High Cost of Progress- Not a flowering endorsement

The Hindu : Cities / Madurai : Whatever happened to all those nandavanams...: "Floral offerings to the deity are an integral part of rituals followed in temples. It has been a time-honoured practice to pluck fresh blossoms of different colours and weave them into garlands that would eventually adorn the deities. And as the legend goes, Kodai — also known as Aandal — wove garlands for Lord Vishnu every day with the flowers collected from the ‘nandavanam,’ the temple garden.

What has happened to the ‘nandavanams’ over the years? With the expansion of the city, less rainfall and changing sensibilities of contemporary society, the once blooming acres have faded out of sight. Most ‘nandavanams’ in and around Madurai have either shrunk in size or simply disappeared. Unavailability of funds and manpower, and shortage of water are often cited as reasons for the disintegration of an age-old institution."

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