Candy-Coloured Temples and Churches: A Morning in Pondicherry, India

Inside the colourful entry of Vedapureeswarar Temple, Pondicherry South India.

Candy-Coloured Entry
Like other Hindu temples built in the Dravidian architectural style typical of Southern India, Vedapureeswarar Temple in Pondicherry is a riot of pastel-coloured Gods and decorations.

India is wildly colourful.

This is true everywhere, but the Dravidian people of South India take it to new whole new levels.

The ethnolinguistic family of people known as the Dravidians are considered native to the Indian subcontinent, although their pre-Neolithic roots are probably in Western Asia, around the Iranian plateau. The language family is at least 4,500 years old – one of the oldest in the world – and split into the variants spoken today across Southern India and Sri Lanka around the 3rd millennium BCE.

The ancient Dravidian religion was animistic and it is believed to have influenced the Hindu scriptures and practices – especially with respect to the concept of divine kingship, the cult of the mother goddess, and the worship of village deities and sacred flora and fauna.

What was most noticeable to me as an outsider, however, was the unique expression of art, architecture, and dance.

In Pondicherry – now more properly known as Puducherry – these rich Dravidian traditions have been influenced by years of colonial rule – first by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the Danes, and more significantly and more recently by the French. This shows up in the architecture of the old city, with French Colonial and Franco-Tamil buildings still standing in White Town, the old French Quarter, and the Tamil Quarter on the other side of the now-empty canal.

But, the influence goes both directions. While the French left behind a strong Catholic minority in Pondicherry and the rest of the south, the construction and decor in the local cathedrals and churches have clearly been influenced by the Dravidian style and colour palate.

I was travelling in Southern India with a small group; we had spent the first part of the morning at Goubert Market before moving on to some of the local architectural treasures: particularly the five-hundred-year-old Vedapureeswarer Temple, rebuilt in 1788 to replace an older one that was destroyed by French troops in 1748. In contrast, the nearby Catholic church, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is just over 100 years old, having been opened in 1907.

They are equally colourful!

Join us for a tour:

Non-Indian visitors outside Vedapureeswarar Temple, Pondicherry India

Vedapureeswarar Temple
Our group waits in the street outside Vedapureeswarar Temple. The seven-tiered raja gopuram, the gateway tower, rises to a height of 23 meters (75 ft) and is decorated with a pantheon of Gods and topped by seven golden kalasham, which represent the sun meeting the temple.

Gods in domes on the roof of Vedapureeswarar Temple, Pondicherry India.

Gods on the Roof
Vedapureeswarar Temple is dedicated to Shiva; he and other Gods are depicted everywhere around the temple, including inside the entry.

Brass Gods
While the main temple is open to the public, parts of it are closed off; …

Behind the Gate
… small gated alcoves around the outside of the inner courtyard are full of little Gods that have been carefully draped in silks.

Gold Plaques
People give generously to their temples; each of these offerings probably represents someone’s hopes and prayers.

Locked Gate

Gods behind the Gate
Some of the icons are quite large – and clearly old and precious.

Gods in Yellow

Inside the Temple
The second story of the temple is open to the air outside – but it is hot, still, and fairly dark inside.

Shiva as Vedapureeswarar
Images of Shiva are everywhere we look.

Candy Colours
The details are amazing, and all tell stories that I can’t interpret. The brassy pole to the right of this image is the base of the dhvajastambha, a flagstaff which is a common feature in South Indian Hindu temples. It is one of the items that symbolically protect the temple sanctuary from the impure and undevoted.

Temple Courtyard
The whole complex is enclosed by a granite wall.

Flowers for Sale
Outside the temple walls, flowers, candles, and other offerings are available for devotees to buy.

Flower Seller
Even though I have finished my temple visit, and clearly won’t be buying any offerings, the flower seller happily poses for me and my camera.

Rest Break
The city is full of life and colour.

Bicycles
Many of the streets – and the objects in them – wear a patina of age.

House Kolam
The front steps of houses are decorated every morning with fresh designs made from chalk dust or rice flour. A kolam (கோலம்) is a geometric line drawing in a pattern of straight lines, curves, and loops that is thought to bring prosperity to the home.

South Boulevard
Our next stop is a short distance away, where we alight our bus to visit one of Pondicherry’s most famous landmarks.

Jesus Calls

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Built between 1902 and 1908 in neo-Gothic style, the outside of the church is imposing, …

Inside the Basilica
… but the inside, with its South Indian colours …

Basilica Dome
… and its stained glass story panels is just jaw-dropping.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The church was given Basilica status in 2011. At 50 meters (164 feet) long, 48 m wide and 18 m high, it holds 2000 people, and is thought to be the largest in Pondicherry.