Page 22 - Seniors Toady - September Issue 2020

the Pallavas and the Cholas have added
to it. Considered to be one of the main
five Shiva temples it houses the famous
bejewelled Shiva as the Nataraja (an absolute
must-see). We were very fortunate as the
Dikshidhar here personally took us around
and explained the importance, history
and relevance of this fantastic temple. A
few months earlier someone had sent me a
Kailashnath Temple, Kancheepuram WhatsApp message showing the longitude
here. After reaching we visited the famous on which major Shiva temples across
seaside promenade. This bustling and India are built – Kedarnath, Kaleswaram,
happening area has many nice restaurants; Ekambareshwarar, Chidambaram and
with fresh sea breeze blowing it was very Rameshwaram are all in one straight line.
relaxing. We dined at an authentic French Can you imagine how they figured this out
restaurant – Satsanga around here and can hundreds of years ago without any modern-
recommend it highly. day science? More important is the relevance
of this fact, to which no one has been able to
Peace and Calm give a satisfactory answer!
The next morning we visited Auroville and
the peace and calm acts like a magnet. The
breathtaking dome of the Matri Mandir
is very unique and the concept of silence
here reminded me of the B’ahai temple in
Delhi where one just sits to contemplate. Be
sure to find out the timings and the visiting
requirements before going. Later, we visited
this unique temple of French Dravadian
architecture – the Kanniga Parameswari
(Godess Shakti). The painting and motifs
are very different from other South Indian
temples, with arches inside. Every afternoon
the temple elephant walks through the
temple, blessing the devotees, and is quite
a sight to see. There are some nice hotels to
stay and we opted for something in the city
and on the main Promenade.
We had heard so much about
Chidambaram’s temples that we were
looking forward to this visit and it is difficult
to be disappointed. One of the largest temple
complexes in the South, this complex dates
back to the 12th century and over the years Guardians of Meenakshi

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