22 January (Part 2) Chidambaram
Before boarding the train to Chidambaram,
I checked accommodation possibilities on Booking.com and made a reservation for
two nights at ‘Paari Residential Lodge’ for Rs. 1,160. On arrival it turned out
the correct name is Pari Deluxe Lodging House
www.parilodging.com. The lodge has a very
convenient location on the little lane called South Sannathi that leads to the temple’s
South Gopuram entrance. Hotel staff recommended Krishna Bhavan and Chennai Saravana
Bhavan (poorly signed) restaurants, both on East Car Street, and I liked them too.
Asian Shopping Mall on South Car Street is great for snacks and groceries.
I set off to explore Nataraja Temple, a vast 22-hectare complex with four highly
decorated gopuram (entrance towers). On my first visit to India in 1983 I had spent
much time here, getting to know a friendly priest and attending a big 10-day festival
in which men pulled giant ‘cars’ (carts with dieties) on the wide streets that surround
the temple.
I walked in through the South Gopuram, then encircled the main
temple for a look at the many shrines and a 13th-century Nrittasabha (Dance Hall).
I wandered the great column-lined stone halls that wrap around the main shrine and
connect many other shrines and a temple tank. A golden roof tops the main shrine
to Shiva as Nataraja, but only Hindus can go inside.
In 1983 I
was lucky to be able to climb Nataraja Temple’s East Gopuram for this view of the
vast complex.
Statues at the South
Gopuram
This
might be a form of Shiva with devotees. A demon lies underfoot!
A shrine rooftop
The temple tank
and North Gopuram
The East Gopuram catches
the late afternoon sun.
The East Gopuram has
reliefs of all 108 positions of sacred classical Tamil dance.
Temple entrance near
the East Gopuram
The South and East
Gopurams from my hotel rooftop
23 January Chidambaram
I revisited the Nataraja Temple a few more times to
experience its sacred atmosphere. Getting a train ticket to Chennai at the station
seemed too difficult, and the lodge manager suggested going by bus. So I walked
east a few blocks to the bus station, and on the way noticed that Balaji Digital
Studio offered train bookings. It took a long time to make the reservation, but
I walked out with a Rs. 500 ticket for a 2nd class two-tier air-conditioned berth
on the Chennai Express Train 16796, my third trip on it, for tomorrow.
On to Tamil Nadu State: A Return to Chennai, then a Flight to Bangkok
Back to Beginning of South India Backpacking Dec. 2018-Jan. 2019