FilmIndia (May-Dec 1938)

FILMINDIA November This Elephant in stone is nearly 15 centuries old. Lunch was the next item on the programme. We got to the point where the lighthouse stands. The few residential bungalows nearby indicated that the maintenance of the lighthouse meant a job which called for several men. The Superintendent took us up the tower. "You have seen the 'raths', the bas relief and the cave-temples, now do not miss the Shore Temple" was the kindly advice we got from him. On our way we passed several sculptures, idols and some more cave temples. 'The Butter Ball of Krishna' our guide remarked and we screamed with laughter on seeing a huge boulder almost round standing on the slope of a hillock. 'Nothing has moved it for centuries' continued our guide. It was really a surprise that this solitary boulder did not roll down. Another fifty feet of Super X negative registered some impressions of the Butter Ball. A few photographs, and we hurried towards the hamlet of Mahabalipuram en route for the Shore Temple. An ancient temple, a huge tower in front of it, massive walls that were meant to be the entrance to the temple, but perhaps never completed as the 'gopuram' 72 (tapered tower/ was missing, and a few houses surrounding the shrine, that is all there is to-day of Mahabalipuram. The hamlet was impressive in its meagreness. A sign-post of much later origin than the ruined temple read: 'To the Shore Temple'. We passed by a lovely tank with stone steps. A few kids were making the best use of their time in that ever popular pastime, swimming. We continued in the direction of the road to the shore. The monotonous moaning of the sea indicated that we were near our destination. The late lunch, walking with equipment since the morning, and filming all the time, we were pretty tired as we approached the shore. We noticed the pyramidical tower of a solitary temple. Time was precious as it was evening. So we set to work at once. An 'extreme long shot' with the wide angle lens, a quick change to the two-inch and we had scenes of the shrine with the sea in the background. We carried the cameras to the temple yard and in less than half an hour a hundred foot spool of film was exposed. A few minutes was lost in charging a new magazine. Some more 'shots' of the tower and other details on the walls surrounding the yard and a huge cloud intercepted the late afternoon sunlight. I switched to 'off' my camera-motor and rema "Let's call it a day". But m5 sistants wondered if we could get some scenes of the intei We entered the shrine. It wa: dark for photography. A ma charge conducted us to the ] cipal part of the shrine. He b some camphor and the light vealed an idol eleven feet Ion Vishnu recumbent, the palm o hand raised as if to say ' 'This lord commands that waves shall not proceed any ther than his shrine' explained caretaker. I do not know if interpretation of the idol has authenticity even in tradition the fact remains that the i walls of the Shore Temple 1 sent back the dashing waves twelve centuries. As we emerged from insidi setting sun was peering thrc the clouds. The Shore Temple ' the deep blue sea in the b: ground looked very solitary impressive. The grey rock v soon merged into the grey s behind, we could barely see outline of tower but we still hi the waves dashing on the wal **Months later I received a rej from Universal Pictures Inc., I the films were held for 'Gi Places.." The next time I g< Seven Pagodas I hope it will for documentary on Pallava ar tecture. A Stone Rathas