Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page
                                            and silver cars. Page 959
                 949
                                            Holy man with an armful of
                 A GEM OF DECORATIVE
                 ARCHITECTURE:TANJO         peacock feathers and his head in
                 RE, Photo: W.M. Zumbro,    an iron cangue that prevents
                 Page 950                   him from lying down or leaning
                                            back. Page 959
CORRIDOR IN THE GREAT TEMPLE
AT RAMASWARAM: THE CORRIDOR IS
                                      In the Palace at Tanjore the
670 FEET LONG: THE PILLARS ARE        library is particularly rich in
MONOLITHS: THE TEMPLE HAS AN
ANNUAL INCOME OF $200,000, Photo:     Sanscrit manuscripts, some 8,000
W.M. Zumbro, Page 951
                                      of them are like are these wood-
KARUPASWAMY OR GOD
WORSHIPPED BY THE ROBBER              bound volumes, consisting of
CASTE, Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page 952
THE GREAT TOWER OVER THE              strips of talipot palm leaves
ENTRANCE TO THE HINDU TEMPLE          engraved with a sharp metal
AT SIRI RANGAM, Photo: W.M.
Zumbro, Page 961                      stylus. It is the unique Sanscrit
THE ROCK-CUT TEMPLES OF
MAHALIPURA,NEAR MADRAS, Photo:
                                      library of India, collected there in
W.M. Zumbro, Page 962                 the sixteenth century. Page 960
                                      The robbers never go out on a
                                      stealing expedition without first
                                      getting consent of their god.
                                      Page 960
MORNING BATH AND
TOILET OF THE PIOUS AT
SECUNDERAMALAI, NEAR
MADURA, Photo: W.M. Zumbro,
Page 966
CROWD OF HINDUS AT A
RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL AT
SECUNDERMALAI, NEAR
MADURA, Photo: W.M. Zumbro,
Page 967
ENTRANCE TO THE GREAT
TEMPLE OF MADURA, Photo:
W.M. Zumbro, Page968
The Indian       A HINDU FESTIVAL – Photo:              Thousands of Indians travel
Census of 1911   John J Banningra                       night in the bullock carts of the
July 1911        All people attending these festivals   country, the common mode of
633-638          on the night of the census were        travel between the thousands of
                 counted by special enumerators.        villages that have no railway
                 Page 635                               service. The heat of the day
                 A WANDERING                            makes the night the pleasantest
                 MENDICANT- Photo: John J               time for travelling, so provision
                 Banningra                              had to be made for these also;
                 Over 4000,000 holy men wander          and tollgate keepers, as well as
                 from temple to temple in India, and    the keepers of caravansaries,
                 special provision had to be made to    were appointed as enumerators
                 count them. Page 637                   to count the noses of all passing
                                                        through their gates or stopping
                                                        at their “pettahs,” or inns. Page
                                                        635
Religious           THE SCARED ROCK AND                   Four miles from Madura is the
Penances      and   TEMPLE OF                             rock of Tirupurankundram (Hill
Punishments Self-   TIRUPURANKUNDRAM Photo                of the Holy God Puran), sacred
Inflicted by the    : W M Zumbro                          to the god Subramaniam. Here,
Holy Men of India   Four miles from Madura is the rock    twice a year, thousands of
December 1913       of Tirupurankundram (Hill of the      worshipers from all over South
1257-1314           holy god Puran) sacred to the god     India gather for a religious
                    Subramanian. Here, twice a year,      festival.
