A Palace with a Difference - the Chettinadu way

A grand entrance, big palace, huge statues, decorated staircases leading to heaven, elaborate mirror work, stories of floors, elaborate chandeliers, display of jewels and jewelry, museum of history - if you are expecting all this, you are at the wrong place. Chettinad Palace at Kanadakathan  is nothing of this sort. It is a palace that connects you with nature, with tradition, with family and yourself.

When you look at other palaces, you know that those are meant for the rich and you can but only dream of living in such palaces. But when you look at this palace, it is so attainable. It feels like home and not just a house.

The Chettinad palace reminds me of Raj Kapoor sing from the Hindi movie, 'Awara' - Mera Jootha hai Japani. And just like the song, the palace has masterpieces from around the world, a tea table from China, African elephant tusk, etc, but the palace still retains the spirit of Tamil Nadu.

It is regal, yet down to earth; it is international, yet very Indian. While the rest of India is getting hitched to international styles of architecture and interiors, the Chettinad palace, gives us a taste of what symbolizes “Tamil”.

The cool Aathangudi tiles, the massive thinnai, numerous mittams gives the city bread a glimpse of what life is when people live together.

As you enter the palace, you are introduced to massive thinnai on both the sides of the entrance. And my first instinct is … sit there. I so wished i had got my set of traditional south Indian games - Palalnguzhi or dayakattam, and call everyone for a turn.

The next room is the guest room which houses huge portraits of all the family members. Huge sofas to seat all the important people is placed here. The entrance leading to this room and the next are massive framed wooden doors with intricate carvings on top of it.

Further inside, we are led to another thinnai leading to a gorgeous ‘mittam’ - a courtyard open to the sky. The line of splendidly painted pillars make us want to play hide and seek there. Now, my instinct says, run around the pillars and play ‘catch’.

The First Courtyard

The carvings on the pillars - A beautiful Yazhi

Each side of these pillars are many rooms that are used as storage. There are rooms in the floor above these as well. One can see what is happening in the mittam from the first floor as well (though the whole of first floor is not open to anyone except the family members).

Further in, we are led to an empty room where the women generally congregate. The men are not come to this room. In olden days, this room was used as a dressing room / feeding room etc.

Proceeding further, this room leads to another small mittam, from where again, there is access to the rooms in the first floor. From this place we are led to another chamber that has direct access to the garage below. The family generally parked their vehicles in the garage on the side of the building and that led to this room.

Beyond this room is a massive courtyard that radiates earthiness. Terracotta tiles and roofing around this mittam looks picturesque. I want to now just run and run and run around this whole place.

At the far end - left corner of the mittam is the family kitchen. Very beautifully maintained, the family still cooks on the firewood stove. Tall chimneys line right above the stoves.

Back to the mittam, no wonder, this palace is a regular feature in loads of Tamil movies, the most memorable being 'Kandukonden Kandukonden'.

I recommend anyone wanting to have an earthly experience to visit this place

Artistic Gangaikondachozhapuram

If there is one place that speaks, feels, smells and breathes of art, it is Gangai Konda Chozhapuram.

One absolutely cannot stop gaping with mouth wide open from the moment our eyes get the first glimpse of the fortress.

8 Kms from the town of Jayamkondam, this megastructure is located right on the NH81, and very difficult to miss. Ample parking space is available at the site. Footwear is not allowed inside.

The dismantled entrance leading to the golden dhvaja stamba and the brilliant nandi in the background of the temple gopuram provides an enchanting view

Gangaikondachozhapuram was built as a replica of the big Shiva temple at Tanjavur. It was to commemorate the victory and expansion of the Chozha kingdom till the Ganges in the north by Rajendra Chola I. Thus the name “Gangai Konda Chozha puram”. And this temple too is known as Brihadeeshwara temple.

As you enter the fortress, a shining golden dhvaja stands tall. We are next greeted by a yellow Nandi that draws us to it. We are instantly compelled to touch it and take pictures with it.

