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Showing posts from August, 2023

The Chola Trail: A Journey Through the Heart of Tamil Nadu

On the early morning of August 12th, I left for the mysterious city of Chidambaram with my sister and a few relatives. The same day it started raining heavily so we waited until it stopped raining and went on our way to the temple. The temple was quite huge with hundreds of pillars. As it was a Saturday it was a little bit crowded. Then when we reached the main sanctum, it took some time to decode how the idol really was as it was covered with garments and embedded with jewels. We stayed at a good hotel. Chidambaram is not just a town, but a mystery. It is home to one of the oldest and most magnificent temples in India, dedicated to Lord Shiva as the cosmic dancer, Nataraja. But what makes this temple unique is that the main deity is not an idol, but an empty space. Yes, you read that right. The innermost sanctum of the temple has nothing but a curtain of golden leaves, behind which lies the secret of creation, the Chidambara Rahasya. This secret is said to be revealed only to those w