                    thousands of worshipers from all              It is a gay throng that
                    over South India gather a religious   assembles rich in bright colors,
                    festival… On the top of the rock is   fascinating in its varied life and
                    a Mu hammedan mosque and at the       movement – the easy pose of the
                    foot is the temple of Subramanian.    village youth, the quaint charm
                    Page 1258                             of the Indian maiden, the
                                                          confused babel of voices. Here is
                                                          a little microcosm of the great
                                                          India. Page 1257
COMMUNING RELIGION AND                             These great religious assemblies would
BUSINESS – Photo : W M Zumbro                      never be complete without the religious
These festivals serve the triple purpose of a      asectic or Sadhu. Here one sees him in
camp meeting, a country fair and a market          full power crowned with glory and
for the Indian devotee combines business           honour. Page 1257
with religion in an interesting way. It is a gay   The sadhu sitting unmoved by sun or
throng that assembles, rich in bright colours      rain regarding not heat or cold, light or
fascinating in its varied life and movement…       darkness, the pangs of hunger nor the
Here is a little microcosm of great India.         ties of families bathing betimes, his
Page 1258                                          thoughts turn within his gaze centered
A YOUTHFUL PILGRIM- Photo : W M                    on the tip of his nose in meditation, is
Zumbro                                             the fitting emblem of the people as he
Sometimes at pilgrimages a little boy is seen      is their most cherished ideal. Page 1259
carrying a kavadi (a heavy decorated frame
of wood) in the fulfillment of a vow made
by his parents. Notice the different sect
merks worn by the bystanders on foreheads.
Page 1259
CARRYING THE KAVADI-
Photo : W M Zumbro
Carrying a Kavadi around the
scared rock is a favourite penance
in Southern India. The Kavadi a
wooden       frame       elaborately
decorated with flowers and feathers
is held above the head by one
hand. Note also another form of
penance the iron chain beneath the
chin supported by a pin driven
through the cheeks from side to
side. Page 1278
A PENANCE AT TIRUPURANKUNDRAM-
Photo : W M Zumbro
Among the pilgrims will be found many persons
who while not professional ascetics, are vowed to
some art of penance while visiting the sacred rock.
Sometimes it takes the form shown in the picture of
carrying a heavy load on the head while making the
circuit of the rock. Page 1280
Devotees parading through the streets bearing great
earthen pots filled with for at the Mariammal festival,
Palani. Photo: Rev. W. P Edward Page 1287
THE ROLLING PENANCE- Photo : W M
Zumbro
One of the most common forms of penance is that
of rolling the body on the ground, often for very
great distances. The man shown in the picture is
rolling around the sacred rock at Tirupurankundram.
Page 1291
The Marriage   THE              TEMPLE       When the gods got married
of the Gods    ELEPHANTS – Photo :           the people are merry indeed.
December       John J Banninga               Then hundreds and thousands
1913           On all great occasions in     throng to Madura from all the
1314-1330      India, whether religious or   villages of South India, for it
               social the elephant in his    may be expected that the gods
               gay trappings plays an        will be in good humor on such
               important part. Here we       an occasion and be willing to
               see the elephants of the      bestow the blessings so long
               great temple at Madura        withheld. Page 1314
               ready     to    lead    the
               procession at the marriage
               of the gods. Page 1315
THE NORTHERN                        The whole ceremony seems
GOPURAM AT MADURA–                  very impressive when judged
Photo : John J Banninga             by the seriousness of those
 These ornamental pyramids or       who perform it, but to the
gopurams; the gateway into the      Western onlooker it seems to
great temple at Madura, are         belong to the same age as the
covered with life-size stucco       map of the universe which is
figures representing all sorts of   painted on one of the walls….
