| 3 Nov : Chidambaram, Temple of Dancing Lord Shiva |
 The Chidambaram Temple in the state of Tamil Nadu spans over 40 acres in the heart of the city of the same name. It is a massive temple complex, and justifiably so, as it is home to Lord Shiva in his form as the Divine cosmic dancer, Nataraja. The center of the temple is the sanctum and from the outside it cannot be missed. It is a towering structure, with massive carved stone figures peering from great heights. Nearby, there is a temple dedicated to the Divine Mother Parvati and just past that is a large rectangular pond that is in place for bathing ceremonies for all of the idols. Elaborate stone work and imagery marked the uncountable pillars and in the deep and shadowy corners, many bats furiously batted their wings in search of food. Our group entered the temple early in the morning, before the day’s heat had begun to make its presence felt. Entering a place of such magnitude and history gives rise to feelings of awe and inspiration. We were not but a few steps into the temple when Amma pointed to a colorful image depicted directly above the entrance. It was none other than Mother Pratyangira, beautifully painted and placed in a prominent place. We followed Swami ahead after making our salutations to the Devi and passed several smaller sanctums where Brahmin priests performed arati and handed out Vibuthi (holy ash) as Prasad. Each of us spread this ash on our foreheads and moved closer to the main sanctum.  We approached Nataraja and could feel the active energies present in the place. His face was illuminated with the many candles that hung from chains in the sanctum ceiling. There was an aloofness and great contentment in His face. A total absorption in Nirvana and bliss, unaware of everything else. One leg stuck out above His shoulder as He was in mid-step, dancing, alive, in union with the cosmos. We gratefully took our blessings. Swami and Amma took a few moments for the prayers of everyone and then we moved into the daylight.  Being a temple that is widely renowned has its ups and downs for visitors. For one, a busy temple is likely a powerful or significant place. However, this also means larger crowds and this brings many more people attempting to sell their craft items, or give “official tours”, or begging for spare change. There was one woman in particular who followed our group and was asking for money. Swami went to someone selling bananas within the temple and bought a bushel. He noticed that this woman had with her two very young daughters and he gave them the bananas. The children’s faces lit up, as this was a surprise, they usually go unnoticed by temple-goers or are given very small amounts in coins.  A very noteworthy event then happened to one of the members of the group. Raghudas had been nursing burnt and blistered feet from the Firewalking ceremony a month earlier. He managed to do a fair amount of trekking in the mountains and the healing was occurring surprisingly fast. However, a few days earlier an infection developed in one foot. He was immediately brought to a doctor and put on antibiotics, but was still in a great deal of pain. Walking on this foot proved to be excruciating. Amma assured Raghudas that he would be fine and reminded him about karma. She said that we all have our karmas and they must be worked out, adding that on a pilgrimage such as this one, plenty of karma is being worked-out. He took Amma’s words to heart and realized that there is a lot more going on in the unseen and subtle levels on such a journey. He limped along, not wanting to miss any experience of the Yatra. Near the exit of the temple, Amma and Raghu walked slowly behind the rest of the group, she then pointed to a man sitting in a slumped position against the stone wall. The man had massively swollen, cut and poorly bandaged feet. She asked Raghu to give the man a few rupees. Feeling a great compassion for this suffering man, he handed over a few coins. In that very moment, to his amazement, all pain ceased in his foot. He stood and walked normally almost immediately. He recognized that something truly great had occurred in that moment and took it as a lesson from the Mother. A lesson in Her Grace, Her Love and trusting in Her fully. He is beyond happy to report that the pain has not returned, and the infection has disappeared. After this experience he excitedly ran to both Amma and Swami and wanted to express his gratitude, yet they both acted as is nothing out of the ordinary had occurred and continued to the next temple of the morning. It is customary, after visiting the Father (Shiva), one must also pay their respect to the Mother. Chidambaram is also home to a powerful Kali Mother temple and the group headed there right away. The temple was small, but was very pure. The enchanting black stone image of Kali Ma was covered completely in crimson red kum kum, except for Her eyes. She had deep, mesmerizing eyes that were very full of Grace. The day proved to be very special, especially for Raghudas. He is grateful for the lessons and most of all grateful for the Mother’s Grace that makes it all possible. |
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