CHIDAMBARAM NOSTALGIC CHILDHOOD YEARS: THILLAI LORD NATARAJA - DOWN MEMORY LANE VOL 28
Swamy Saranam🙏🙏🙏
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| Gold Plated Chit Sabha Natarajar Temple |
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The important dates of the festival are the 5th ,7th,8th
to 10th day. The 5th day is (Vrishaba Vahanam ) with
Theruvadaichan(Sapparam). The Sapparam will be so big that it will
occupy the full width of the car street and turning between car streets will be so
difficult. On the 7th day The Lord will come in Golden Kailasha Vahanam and
on 8th day in Golden Chariot as Bhikshadanamoorthy.
The unique thing in Chidambaram Temple is that on 9th
day the Main Deity Lord Nataraja and Goddess Sivakamasundari will go around the
streets in the Car Festival and on 10th day morning between 3 and
6am at Raja Sabha (Thousand Pillar Mandapam) there will be ARUDHRA MAHA
ABHISEKHAM followed by Anandha Natanam by Lord Nataraja and Goddess back
to the original Sanctum from the Raja Sabha.
It is a Blissful experience
to see this biannual festival (Margazhi Arudra) and also during Aani
Thirumanjanam(June/July) which is relatively less crowded event.
Sevikka Vendumayya Chidambaram Sevikka Vendumayya
Singaramana shiva gangaiyil muzhgi shivakAmi sannidhi munbaghave vanduPangagave Pradakshinam sheidu bhaktargal siddhargal Panividaiyor Tozha
ஜென்மத்தை வீணாக்கிக் கெடுப்பேனோ (Gopala Krishna Bharathi)
Although I make sure that at least one day in every visit from US since coming here I visit Chidambaram visits have come down over the years with our last trip about six years back.
Chidambaram nostalgic years (1965-1969)
I was about 8 years old when we moved to Chidambaram from
Chennai after the premature death of my father in 1963 when he was just 39 years.
Our mother widowed at just 33 years was determined to fulfil my father’s last
wish to make her sons as Engineers. She had no money and thanks to the help of
her relatives she took the risk of moving to Chidambaram where my brother got
admission for Engineering in Annamalai University.
My father had just admitted me in
kindergarten before his death in Vidya Mandir convent at Mylapore after
waiting for a year to get admission. After completing my UKG in English medium at
Vidya Mandir we came to Chidambaram. There was only one English medium school (Chettiar
school) which was far off from our home then. Due to proximity from our home at
North Car Street joined government run Ambalattadi elementary school in
the 1’st standard. The school had only Tamil medium of instruction and due to this
they wanted that I should start from KG all over again since I do not know even
basics in Tamil. Fortunately, that did not happen as were able to convince! The
transition from private convent to government corporation school was hard then but
then it helped in being resilient to changes beyond our control. We were
fortunate that we could live close to the god Thillai Nataraja.
We got a village type tiled house for rent at Rs 60/Month at
North car street. Our Hyderabad uncle SK and SN were there for initial shifting.
The beginning was a disaster as the Transport company we had engaged from
Chennai met with an accident and all our furniture and other items gone. In a
way it was good as we started at Chidambaram in a clean slate sleeping with
coir bed like in the village.
Chidambaram home:
Our home was a portion quite spacious a typical village type house with a Agrahara
type Hall and a small room and kitchen. The roof is country tile and all the
species like earth worms, rats, lizards always keep you company. These worms sometimes
will be cleared by Leech. Occasionally we will have nightmare of seeing small
snakes inside our home. There was no toilet at home, and so we had to cross the
huge garden in the backyard which is common for owner and tenants and walk
about a furlong from home. You will be sometimes watched by monkeys while doing
nature call. If
you need to go for toilet in the night, you need a torch or lantern with a
companion for safety!
Owner home: The owner’s (famous
advocate AKN) Periamma (Pattamma) was compassionate like Mother Theresa an
ardent devotee of Kanchi Matt (Periava). She with her kindness made us feel
at ease at their home. Their family used to give everything for charity, and she was ever serving people with her helping nature. Their
house is the assembly for all scholars from different regions regularly for Sama
Veda Parayanam.The musical rhytms of Sama Veda will be divine beyond words
and will take us closer to God. She was fond of me and used to give all food prepared at their home. I will always be at their Oonchal (swing) in
their hall always dreaming of something big, one day to be a pilot and the next
day bus driver and so on. Pattamma used
to send us all the special items prepared at their home to us through their
cook Janaki. The landlord owned an entire village Killai near
Chidambaram and house will be full of all the farm items received in a separate storeroom.
Janaki used to bring from there items like coconuts, plantains which will be in
abundance. Both Pattamma and Janaki were very much attached to my mother, and
it was like real family bonding which kept us happy throughout those years. They
were the pillar of support for my dear mother.