gods, goddesses and heroes of       In this the earth is represented
Hindu mythology. Page 1323          in the centre of the seven seas
                                    that are supposed to surround
                                    it- seas of water, air, butter,
                                    ghee, honey etc. Page 1315
DETAIL OF A GOPURAM                Then there is a great shout from
AT MADURA – Photo: Bouror          the people, and they drag it along,
and Shajol                         sometimes only for a few feet, and
This     picture   shows     the   then again for a couple hundred
bewildering entanglement of        yards. There is no steering gear, so
symbolism found on these           wooden wedges are used to put
gopurams where many of the         under the wheels. By slipping down
gods of the Hindu pantheon find    the greasy surface of these wedges
a place. These curious gateways    the car is swung around corners on
are found only in the south of     a large circle. Page 1327
India and are characteristic of    Many of the poor outcaste people,
Dravidian architecture which       who are not allowed in the inner
takes its name from the            precincts of the temple, make use
Dravidians, who belong to the      of this occasion to see and worship
oldest known race inhabiting       the gods. Judging from their
India. Page 1325                   believing that they see the god
                                   himself, and that they worship the
                                   image as such. Page 1327
ALMS FOR THE ASCETIC –
Photo: John J Banninga
This is a characteristic picture of
Hindu life. The ascetic stands
impassive; his begging-bowl in his
hands, neither asking for nor
refusing the alms of             the
faithful, while the school-boy
requires merit by contributing to
the support of the holy man. This
ascetic can be recognized as a
devotee of Vishnu by the beads of
basil wood he wears. Note the
sandals. Page 1328
THE MAHAMADKHAM FESTIVAL AT
KUMBAKONAM – Photo: Dr W.E. Gruld
Bathing is intimately connected with the religious life of
the Hindus, every temple has its tank for ceremonial
bathing, ablutions, and lustrations. The sacred waters of
the River Ganges, especially at Benares are popularly
supposed to remove the guilt of sin, and therefore
attract pilgrims from all over India. The water in the
great tank at Kumbakonam, in the Tanjore district of
Madura, is popularly supposed to come from the river
Ganges, by a subterranean passage from miles long,
once every 12 years. The picture shows the great tank
filled with pilgrims waiting for the auspicious moment
to bathe. Page 1312
The Cobra,       Not in fear but in faith, a           The cobra is not the vicious killer
India’s Good     woman of Madras makes an              imagined by the uniformed. The gentle,
Snake            offering of rice and coconut to a     handsome Tamil people among whom
September 1970   large and deadly cobra which had      we live had named it well: Nulla Pambu-
393-409          been released on a termite            the “Good Snake”
                 mound. Indian devotion to the               When I first heard the name, I
                 snake as a symbol of fertility        admit it struck me as odd. From earliest
                 found earlier expression in a         times the snake has been widely reviled:
                 serpent deity hooded by seven         “thou art cursed above all cattle, and
                 cobras. About ten feet tall, it was   above every beast of the field; upon thy
                 carved in rock at Mahabalipuram       belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou
                 13 centuries ago. Photo: Harry        eat,” thunders God to the serpent in
                 Miller, Page 393                      Eden (Genesis 3:14). Among the
                                                       Hindus, however, this Biblical curse
                                                       would seem heretical. For them the
                                                       cobra has deep religious significance,
                                                       primarily as a symbol of fertility. Page
                                                       394
Analyses of Travel Discourse and Captions on
Tamil Nadu in National Geographic
   Travel writing is an activity which makes one to go
beyond his own native area by that way, he/she contribute
to the study of culture of presenting ones past of the
world to public in written language.
   When we analyse all the seven (7) articles on Tamil
Nadu published during the period 1900-2000, we can see
the that Said‟s study is very relevant. Tamil Nadu advanced
in all the areas of education, science, technology and
transport. But National Geographic likes to portray only
one side of the culture that will create enthusiasm among
the western audience.
Thank
You

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Pondi nat

  • 1. TRAVEL JOURNALISM IN THE CONTEXT OF PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY AND CULTURE: A PORTRAYAL OF TAMILNADU IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE (1900 –2000) JOJAN JOB, M.A.(MC&J)., M.Phil., M.A(Phil), M.Phil Department of Journalism, SFS, Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai – 59. PH:9382888921
  • 2. When Ross Pesman reviewed The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing, in Australian Book Review, the reviewer wrote,  “Everything travels and travel is a metaphor for everything, travel and travel writing have become the subject of intense scholarly interest and debate. Travel, once largely the domain of geog-raphers, and travel writing, previously relegated to the status of a sub-literary genre, now engage attention from literary studies, history, anthropology, ethnography and, most fruit-fully, from gender and post-colonial studies”( May 2003:13)
  • 3. The Aim and Purpose of the Study The aim of the study is to examine the articles on Tamil Nadu published in National Geographic in the context of philosophy, history and culture. All the articles were written in the period of 1900-2000. The researcher will see whether these articles reflect the Tamil Nadu according to the period of writing in various levels. The researcher will also try to find out how the western media like National Geographic magazine portray Tamil Nadu through the articles. Even though the world changes many times western journalism likes to see India as mystic land. The researcher would like to study the purpose of the magazine in the context of Orientalism, postmodernism and cultural studies also.
