Gravitating towards Saturn
M R Venkatesh from Chennai Inductivity theorists who swear by the generalisation that ‘all crows are black’ now have a counter-example to ponder over. There is at least one ‘golden crow’. That bird as the vehicle of Lord Saneeshwara (the Hindu planetary God symbolising Saturn), graciously silhouettes the deity’s feet, in the famous shrine at Tirunallar at the tail-end of the Cauvery river in Karaikal bordering composite Thanjavur district. One of India’s rare shrines for Saturn, who is pivotal for believers in astrology and that nine orbiting planets influence human destiny, is housed inside the 7th century ‘Darbaraneshwarar Temple’ dedicated to Lord Shiva. The crow at Tirunallar is gold-plated, sceptics and rationalists may counter. But it is weaved in with a profound mythology and would not have seen the light of day, had the legendary King Nala remained a lowly cook in the Palace of the King of Ayodhya after the former lost his kingdom. Thanks to sage Narada’s advice, the c...