Chidambaram Rahasyam

Pondy - Chidambaram ..Jan end 2015 

This blog will be different..with emphasis on the Chidambaram temple and the journey to Pondicherry...with pics. Why? Because there is so much to write about this temple..and even then maybe I will not do justice.

The trip

It was our anniversary and after celebrating it on 27th Jan with family, we were to leave on 28th for Pondicherry. As luck would have it, Ranga hurt his foot and we postponed it by a day. So, on 29th Jan we reached Pondy..as usual the familiar Club Mahindra resort was very welcoming and we always love the place, so checked in and relaxed.

Chidambaram Thillai  Nataraja Temple - THE TEMPLE OF THE DANCING SHIVA

The Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja temple (several years ago this was all a huge mangrove..hence thillai meaning mangrove, now a part of this mangrove can be experienced at Pichavaram, a few kms before Chidambaram while driving from Pondy..we gave it a miss as with my bad leg I cannot access the low boats etc.) had been visited by us a few years back but the main sanctum sanctorum was closed for a puja and we had missed that. So, when we went for breakfast at 7.30am to Ananda Bhawan restaurant, the program fructified and we decided to go to Chidambaram, just under 60 kms away and coming in just after Cuddalore.

Went back to the resort, changedand left in under an hour at 8.50am..it was a cool and cloudy morning and the drive from Pondy to Chidambaram just took about an hour..the journey itself was pleasant with cool breeze blowing and lush green paddy fields on either side of the road...the sun playing hide and seek with us, was in a mellow mood..just perfect. Are we lucky or what?

We parked the beast next to the Ratham, that innocuous word 'beautiful' cannot describe the stunning carvings and wood work on the chariot used to pull the Utsava moorthis during ther...the processions from the temple through the streets giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy the beauty and grace of the Lord and obtain divine blessings.

See the lovely Ratham... 

The quintessential of all Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu, the entrance gopuram

was majestic and the carvings...were to put it simply - unbelievably beautiful.

We walked through the ancient colonnaded passageways, with tall tall columns of stone holding up the stone slabs in the astonishing intricate ancient temple architecture which never fails to amaze me !! It was chilly within the temple and a sense of divine peace encompassed my entire body and mind..the feeling was indescribably profound.

In South India, five temples were built for each of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. These are the Pancha Bhoota Sthalas. Geographically, they are all within the Deccan Plateau – four in Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh. The temple for water is in Thiruvanaikaval, fire is Thiruvannamalai, Kalahasti (AP) is air and Kanchipuram is earth. The temple for space is in Chidambaram. A Divya Desam.

Just the buildings of the Chidambaram temple cover around thirty-five acres! They are built completely of stone and are magnificent. Apart from this, hundreds of acres of lands were attached to it, along with jewelry to maintain the vast temple. But during the British era, they took over many temples because of the enormous amount of wealth attached to them and all the jewelry has completely disappeared today. They say that a huge amount of the British funding for World War II came from Indian temples. 

See the gold plated central mandapam.

The Chidambaram temple is an incredible space. The newer part of the temple is around a 1000 years old but no one knows how old the older part of the temple really is. People say it is 3,500 years or more!!!. 

The Nataraja form essentially comes from Southern India, particularly from Tamil Nadu. It represents the exuberance of creation, the dance of creation which self-created itself from the eternal stillness. Nataraja standing in Chidambaram is very symbolic because what you call as Chidambaram is just absolute stillness - something I am trying to practice mentally... 

Chidambaram Rahasyam

Patanjali, the Father of Modern Yoga, he did not invent Yoga, it was already  a part of the ancient Indian practices, consecrated this temple. He prepared a group of people who have to maintain a certain level of sadhana and discipline and a method of daily ritual in the temple. Those families multiplied and they continued to keep the temple. Even today, they are generally maintaining the codes and the ritual part that he set forth as to how the temple should be maintained.

There is mention of the Chidambaram temple in the Skanda Puranas...and one of the explanations for its name is - At the centre of the temple is situated the sanctum sanctorum or holy of holiest, called the Chit Sabha or Chit Ambalam or Chidambaram. This means the ‘Hall of Wisdom’. It is the main shrine where Lord Shiva as Nataraja accompanied by his consort Parvati performs His Cosmic Dance, the Ananda Tandava or Dance of Bliss. A couple of paintings and carvings are as below :-

And we were there..the very air was suffused with joy..In the innermost courtyard, at a right angle with the golden Sabha, we find the shrine of Vishnu, as Govindaraja. Reclining on the Cosmic Snake, he is in the yogic state of consciousness, enjoying the vision of Shiva’s dance. The coexistence of the worship of both Vishnu and Shiva within one temple is unique. The worship of Vishnu was established in the earliest times and was originally performed by the Deekshithars themselves. In the later medieval period, with a shifting political situation under pressure of Muslim invasions, there was possibly a discontinuation of the worship for a long period, after which it was re-instated by the king Achyuta Raya in the 16th century of the Vijayanangara empire. 

