Chidambaram Natarajar Koil- Tamilnadu

Chidambaram Natarajar Koil is one of the  Pancha bhootasthalas  of Siva where the Lord is worshipped in the form of Akash (space). Other Pancha bootha sthalas being Jambukeswara temple -Trichy, where Siva is worshipped as Jal ( water) Tiruvannamalai -fire,  Kalahasti - air  and  Kanchipuram - earth

The Lord Natarajar idol is enshrined in the chitsabha , the hall of Consciousness in the Ananada Tandavam pose (dance of bliss) . The idol of Nataraja is of exquisite beauty and grace  and it surely enchants those who stand in front of Him.   Next to the sanctum is a room which gets opened only during the worship which is known as Chidamabara rahasyam, the form of nothingness. Here the Lord is worshipped as formless and there are Golden Vilva leaves  inside.

The Nrithya sabha ( Dance Hall) is very famous , has exquisitely carved pillars and this is the place where Lord had a dance competition with Goddess Bhadra Kali. At the end of the competition the Lord lifted His  leg towards the sky as  Urdhva thandavar, a  pose, Kali could not take and she lost the competiton.

Near  this mandapam is a niche for Somaskandar and Kala Samhara moorthy  where the Lord protects Markendaya and kills Yama, the Lord of death.

Tiruchitra Kootam (an important Vishnu desam) is also inside this temple very near to Lord Natarajar's shrine. Vishnu here is  Tillai Govinda Rajar and his consort is known as Pundarikavalli thayar . There is also a shrine for Mahalakshmi here. 

 Amman shrine is in the outer prakram and on the left of her shrine we see the Adi Moola Siva .

This temple has lofty towers on all four sides and the the Western Gopuram has 108 dance poses from Bharatanatayam carved to perfection on the gate way.Have included a few pictures of the dance poses .
Other temples en route Chidambaram from Kumbhakonam in " My pilgrimage" are Seerkazhi and Vaidheeshwaran Koil.

How to reach- Chidambaram can be reached from Chennai or from Kumbhakonam. From Kumbhakonam it is nearly 70 Kms . From Chennai it is about a 4-5  hrs.travel by road. Regular buses ply from both places with very good frequency.

Photos link-

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipP5NXGPhRfVU_82z5ShsxpMTHh87bNrKc7THxfG

Brahamapureeshwarar - Tonaiappar temple, Seerkazhi, Tamilnadu

Brahamapureeshwarar -  Tonaiappar temple,Seerkazhi is a highly revered holy shrine and is very close to Vaidheeshawaran koil which is enroute to Chidambaram from Kumbakonam.It is 14th thevara sthalam and is situated near the river Kaveri. Here,  Lord Siva gives darshan in three forms -one as Lingam , Second, in  the form of a colossal statue  Tonaiappar with His consort Uma and last one as Sattainadhar Bhairavar.  All these forms are found in 3 different levels of the temple. One has to climb a few steep steps to have a darshan of Uma Maheshwar, Thoniappar and Sattainadhar.  One can see and enjoy the entire lay out of this huge temple from the top of the Vimanam.

 Brahma is believed to have worshipped the Lord Siva here hence he is known as Brahmapureeshwar,(the main Lingam in the sanctum) During the deluge Siva is said to have secured the 64 art forms in a boat (Thoni) hence he is known as Thonaiappar. Sattainadhar is said to have quelled the arrogance of Trivikramar  after he showed his dominance over all the three worlds. Sattainadhar is worshipped here on every Friday night.

This is also the place where Tirugnana Sambandar received the Milk of Wisdom from Mother Goddess, known here as  Tirunilai Nayaki.

The temple with its vast area  and a calm, serene, salubrious atmosphere shuts oneself from the outside world and helps to have peace with oneself. A temple worth visiting to feel the vibrations of spirituality.

How to reach - The temple is about 25 Kms from the town of Kumbhkonam. Many buses ply from the city of Kumbhakonam.Good hotels are there in the town of Kumbhakonam.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOriVEAx28ZejRAnMzm859ar3yqtXwtMcfYEGYW

Vaidheeswaran Koil- Kumbhakonam, Tamil Nadu

Vaidheeswaran Koil is an important Sivasthalam. It is also one of the Navagraha sthalams which enshrines the planet Chevvai, (Mars)  This temple is  en route to Seerkazhi and Chidambaram (Posts in the offing) from Kumbakonam.