Tourist Guide: Chidambaram town is small mostly
walkable if it is only to the temple. We had to cross the car streets to enter
the Sannadhi street before entering the temple. Pilgrims come in Tourist
Buses and the temple will have visiting devotees all through the year. Our relatives and friends used to come often to our home especially during
the 2 main festivals (Arudra Dharisanam (Dec/Jan and Aani Tirumanjanam (June
July) being a sacred pilgrimage town. I used to be the temple guide during those
times taking the visitors to the temple and show them the rituals in the morning and evening and also take them around to all the three praharam
and show all the idols.
Transportation: The only Transportation within the town was through either bullock cart or Horse carriage. Bullock cart is economical option and before starting the cart the driver makes sure that front and back weight is balanced by adjusting seating so that stress is less on the bullock. If you have the time this is best to relax. The horse carriage costs little more, but we can reach faster the destination.
Simple life: The needs were minimum, and our total monthly expenses will be around Rs 300 per month and even for this we were maintaining account book. There were only 2 movie theatres (Nataraja and Vaduganathan talkies) and the only teaser of the release of the movies were through banners which will placed in the bullock cart announcing the release of the movie. Our Neighbour Bhuvaravan who lived in the other portion will keep us updated with the songs through Radio Ceylon. Although the life was simple it is still etched in memory after decades. Postman was our best friend and in a small post card our relatives will write about everything from one end to another. You can get more information reading between the lines!
Middle school: I studied in the last 2 years in Arumuga Navalar school which was also in Tamil Medium. Again, we did not go after Chettiar school (which had English medium). The school was in the west car street and the short cut is to go through the temple sannadhi (North Sannadhi) enter the temple carry the chappal by hand inside the temple and go past the West Sannadhi with the school bag to reach the school.
Kana Vendamo
Composer Papanasam Sivan
Ragam: SriRanjani
Singer: Sanjay Subramaniam with Vritham
Should I not see, before I lose my eyes,
Should
I not see the tower as high as the sky
Instead
of wandering aimlessly in the world
Should
I not see Lord of Chidambaram praised by the world
Temple Rituals: One will never get tired of seeing
any number times the main Ratnasabapathy Abhisekham in the morning and the Sayarakshai deeparadhana in the evening. The evening Deeparadhana will start
with Vedic chants followed by the Deeparadhanai outside and inside the sanctum
and ending with display of Chidambara
Rahasyam. During the entire evening session of almost one-hour volunteers will
be ringing the 2 Huge bells the sound of which will take you to a different world and one
can experience the presence of Lord during this time. There are six Abhisekhams done every day to Lord Nataraja followed by Deeparadhana and only chosen Deekshidar(Priest) can do
the whole rituals for that day. Since there are now around 100 Deekshidars in the temple the Deekshidar gets opportunity to perform
Puja by lottery only for few days in the year. The Deekshidar can be young boy or old but
on that day that Deekshidar alone can perform all the rituals. This is unique
of Chidambaram temple and not sure whether any other temple in India has this many priests like in Chidambaram. The temple belongs to the Deekshidar and the income to the Sabanayakar Koil Trustee.The unique thing about the Chidambaram temple is that there is no donation box( Undiyal). Any contribution has to be through the Archana and Abhisekham done through one of the Deekshidar.
The Nataraja temple was built during the Chola period (10th Century) and thrived under the rule of the Cholas. The general of king Kulothunga Chola I called Naralokaviran built the steps to the Sivaganga pool, the Goddess shrine, the gardens, and also the pilgrim roads around the temple. and it was Parantaka Chola who made golden roof above the sanctum which is still intact. Since then, using the lands sanctioned to them near the temple the life of Deekshidars revolve around the temple.
Eppo Varuvaro sung by Madurai Mani Iyer
Composer Gopalakrishna Bharathi
Raagam Jonpuri
Chidambara Rahasyam(Secret):
Chidambaram is also
known as one of the temples in the Pancha Bhoota stalams located in South
India, and Chidambaram serves as the temple which represents space.
There is a space next
to Nataraja main deity which is covered with a curtain, which will only be
unveiled by the Deekshidar after each Puja. Golden vilvam leaves are placed
behind this curtain where the Lord is supposed to be.
Like that of a curtain, the Truth or reality is hidden from normal human perception. Maya the illusion, hides the Truth. Similar to removal of the curtain, the Truth could be visually witnessed when ignorance is removed. This is my interpretation of Chidambara Rahasyam.
We have come a long way after so many changes in life and it is the grace of the Lord Thillai Nataraja who had been guiding us with so many divine interventions. I can never forget my roots which is from Chidambaram and that memories are forever!
Om NamaShivaya🙏
Thiruchitrambalam!🙏
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