The worship of Govindaraja has since then been in the hands of Vaishnava priests, and was no longer performed by the Deekshithars. 

After visiting this shrine, we had to wait for the Abhishekam to be completed and then the curtain was drawn aside and we had a glimpse of the crystal lingam. From the platform opposite the Sabha one can see the image of the Dancing Shiva, situated in the middle of the Sabha. Shiva is facing south, unlike most other Hindu deities. This signifies he is the Conqueror of Death, dispelling the fear of death for the humanity.

The Crystal Linga called Chandramaulishvara is Shiva as a Formless-Form. This Crystal Linga was formed from the essence of the crescent moon in Shiva’s matted hair, for the purpose of daily worship. This moorthi is taken from its place at the feet of the Nataraja six times a day, and abhishekam is performed to Him in the hall called Kanaka Sabha in front of the Chit Sabha.

Immediately to the right of the Nataraja is the Chidambaram Rahasyam, the ‘mystery’ of Chidambaram. Here, behind a silk curtain which is black on the outside and red on the inside, is the Akasha Linga, in the form of a yantra. An abstract  geometrical design, on which the deity is invoked. Behind the curtain, before the yantra, hang a few strands of golden bilva leaves. This signifies the act of creation. One moment nothing exists, the next instant the All has been brought into existence. It also signifies Maya, where everything as we see it is an illusion. At regular timings the curtain is removed to allow the devotees to worship the Akasha. The Ether which is the vehicle of the Absolute and Consciousness. The presence of Brahma (a deity almost never worshiped - the only temple exclusively to Brahma is at Pushkar in Rajasthan..pls read my blog - Rajasthan 2) establishes the worship of all three deities of the Hindu Trinity with-in the one complex.

 We then had the prasadam of sweet pongal and moved on to the Shiva Ganga - this is the sacred water tank. It is famous for healing the ancient king Sveta Varman of his skin disease. His skin became golden after which he was called Hiranya Varman. In this tank we find a stone representation of the Linga of Tiruvanaikaval, which represents the Element Water. In the dry season it becomes visible as the water level in the tank is reduced. We didn't see it as there was plenty of water in the tank.

As we came out, we were told to contribute to the renovation and preservation of the temple. Apparently, in the middle of the 18th century this temple was renovated with the support of Dutch merchants, who had a trading post in nearby Porto Nuovo, which we passed when we drove from Pondy. According to an inscription on copper plates they donated a share of their profit for this purpose.

Can the Indian govt or some large hearted Corporate please do something to preserve this absolutely priceless heritage that we have?

The Journey

We left home at 6am, and after breakfast at A2B which was unappetizing with rubbery idlis and tough unfermented vadas (I swear, in a pinch, they could be used as unconventional weapons) !...we drove up to Krishnagiri in near perfect weather, kept left at the 2nd flyover and turned left on Chennai road and kept left of flyover again to turn right toward Tiruvannamalai, and within 100 m regretted it. The road was bumpy, in several stretches - under construction..and with so many diversions that the diversions were the norm. We should've turned back..after nearly 160+ kms of this back breaking trail (the car is an off roader, our backs unfortunately are not)..we hit the good times on the outside of Tiruvannamalai and after Tindivanam it is NH66 so a breeze again! We sailed in to Pondy a bit bruised and battered but the resort itself is an oasis of calm and loveliness which can soothe ruffled feathers and CM hospitality is a given.

We spotted a lot of new restaurants on Cuddalore road and the Ananda Bhawan is a gem we discovered, of yumminess, homely and generous service...manna for the starved traveler !!

The return was through the alternate route and a resolution was made - henceforth even to Pondy, this route would be taken, irrespective of it being about 55 - 60 kms longer.

Pondy - Tindivanam - Cheyyar - Arcot - (you hit the main Blr-Chennai expressway NH7 here) - Vellore - Krishnagiri - Hosur - Bangalore (home) - 402 kms. (Had lunch at Saravana Bhavan Classic (a rip off of the name:-), the meal was ok at Rs.100 and then reached Bangalore at 2pm but crept home a foot at a time at 4.50pm (unvelievable?...believe it!) 

Note :

1. Weather - End January - Super !! Cool and pleasant.

2. While going from Blr to Pondy, stay left at 2nd flyover after Krishnagiri toll booth, turn left on to Chennai road, 150 kms from here, you will see on your left SSS College, turn right here towards Arcot, take bye-pass to Cheyyar and then on to to Tindivanam and Pondy.

3. No pics of sanctum sanctorum as photography is prohibited.

Love Pondy and we do it regularly and its attraction has not palled a bit...so, until next time..au revoir!