Tiruvanamalai-Tirukoilur- Ulundurpettai-Vridachallam-Chidambaram (145km) Part - 2 Chidambaram and Chola Bronze's
The corridors of the hotel rooms hustle and bustle with evening activity,most of the riders attired in their casuals are busy chalking out their plan of action for the evening,as the buzz gets going lets travel back to the past,this town has its name derived from the Tamil words citt (wisdom) and ampalam(atmosphere) and refers to the Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. It is entered by lofty tower gates, and its hall is supported by more than 1,000 pillars. Its history dates back to the Sangam Literature (1st-3rd AD),many kings and kingdoms patronized this temple,most inscriptions available here pertain to the periods of Cholas,Pallavas,Pandyas and Vijayanagara Kingdom.Chidambaram stands as a gateway to the "Chola Bronzes" while the stone sculptures and the inner sanctum image empowering the temple remained immovable,changing religious concepts demanded that the deities take part in a variety of public roles similar to those of a human monarch,resulting in large bronze images created to be carried outside the temple to participate in daily rituals,processions and temple festivals,a much larger and a much greater number of bronze sculptures were cast during the Chola period,these were made using lost wax technique and principle bronze alloy called Pancha Loham,the years 950-1070 AD marks their most interesting phase,among the many the most famous of all the bronze icons is that of Nataraja,in his masterpiece of essays on Chola Art "The Dance of Siva" Ananda.K.Coomaraswamy concludes "In these days of specialization, we are not accustomed to such a synthesis of thought; but for those who 'saw' such images as this, there could have been no division of life and thought into water-tight compartments.Nor do we always realize, when we criticize the merits of individual works, the full extent of the creative power which, to borrow a musical analogy, could discover a mode so expressive of fundamental rhythms and so profoundly significant and inevitable.Every part of such an image as this is directly expressive, not of any mere superstition or dogma, but of evident facts.No artist of today, however, great,could more exactly or more wisely create an image of that Energy which science must postulate behind all phenomena.If we would reconcile Time with Eternity,we can scarcely do so otherwise than by the conception of alternations of phase extending over vast regions of space and great tracts of time.Especially significant, then,is the phase alternation implied by the drum, and the fire which 'changes' not destroys.These are but visual symbols of the theory of the day and night of Brahma.In the night of Brahma,Nature is inert, and cannot dance till Siva wills it:He rises from His rapture, and dancing sends through inert matter pulsing waves of awakening sound, and lo! matter also dances appearing as a glory round about Him.Dancing, He sustains its manifold phenomena.In the fullness of time, still dancing, he destroys all forms and names by fire and gives new rest. This is poetry ; but none the less,science.It is not strange that the figure of Nataraja has commanded the adoration of so many generations past: familiar with all skepticism, expert in tracing all beliefs to primitive superstitions, explorers of the infinitely great and infinitely small,we are worshipers of Nataraja still" thus pondering on these lines a sumptuous dinner gives way to the night slumber as we ride onward into the Chola territory for the next few days.
The corridors of the hotel rooms hustle and bustle with evening activity,most of the riders attired in their casuals are busy chalking out their plan of action for the evening,as the buzz gets going lets travel back to the past,this town has its name derived from the Tamil words citt (wisdom) and ampalam(atmosphere) and refers to the Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. It is entered by lofty tower gates, and its hall is supported by more than 1,000 pillars. Its history dates back to the Sangam Literature (1st-3rd AD),many kings and kingdoms patronized this temple,most inscriptions available here pertain to the periods of Cholas,Pallavas,Pandyas and Vijayanagara Kingdom.Chidambaram stands as a gateway to the "Chola Bronzes" while the stone sculptures and the inner sanctum image empowering the temple remained immovable,changing religious concepts demanded that the deities take part in a variety of public roles similar to those of a human monarch,resulting in large bronze images created to be carried outside the temple to participate in daily rituals,processions and temple festivals,a much larger and a much greater number of bronze sculptures were cast during the Chola period,these were made using lost wax technique and principle bronze alloy called Pancha Loham,the years 950-1070 AD marks their most interesting phase,among the many the most famous of all the bronze icons is that of Nataraja,in his masterpiece of essays on Chola Art "The Dance of Siva" Ananda.K.Coomaraswamy concludes "In these days of specialization, we are not accustomed to such a synthesis of thought; but for those who 'saw' such images as this, there could have been no division of life and thought into water-tight compartments.Nor do we always realize, when we criticize the merits of individual works, the full extent of the creative power which, to borrow a musical analogy, could discover a mode so expressive of fundamental rhythms and so profoundly significant and inevitable.Every part of such an image as this is directly expressive, not of any mere superstition or dogma, but of evident facts.No artist of today, however, great,could more exactly or more wisely create an image of that Energy which science must postulate behind all phenomena.If we would reconcile Time with Eternity,we can scarcely do so otherwise than by the conception of alternations of phase extending over vast regions of space and great tracts of time.Especially significant, then,is the phase alternation implied by the drum, and the fire which 'changes' not destroys.These are but visual symbols of the theory of the day and night of Brahma.In the night of Brahma,Nature is inert, and cannot dance till Siva wills it:He rises from His rapture, and dancing sends through inert matter pulsing waves of awakening sound, and lo! matter also dances appearing as a glory round about Him.Dancing, He sustains its manifold phenomena.In the fullness of time, still dancing, he destroys all forms and names by fire and gives new rest. This is poetry ; but none the less,science.It is not strange that the figure of Nataraja has commanded the adoration of so many generations past: familiar with all skepticism, expert in tracing all beliefs to primitive superstitions, explorers of the infinitely great and infinitely small,we are worshipers of Nataraja still" thus pondering on these lines a sumptuous dinner gives way to the night slumber as we ride onward into the Chola territory for the next few days.
References: "A History of South India" K.A.Nilakanta Sastri, "The Dance of Siva" Ananda K Coomaraswamy and Google Search
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| At Lakshmi Vilas Heritage Hotel Chidambaram |
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