The Idol Makers | Five hours drive from the bustling noisy city of Chennai (formerly Madras), Swamimalai is a sleepy temple town deep in Tamil Nadu. It has a rhythm of a time that has been - bullock pull carts along dirt tracks, peasants winnow grain under the wheels of passing trucks and women bend low in fields. This is the heartland of Tamil Dravidian culture; the landscape linked organically to its religion with every field, every village, paying homage to a deity. A sacred geography links its towns where great palaces of temples provide, in the eyes of the faithful, a real home for the Gods. The Spathy family have been idol makers since the time of Rajaraja Chola...
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