  • 4. Travel Discourse in National Geographic Travel writing is a multifaceted process. It is representing a culture, which reflects on the mind of the narrator as well as his attitude on the object he narrates. The attitude is molded by the culture he was brought up and the culture he has interacted with all these mirrors on his writings. So from the academic point of view it is a discourse to be analyzed because here the big question arises - Who writes for whom and what perspective he writes?. In a travel writing the beautiful interplay of self, place and other is portrayed.
  • 5. National Geographic- A brief history The National Geographic Society (formed in January,13,1888), headquarters in Washington.D.C in the U.S, claims themselves as one of “the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world.” The National Geographic magazine is currently published in 32 language editions in many countries around the world with more than fifty million readers’ monthly.
  • 6. Linda Steet (2000: 19)writes: “Nowhere in the world is there another magazine exactly like the National Geographic…. Its purpose is and always has been to promote science and education, and it educates in the most effective way by portraying this thrilling world and its life in clear, vivid, comprehensible manner, stripped of dull, technical verbiage, and mirrored in many striking pictures.
  • 7. Gilbert H. Grosvenor, who gave shape to the policies of National Geographic gave guiding principles for the magazine in 1914. Linda Steet (2000:17-18) in her work Veils and Daggers summarizes the same: •“The first principle is absolute accuracy. Nothing must be printed which is not strictly according to fact. The Magazine can point to many years in which not a single article has appeared which was not absolutely accurate. •Abundance of beautiful, instructive, and artistic illustrations. •Everything printed in The Magazine will be as valuable and permanent value, and so be planned that each Magazine will be as valuable and pertinent one year or five or ten years after publication as it is on the day of publication. The result of this principle is that tens of thousands of back numbers of The Magazine are continually used in school rooms. •All personalities and notes of trivial character are avoided. •Nothing of a partisan or controversial character is printed. •Only what is of a kindly nature is printed about any country or people, everything unpleasant or unduly critical being avoided. The content of each number is planned with a view of being timely. Whenever any part of the world becomes prominent in public interest, by reason of war, earthquake, volcanic eruption, etc., the members of the National Geographic Society have come to know that in the next issue of their information about that region, presented in an interesting and absolutely non-partisan manner, and accompanied by photographs which in number and excellence can be equaled by no other publication”.
  • 8. Presenting the Orient in National Geographic as Other So the society and the culture of another part of the Globe is systematically covered and presents in front of the literate cosmopolitans, urban world of the developed nations as a new dish from the oriental world. National Geographic do this for the past hundred years. No doubt, they educate the people. No doubt, they unveiled the visuals of the east to the popular mindset of the American and European community. But only with the hidden agenda of the portrayal of the Asia and Africa as the mystery. Only with the view that, as Kipling opined, east do not know how to represent them.
  • 9. Discourse Analyses To analyze the articles in National Geographic, used the discourse analyses –Waitt (2006, 64-65) discusses various aspects of discourse analysis. “(i) to explore the outcomes of the discourse in terms of actions, perceptions, or attitudes rather than simply the analysis of statements/ texts; (ii) to identify the regulatory frameworks within which groups of statements are produced, circulated and communicated within which people construct their utterances and thoughts; and (iii) to uncover the support or internal mechanisms that maintain certain structures and rules over statements about people, animals, plants, events, and places in existence as unchallengeable, „normal‟, or „common-sense‟ rather than to discover the „truth‟ or the „origin‟ of a statement”. Waitt (2006, 64-65)
  • 10. Orientalism It was Edward Said (1995:12) who studies seriously on the one idea which he described in his work Orientalism. “Orientalism is the discipline by which the Orient was (and is) approached systematically, as a topic of learning, discovery, and practice. But in addition I have been using the word to designate that collection of dreams, images and vocabularies available to anyone who has tried to talk about what lies east of the dividing line. These two aspects of Orientalism are not incongruent, since by use of them both Europe could advance securely and unmetaphorically upon the Orient.”
