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'This page has been approved by the United Grand Lodge of England’
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A Secret Society No More Article found in Chennai online The Freemasons - A Secret Society No More Freemasons... the very word evokes in us a vague feeling of unease. A secret society, a cabal, with nameless and eerie rituals - this seems to be the
The masons' guilds were originally restricted to stone cutters but with the completion of the cathedrals in Europe in the 17th century and especially in England during the Reformation, men of wealth and status were admitted. The masons considered themselves intellectually superior to other craftsmen because they were skilled in measurement, design and geometrical drawing. Originally a masons' lodge was simply a shelter, a tool store, a place of learning and accommodation. Eventually the word lodge extended its meaning from a particular building to those who used it and to the rules by which they were bound. There was a strict code of secrecy to guard the skills of the master mason and his pupils. Soon secret greetings and handshakes existed to protect the lodges. By the 18th century the fraternities of freemasons were no longer required to be operative masons. Men joined for the brotherhood and to emulate the ideals of truth and charity. Some of the famous freemasons of the 18th century were Voltaire and Mozart. Mozart's Magic Flute is filled with symbols of Freemasonry and it preaches the Masonic ideals of truthfulness, endurance and nobility of soul. The first Grand Lodge was founded in London in 1717 and within six years became the grand lodge of England. This body is the "mother" grand lodge of freemasons all over the world. From it, all recognised grand lodges have been derived. Freemasons Hall was opened in 1776. Freemasonry quickly spread abroad to places which had direct trade links with England. Freemasonry first arrived in India during the time of the East India Company. Most lodges of those days were military lodges which moved with their regiments. The first lodge on the Coromandel Coast was established in Madras in 1752. In 1786 the Carnatic Military Lodge was established at Arcot. Lodges with names like Perfect Harmony, Perfect Unanimity and Social Friendship were also established around this time.
Freemasonry in India has not been without its ups and downs-lodges now adhere to either an English or an Indian constitution and the lodges of the latter are often at loggerheads with the Grand Lodge of England. The basic ideals of freemasonry, however, are very much alive, and followed with sincerity and devoutness. Freemasonry is essentially an educational society, attempting to teach its members a moral philosophy of life. D. Lalitha Rao Note: Since this article was written the Freemason's Hall, Egmore, Chennai has undergone extensive renovation. |
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general opinion. The fact is, that there is very little about the freemasons right now that is hidden or secret. Apart from a number of websites there is a mountain of literature available on the aims and objectives of freemasonry as it is practised. Freemasonry is the largest fraternal order in the world today. In most English-speaking countries the charitable and protective nature of the fraternity is responsible for the establishment of Masonic homes for aged masons and their widows, orphanages and schools for their children.
At first as was the norm, all attempts were made to keep out the Indians from the lodges but in 1840 it was accepted that "provided a man believes in the existence of the Great Architect of the universe...such a person is fully competent to be received as a Brother. "But the more tolerant south Indians were being initiated without fuss, the first being Brother Ranganatha Sastry and Brother Murugesha Mudaliar in 1857. When the 20th century began, the District Grand Lodge of Madras shifted to Mount Road from Vepery and then to a rented premises in Egmore. Finally to the buildings on Commander-in-chief road just after the First World War, where it has been ever since. Freemasons Lodge is now beginning to show signs of age, but it is nevertheless an impressive building with sweeping staircases and high roofs. Inside the main hall hang aged
portraits of past masters of the lodge. Upstairs are the rooms where much of the ritual of the freemasons is carried out and where the symbolic chisel, hammer, setsquare and compasses are kept. One of the most impressive buildings in the city today, the DG police's headquarters on the Marina was once a Masonic Lodge.