Chennai’s Theosophical Society is a treasure every nature lover will want to possess

9 years ago

Image courtesy: ts-adyar.org

Chennai is a difficult city to live in. If the hot weather and humidity, right through most parts of the year, do not get to you then the insane bumper-to-bumper traffic on the road will!

In the midst of all this urban chaos, lies over 250 acres of garden space. The Theosophical Society (S) lies on the banks of the Adyar River. It was established by Sir Henry.S.Olcott and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in 1875.

A walk through the Society feels like a touch of heaven. There is an insistence on silence, cell phones must be switched off and piety and solemnness are maintained.

The Society is more a botanical garden with trees, different species of birds, plenty of animals, and reptiles. And interestingly, it’s also rich in history with names like Annie Besant, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Rukmini Arundale (and the list goes on) associated with the place.

Theosophy is about universal brotherhood, about esoteric knowledge. It respects all religions, as the campus with a Catholic church, Zoroastrian temple, Parsi temple, Gurudwara, mosque, and a Hindu temple will show you.

The Society abounds in trees, plants and birds. It is a naturalist’s delight to walk through the quiet concrete pathway of the campus.

You don’t have to necessarily know the different species of trees, you’ll take delight anyway. There is an elephant shaped leaf of Caladium, with as much of a distinct personality as a baobab tree whose trunk is stout as an obese man, with little leaves at the top.

The large Mahogany tree there, is home to the flying fox which is a large bat with a large wingspan, hanging upside down for a grisly sight. This is just for starters by the way.

The world of birds at the society is simply enthralling. You may not know your Babbler from Myna, Crow from Drongo, but you will watch the antics of the Cormorant with delight. It is a small bird which dips into the river and comes after a minute with a catch of a fish.

The Pelican, which is a migratory bird from the Americas or egrets with its white plumage, flying with its neck retracted across the horizon, are all delightful to watch.

Then the sight of flowers is certain to cheer you up as they change with the seasons. The Burmese pink cassia with five-petalled flowers, in rich hues of green, the burgundy Ixoras in a cluster that attract butterflies and humming birds, and the Gulmohar in flaming red, forming a canopy overhead as you walk, are a lovely sight.

Theosophical society is also home to the famed Banyan tree which is over 450 years old and its sprawling branches cover nearly 60,000 sq feet.

Theosophical Society is surrounded by Eliot’s beach on one side, and the Adyar river on the other and the Sylvan moorings provide the lung space to an over-crowded city.

Not many sing the paeans of the Theosophical Society for it is a private property, but those who walk in its premises would swear by its tranquility and marvel at their good fortune for the opportunity.