A Book Must Read: SHIVA in the City of Nectar by P. R. Kannan

The book, I needed for expanding my knowledge about the City of Nectar. Thanks to Preetha Rajah Kannan, the author of SHIVA in the City of Nectar and Jaico Books for  publishing such a gem of knowledge. This is a glorious anthology of 54 unknown short stories about Madurai (the City of Nectar), and the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple.

To be honest, the first time when I visited Madurai in 2010 was not knowing about it much. When I was standing in the heart of Meenakshi Amman Temple and saw the astonishing and outstanding creation of Indian Cultural Monument. I had many questions arise. e.g.

1. How such monument like Meenakshi Amman Temple can be built by men in the past?

2. Is this a really man-made creation?

3. Who is Devi Meenakshi? Why has she three breasts?

4. Why Vaigai river called as the Ganges of Southern India?

5. When I asked these questions to the guide, he said you must read Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam written in Tamil. But being a Bong reading book in the Tamil Language was not an easy task. So, the questions remained unanswered.

But, I was knowing inside this temple all those answers are hidden. Maybe, a part of my self-existence. Here perhaps Shiva gave me an opportunity to know the unknown facts about Madurai and reading this gem creation, SHIVA in the City of Nectar by P. R. Kannan. If you want to know the history and myth of the city Madurai, situated in Tamil Nadu, India, you must read Kannan’s book.

Cover page: SHIVA THE CITY OF NECTAR by P.R. Kannan © Jaico Books

I am not going to comment on how simple understanding language it’s being written. We have countless Indian mythology books written or translated in English but I found many writers derived from the main taste of the story, burn their fingers in filling up jargons. I found the materials in this book are very lively and visual. I think Kannan did her job done well. The importance of this book is undeniable and a good height of Indian English Literature as well.