  • 11. Aspects of Caption Catherine A. Lutz and Jane L. Collins (1993:76) study in detail about the captioning in National Geographic Magazine seriously. They write “At National Geographic, captioning pictures is separate from both writing and photography, and equally important. Because marketing studies show that 53 percent of subscribers read only picture captions, not the text, editors see captions as a crucial opportunity to give these casual readers a fix on the article-to expose them to its major themes and give them some information to carry away with them. Thus it has established a separate department charged with legend writing, which employed then writers in 1989. Each writer is assigned one article each month to research and caption.”
  • 12. Articles and captions Published on Tamil Nadu during the Period of 1900 – 2000 Title, Date, Pages Selected Captions of Photographs Selected Quotes from the Articles The Madura PORCH OF A THOUSAND Temples PILLARS, MADURA - Photo: J.S March 1908 Chandler, Page 220 218-222 GOLDEN LILLY TANK, MADURA – Photo: J.S Chandler, Page 221 A Hindu Religious During this ceremony the gods are Festival anointed with perfumed oils from the June 1909 lemon, saffron, banana, coconut, 582-583 sugar, raisins; then milk is poured over, and the devotees eagerly secure the sacred draught enlighten the forehead and eyes, and then drink what remains in their palms, after which incense and camphor gum are burned. These vast throngs show slight regard for caste, and the rule of seclusion for women is apparently forgotten. Page 582
  • 13. The Temples of A WONDROUSLY RICH The Temple (Shrine) at India TEMPLE OF SOUTH Chidambaram and great gopura November 1909 INDIA, CHIDAMBARAM, in background. The gopuras, or 922-971 Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page pagodas, at Chidambaram are 946 A HINDU ASCETIC OR the oldest in southern India and HOLY MAN, Photo: W.M. marvels of sculptured Zumbro, Page 947 ornament. The temple is A UNIQUE SNSCRIT enormously rich and contains an LIBRARY: TANJORE, unequaled treasury of jewels Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page and silver cars. Page 959 949 Holy man with an armful of A GEM OF DECORATIVE ARCHITECTURE:TANJO peacock feathers and his head in RE, Photo: W.M. Zumbro, an iron cangue that prevents Page 950 him from lying down or leaning back. Page 959
  • 14. CORRIDOR IN THE GREAT TEMPLE AT RAMASWARAM: THE CORRIDOR IS In the Palace at Tanjore the 670 FEET LONG: THE PILLARS ARE library is particularly rich in MONOLITHS: THE TEMPLE HAS AN ANNUAL INCOME OF $200,000, Photo: Sanscrit manuscripts, some 8,000 W.M. Zumbro, Page 951 of them are like are these wood- KARUPASWAMY OR GOD WORSHIPPED BY THE ROBBER bound volumes, consisting of CASTE, Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page 952 THE GREAT TOWER OVER THE strips of talipot palm leaves ENTRANCE TO THE HINDU TEMPLE engraved with a sharp metal AT SIRI RANGAM, Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page 961 stylus. It is the unique Sanscrit THE ROCK-CUT TEMPLES OF MAHALIPURA,NEAR MADRAS, Photo: library of India, collected there in W.M. Zumbro, Page 962 the sixteenth century. Page 960 The robbers never go out on a stealing expedition without first getting consent of their god. Page 960
  • 15. MORNING BATH AND TOILET OF THE PIOUS AT SECUNDERAMALAI, NEAR MADURA, Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page 966 CROWD OF HINDUS AT A RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL AT SECUNDERMALAI, NEAR MADURA, Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page 967 ENTRANCE TO THE GREAT TEMPLE OF MADURA, Photo: W.M. Zumbro, Page968
  • 16. The Indian A HINDU FESTIVAL – Photo: Thousands of Indians travel Census of 1911 John J Banningra night in the bullock carts of the July 1911 All people attending these festivals country, the common mode of 633-638 on the night of the census were travel between the thousands of counted by special enumerators. villages that have no railway Page 635 service. The heat of the day A WANDERING makes the night the pleasantest MENDICANT- Photo: John J time for travelling, so provision Banningra had to be made for these also; Over 4000,000 holy men wander and tollgate keepers, as well as from temple to temple in India, and the keepers of caravansaries, special provision had to be made to were appointed as enumerators count them. Page 637 to count the noses of all passing through their gates or stopping at their “pettahs,” or inns. Page 635
