Authentic Bites, Boundless Yums
Musée du Louvre was the place I wanted to visit the most – because I have read the Da Vinci Code and I love art and history, and Louvre was the last place we went to on our guided trip in Paris on that Saturday. We were already exhausted, so we didn’t have that much energy to see anything in Louvre, which was a pity!! If I ever go back to Paris, I have to spend a whole day in Louvre only 😉
For our 3rd day in Paris, my bestie had booked a guided tour to some attractions and experiences in Paris. We found the offer through getyourguide.com, where we could go visit the Eiffel Tower (with access to either 2 floor or 2nd and 3rd floor), a cruise on the River Seine, visit Louvre Museum and last go to Notre Dame (if we wanted, as there is free entrance to Notre Dame church), with a guide.
After enjoying some time in Jardins du Trocadéro, we went for a walk down the streets to Arc de Triopmhe d’Étoile.
Arc de Triomphe d’Étoile is one of the most famous monuments of Paris, standing with its 50 m height in the middle of Place Charles de Gaulle, which was formerly named as Place d’Étoile (étoile – star), as it is a juncture formed of the 12 radiating avenues. Arc de Triomphe is the central element of the Historical Axis of Paris, and honours those who fought and died for France during the Napoleonic Wars, and it has the names of all the French victories and generals inscripted on both its inner and outer surfaces.
The Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram, was the 3rd of the 5 Panchabootha Sthalas, that we visited. We went there by night, right after visiting Thanjavur, so I was not able to take any pictures of the temple.
Going to a very big and famous temple by night was indeed very very beautiful. This was actually one of the most beautiful, precious and unforgettable moments, and I can’t explain how divine it was. As we went there about 7 pm, and therefore could watch the Irandaam Kaala pooja, which is the 5th pooja during the day. Experiencing this pooja, that inclued the Chidambara Rahasya Pooja and Maha Aarathi, indeed so beautiful to watch both the pooja and the great idol of lord Nataraja.
Of the 5 elements, this temple is dedicated to the Sky, and to lord Nataraja, the lord of dance. The deity of Nataraja, in the presence of performing Aanandha Thaandavam, is to be seen in the Pon Ambalam (the Shrine of the Golden Hall). The name Chidambaram, which is the name of both the town and the temple, means “atmosphere of wisdom”. The was built in the 10th century CE, while Chidambaram was th capital of te Chola Dynasty.
If you ask me, I would say that Chidambaram is a must visit. Go there, day or night, to explore the divinity and the beautiful architecture. You’ll feel so blessed!
The legend goes back to the incident, where Shiva in the form of a beggar, accompanied by Mohini – actually lord Vishnu in a beautiful female form – to a mythical Pine forest. Mohini triggers lustful interests in the sages, while Shiva performs thandavam to trigger the lust in the wives of the sages. The people then realized how superficial their austerity is. Later, 2 sages – Patanjali and Vyaghrapada – wanted to see the dance of lord Shiva in the Thillai (today Chidambaram). They set up a Shiva Lingam, pray and meditate. Shiva, impressed by this, appears in front of them in Chidambaram and perform thaandavam.
I really, really hope to go back to Chidambaram in future, to explore both daytime and night poojas, and to explore the atmosphere around the temple. The moments in the temple was one of the most unforgettable experiences. Next time, I’ll come back with loads of pictures too 😉
Uchi Pillaiyar Temple in Trichy, was the first temple to visit during the roadtrip in Tamil Nadu. Hereafter, we went to Jambukeshwarar temple, that is located on the Srirangam Island, but in the area called Thiruvanaikaval. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of the temple..
The temple of Thiruvanaikaval is the 1st among the 5 Panchabootha Sthalas, that are dedicated to lord Shiva though this was the 2nd of 5 temples, we went to. This temple is dedicated to the element water. It is also one among the 275 Paadal Petra Sthala Temples, and is mentioned by all 4 important nayanmargal/Samaya Kuravargal in their works. The temple was built by the tamil king Kochenganan (Senganaan), who was a king in the early Chola dynasties, and lived in the 6th/7th century CE. Later it was expanded by the Hoysala king, Someswara.
When I was younger, I went to extra classes in my spare time to study Tamil language. Both my parents teached me to read and write Tamil, and later I began to the classes to get more knowleadge about the Tamil history and litterature. During these classes I came across a chapter about the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai and its great architecture, which was so interesting to me, that I was very eager to visit the temple, when we went to India in 2010. The temple is actually much bigger than I expected, and I loved being around the space. What a beautiful temple it is! 😉