The presiding deity is known as Vaidheeswaran  as he is the Divine Healer. He had cured Chevvai when he was afflicted with leprosy. Lord Vaidheeswaran's  Consort is Thayal Nayaki, she  holds a medicinal oil pot in her hands. The Tiruchandu Urundai , the prasadam offered in the temple is considered to have tremendous healing capability and is a panacea for curing many ailments. Nettripadi chandanam ( the holy sandal paste) from Murugan temple is another prasadam with healing properties. There are separate  shrines for Vinayagar and Dandayudhapani and Lord Singaravelar ( Murugan ) here. Singaravelar sannidhi is like a separate temple inside the same complex as it has a separate dwajasthambha.  Devotees offer salt , pepper, jaggery to the presiding deity here.

Vaidheeshwaran koil is 15 Kms. from the town of Kumbhakonam and is easily accessible by  road.

How to reach
Nearest town is Kumbhakonam and is well connected by rail and road. Nearest airport is at Trichy which is nearly 100 Kms from the town. This town has good boarding and lodging facilities.
PHOTOS
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPSKgwY7JZEuFRKghncVzlMG-kIlaLVs5wyM6BA

Gunaseelam Sri PrasannaVenkatachalapathy temple, Tamilnadu

Prasanna Venkatachalapathy temple is a famous Vishnu temple in Gunaseelam  about 20 Kms. from Trichy.This temple attracts lot of pilgrims and people also believe that worshipping the deity here helps one to cure mental and physical ailments. Pilgrims stay here for about 48 days ,worship God and partake the prasadam from the temple and get relief from their problems.The temple looks neat and clean.

Legend is that sage Gunaseela used to visit Tirumala to have the darshan of Lord Balaji , once he requested God to come to the place where he was and God obliged, pleased with the sage's devotion. The temple is small when compared to the huge temples I have visited. There is a mandapam and a water tank outside the temple.
How to reach- Trichy is well connected with rail, road and air. 
Accommodation facilities are excellent as this is quite big town which attracts lot of tourists.

Dhenupureeshwar and Durga temple, Pateeshwaram,Tamil Nadu

Navarathri Greetings to all my friends. 

 This time, I am taking you to Patteswaram temple which is  close to Swami Malai , One of the Aarupadai Veedugal of Lord Muruga,  The presiding deity is Dhenu Pureeshwarar ( Siva) and His consort is Gnanambigai. The Nandi here, is found on the left side of the main entrance unlike other temples where we find it  facing the Lord. It was as per Lord's wish that Nandi moved to one side as  Siva  wanted to have a look at  Tirugnanasambandar, the child poet saint  as he was approaching the temple.  The legend has it that, this Sivalingam was consecrated by Lord Rama.  There is a small shrine for Anjaneyar  and there are separate shrines for  Vinayagar and Subramaya.  The Madapam in front of the Amman sannidhi has pillars embellished with intricate designs. The  idols of of Kala Bhairavar and Vinayagar inside the temple are  huge in size. The gates of the main temple are  guarded by gigantic statues, Dwarapalakas of the Lord.

The Goddess Durga's idol situated on the Northern side is considered to be  very powerful who showers her divine blessings like a mother, on all her devotees.  Durga here is Santha swaroopi, has 8 hands and is sitting on Her mount Lion.  The temple gets crowded on Tuesdays and Fridays and many perform Rahu puja here to ward off the ill effects of the planet. The Cholas were worshippers of Durga and the deity was installed here after the fall of Chola dynasty.

How to reach- This temple is very near to the Kumbhakonam town ( 5 km ) and is well connected by road. Many buses ply from the town and this temple is very close to Swamimalai temple.Nearest airport is Trichy and rail station is at Kumbhakonam. One would find good hotels in the town itself.

Navarathri celebration in Madurai Meenakshi temple is quite famous and just made a trip to catch a glimpse of that. I could gather only a few pics from outside.

PHOTOS
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipP7XF8V3Zf-yfoXOLxbfYPXY-btAk9Vtj1bR094