  • 17. Religious THE SCARED ROCK AND Four miles from Madura is the Penances and TEMPLE OF rock of Tirupurankundram (Hill Punishments Self- TIRUPURANKUNDRAM Photo of the Holy God Puran), sacred Inflicted by the : W M Zumbro to the god Subramaniam. Here, Holy Men of India Four miles from Madura is the rock twice a year, thousands of December 1913 of Tirupurankundram (Hill of the worshipers from all over South 1257-1314 holy god Puran) sacred to the god India gather for a religious Subramanian. Here, twice a year, festival. thousands of worshipers from all It is a gay throng that over South India gather a religious assembles rich in bright colors, festival… On the top of the rock is fascinating in its varied life and a Mu hammedan mosque and at the movement – the easy pose of the foot is the temple of Subramanian. village youth, the quaint charm Page 1258 of the Indian maiden, the confused babel of voices. Here is a little microcosm of the great India. Page 1257
  • 18. COMMUNING RELIGION AND These great religious assemblies would BUSINESS – Photo : W M Zumbro never be complete without the religious These festivals serve the triple purpose of a asectic or Sadhu. Here one sees him in camp meeting, a country fair and a market full power crowned with glory and for the Indian devotee combines business honour. Page 1257 with religion in an interesting way. It is a gay The sadhu sitting unmoved by sun or throng that assembles, rich in bright colours rain regarding not heat or cold, light or fascinating in its varied life and movement… darkness, the pangs of hunger nor the Here is a little microcosm of great India. ties of families bathing betimes, his Page 1258 thoughts turn within his gaze centered A YOUTHFUL PILGRIM- Photo : W M on the tip of his nose in meditation, is Zumbro the fitting emblem of the people as he Sometimes at pilgrimages a little boy is seen is their most cherished ideal. Page 1259 carrying a kavadi (a heavy decorated frame of wood) in the fulfillment of a vow made by his parents. Notice the different sect merks worn by the bystanders on foreheads. Page 1259
  • 19. CARRYING THE KAVADI- Photo : W M Zumbro Carrying a Kavadi around the scared rock is a favourite penance in Southern India. The Kavadi a wooden frame elaborately decorated with flowers and feathers is held above the head by one hand. Note also another form of penance the iron chain beneath the chin supported by a pin driven through the cheeks from side to side. Page 1278
  • 20. A PENANCE AT TIRUPURANKUNDRAM- Photo : W M Zumbro Among the pilgrims will be found many persons who while not professional ascetics, are vowed to some art of penance while visiting the sacred rock. Sometimes it takes the form shown in the picture of carrying a heavy load on the head while making the circuit of the rock. Page 1280 Devotees parading through the streets bearing great earthen pots filled with for at the Mariammal festival, Palani. Photo: Rev. W. P Edward Page 1287 THE ROLLING PENANCE- Photo : W M Zumbro One of the most common forms of penance is that of rolling the body on the ground, often for very great distances. The man shown in the picture is rolling around the sacred rock at Tirupurankundram. Page 1291
  • 21. The Marriage THE TEMPLE When the gods got married of the Gods ELEPHANTS – Photo : the people are merry indeed. December John J Banninga Then hundreds and thousands 1913 On all great occasions in throng to Madura from all the 1314-1330 India, whether religious or villages of South India, for it social the elephant in his may be expected that the gods gay trappings plays an will be in good humor on such important part. Here we an occasion and be willing to see the elephants of the bestow the blessings so long great temple at Madura withheld. Page 1314 ready to lead the procession at the marriage of the gods. Page 1315
