My traveling companions and I left the Swamimalai Temple hot, tired and hungry. We had toured two temples that morning traveling through back roads in Southern India. Then, enroute to a Heritage Hotel, we got lost. Fortunately our driver spoke Tamil, the local language, and we eventually found the place. We stepped out onto beautiful grounds and were immediately transported back to 1800’s. The check-in area at INDeco Heritage Hotel sits within a beautifully restored British villa from 1896.
Foot Massage
We were welcomed with cool hand and face towels and a refreshing Ayurdevic foot massage. How lovely! That restored our hot and tired bodies, but we were still hungry.
Names in India are tongue twisting words. I have declared the Arulmigu Swaminatha Swami Temple, in Swamimalai simply the Swami Temple. My group visited this ancient site the day after we left Pondicherry.
Swami is a Hindu temple near the city of Kumbakonam and the Cauvery river. The temple is one of the six holy shrines of Murugan. The temple has three gopuram, those huge gateway towers covered with hundreds of figures, three courtyards and sixty steps. There is also a large pool or water tank, formerly used in temple rituals.
When we entered we found a large group of people on the floor organizing mounds of paper money that I assume had been dumped from the collection containers. Another group was sorting coins. Seemed odd that this was done in such a public space, but as I said over and over on my trip, “Things happen differently in India.” Just observe.
Young Girl
We ran into a young girl who was celebrating a special day with her entire family. My apologies, but I really didn’t understand the meaning of her celebration. Anyway, the multi-generational family meandered through the formidable stone structure lined with hundreds of intricately carved pillars. The pinnacles were painted in bright almost neon colors as were sections of the ceiling. The family group stopped for short prayers at some of the statues. I just lingered behind.
Attached to the temple was a market area where vendors sold statuary, trinkets, flowers, fruit and treats. The ceiling of the collanade between the buildings was also brightly painted.
This temple, like Chidambaram seen in the morning, is ancient. The website claims in is from the Sangam period during 2nd century BC and is thought to have been modified by Parantaka Chola I, during the 900’s AD. Also like Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, this one was damaged during the Anglo-French war between Hyder Ali and British in 1740. Today the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
We didn’t stay that long, just meandered around taking photos. Therefore, I believe the best way for me to present it, is simply to show my pictures.
Chidambaram, in Southern India’s state of Tamil Nadu, is also known as Thillai, since the place was originally a forest of Thillai shrubs. It is an important pilgrim center, a major shrine of Lord Shiva, and the famous Nataraja Temple. In fact, Chidambaram offers a combination of the three aspects of Shiva worship – the form Lord Nataraja (dance), the form and the formlessness (linga), and the formless omnipresence. The temple has influenced worship, architecture, sculpture, and performance art for over two millennia. Now, that is an old temple.
Approaching the temple gateway.
The ancient temple is located in the center of the town and covers 40 acres with four seven-story gopurams ( those huge gateways facing North, South East, and West) each with around fifty stone sculptures. There are also five sabhas or courts. The presiding deity of the temple is formless, represented by air, one of the five elements of the universe.
Chidambaram is dedicated to Lord Nataraja and is unique as it is one of the rare temples where Shiva is represented by an idol rather than the customary lingam. (I’d been introduced to lingams earlier, they are black phallic-looking statues.) This temple also has exquisite carvings of Bharathanatya dance postures, the Classical Dance of Tamil Nadu. At Chidambaram, the dancer dominates, not the linga.
Temple dancer
The eastern tower of the temple rises to a height of 134 feet with 108 Bharathanatyam dance poses as well as on the Western tower. The Northern tower rises to a height of 140 feet and is the tallest. This temple is also noted for its Gold Plated roof that adorns the sanctum sanctorum or the kanaka sabha. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum, so I did not see it.
Although I did not know this when I visited, research indicates that the temple is located at the center point of the world’s magnetic equator. * I did not feel any strong pull, but I did not sit and meditate. The temple as it stands is mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries, with later additions in a similar style. It was believed to have been originally constructed during the early Chola period (900s AD).
Close-up of Stairway ruins.
The temple was severely vandalized during invasions of South India between 1311 and 1325. A garrison was set up within the temple and the walls were fortified during the Carnatic Wars and during the Anglo-French war between Hyder Ali and the British in 1740. I think the ruins give it a mysterious aura and I rather liked the crumbling effect. The large water tank formerly used for rituals is closed off.
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Please click on the individual photos to enlarge them.
Approaching Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram, IndiaView of tower just before entering.Temple ruins at Chidambaram.Ruins of ChidambaramClose-up of dance poses on the tower.Ganesha on the tower.Temple dancerClose-up of tower dancers.Classical Dance Poses in Tamil Nadu.Chal.k design on the floorLooking down on the chalk design.Beautiful inland stone on the temple grounds.Stairway statuary.A peek inside the temple.Two boys getting ready for temple rituals.Top of the gopuram or gateway.