  • 22. THE NORTHERN The whole ceremony seems GOPURAM AT MADURA– very impressive when judged Photo : John J Banninga by the seriousness of those These ornamental pyramids or who perform it, but to the gopurams; the gateway into the Western onlooker it seems to great temple at Madura, are belong to the same age as the covered with life-size stucco map of the universe which is figures representing all sorts of painted on one of the walls…. gods, goddesses and heroes of In this the earth is represented Hindu mythology. Page 1323 in the centre of the seven seas that are supposed to surround it- seas of water, air, butter, ghee, honey etc. Page 1315
  • 23. DETAIL OF A GOPURAM Then there is a great shout from AT MADURA – Photo: Bouror the people, and they drag it along, and Shajol sometimes only for a few feet, and This picture shows the then again for a couple hundred bewildering entanglement of yards. There is no steering gear, so symbolism found on these wooden wedges are used to put gopurams where many of the under the wheels. By slipping down gods of the Hindu pantheon find the greasy surface of these wedges a place. These curious gateways the car is swung around corners on are found only in the south of a large circle. Page 1327 India and are characteristic of Many of the poor outcaste people, Dravidian architecture which who are not allowed in the inner takes its name from the precincts of the temple, make use Dravidians, who belong to the of this occasion to see and worship oldest known race inhabiting the gods. Judging from their India. Page 1325 believing that they see the god himself, and that they worship the image as such. Page 1327
  • 24. ALMS FOR THE ASCETIC – Photo: John J Banninga This is a characteristic picture of Hindu life. The ascetic stands impassive; his begging-bowl in his hands, neither asking for nor refusing the alms of the faithful, while the school-boy requires merit by contributing to the support of the holy man. This ascetic can be recognized as a devotee of Vishnu by the beads of basil wood he wears. Note the sandals. Page 1328
  • 25. THE MAHAMADKHAM FESTIVAL AT KUMBAKONAM – Photo: Dr W.E. Gruld Bathing is intimately connected with the religious life of the Hindus, every temple has its tank for ceremonial bathing, ablutions, and lustrations. The sacred waters of the River Ganges, especially at Benares are popularly supposed to remove the guilt of sin, and therefore attract pilgrims from all over India. The water in the great tank at Kumbakonam, in the Tanjore district of Madura, is popularly supposed to come from the river Ganges, by a subterranean passage from miles long, once every 12 years. The picture shows the great tank filled with pilgrims waiting for the auspicious moment to bathe. Page 1312
  • 26. The Cobra, Not in fear but in faith, a The cobra is not the vicious killer India’s Good woman of Madras makes an imagined by the uniformed. The gentle, Snake offering of rice and coconut to a handsome Tamil people among whom September 1970 large and deadly cobra which had we live had named it well: Nulla Pambu- 393-409 been released on a termite the “Good Snake” mound. Indian devotion to the When I first heard the name, I snake as a symbol of fertility admit it struck me as odd. From earliest found earlier expression in a times the snake has been widely reviled: serpent deity hooded by seven “thou art cursed above all cattle, and cobras. About ten feet tall, it was above every beast of the field; upon thy carved in rock at Mahabalipuram belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou 13 centuries ago. Photo: Harry eat,” thunders God to the serpent in Miller, Page 393 Eden (Genesis 3:14). Among the Hindus, however, this Biblical curse would seem heretical. For them the cobra has deep religious significance, primarily as a symbol of fertility. Page 394
  • 27. Analyses of Travel Discourse and Captions on Tamil Nadu in National Geographic Travel writing is an activity which makes one to go beyond his own native area by that way, he/she contribute to the study of culture of presenting ones past of the world to public in written language. When we analyse all the seven (7) articles on Tamil Nadu published during the period 1900-2000, we can see the that Said‟s study is very relevant. Tamil Nadu advanced in all the areas of education, science, technology and transport. But National Geographic likes to portray only one side of the culture that will create enthusiasm among the western audience.