The lush green lawn surrounding the temple is very well maintained. The green lawns, tall brown gopuram and the blue sky enchant our eyes. 

The life size sculptures and tall gopuram of the main complex is mesmerizing. One would want to dance or just sing all the way around here. 

A huge platform on the right side of the temple invites one to break into Bharatanatyam. It also provides a picturesque view for a photo session. 

There are many small sannithis around the main Siva temple that too are a pleasure for the eyes.

Outside the vicinity on the right side of the temple is a small museum that provides the details on the temple, the Chola kings, their dynasty, the temples they build, tools used etc. 

If I need to compare this temple to the Tanjavur temple, i would still love this one for the mere fact that this looks pristine. The rush of the crowd and the bustling of the people takes away the charm while the concrete flooring ruins the beauty of the magnificent Brihadeeshwara at Tanjavur. 

In contract, Gangaikondachozhapuram - with less crowd, and colorful surroundings, are a treat to the eyes.
A must go place for the art lovers!

An Obeisance to the spirit of God

About the temple

“This is a temple without any statue or idol!” informed our guide at Aavudaiyar temple, also known as Tirupperunthurai

A Hindu temple without an idol is not heard of. Who do we pray to? Would God listen to us when we pray there? 

We are so used to looking at an idol to visualize God, and pray to that; we are so used to looking at the decorations and the beauty of the idols, that praying to an empty space is difficult. We know that God is everywhere, but still, an idol at the sanctum sanctorum makes us believe that God IS there to listen to us. This was a surprise to us. 

“We have only a ‘Kalasam’ on top of a rectangle base (where the linga is supposed to be) to denote God,” informed our guide, to our relief.

Folks, welcome to the temple of Atmanathar.

The lord here is said to be in the form of an ‘aavi’ or spirit. Thus this is no physical idol denoting him.

The temple was built by the Tamil poet Manickavasagar. The story on the temple is also available@ http://storibuzz.in/the-story-of-manickavasagar/.

Sculptures

Exquisite and detailed sculptures is the hallmark of this temple. As we enter the temple, the first most prominent sculpture that we see is that of Lord Siva in the kuravan and Goddess Parvathi in the Kurathi avatar while presenting the Pashupathastra to Arjuna. The carvings of the hair accessories, and the hair strokes as well are impressive. Beautiful long and shaped nails of Goddess Parvathi is not to be missed too.

Another sculpture not to be missed is of Manickavasagar himself. As soon as we cross the statue of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi as kuravan and Kurathi, we can see 2 status of Manickavasagar in the next pillar, facing the sanctum. While the first sculpture depicts him in the Raja-alakar, the second one depicts him as a hermit. The fine details of the crown and the mustache as when he was a minister is a masterpiece. You can actually touch and feel the coarseness of the mustache. As a hermit, he is wearing the rudraksha mala covering his entire head. Each and every face of the rudraksha is spectacularly spectacular etched.

Further in, one can see the sculpture of how the foxes turn into horses and the horses back into foxes. 

Behind this, you can find a ‘kuttu vilaku’ or a big lamp sculpted out from stone again. The style of the lamp is similar to the ones found in Kerela i.e. without edges.

Throughout the temple, the stone is carved in the fashion as it would have been had it been made of wood - like the temple at Guruvayur. Infact to give it a realistic feel, even the nuts and bolts have been sculpted out as if binding the roof together.

Temple Tour

It is said that you must start the tour of this temple by paying your first and the final respect to Manickavasagar.

As soon as you enter, the sannidhi of Manickavasagar is on the left side of the sanctum sanctorum. From there, we head to have the feel of the Swamy Atmanathar. It is said that god here does not have a form. He is there in spirit. And thus, there is no idol for him. 

As prasadam, the hot vapor from the boiling boiled rice is offered to God. the prasadam is brought in a vessel and strewn across over a platform specially for this. The hot vapour gets drawn only towards the inside of the sanctum.

At the end of the day, the devotees are treated to the specially prepared tamarind rice with bitter gourd. The bitter gourd here is said to loose all its bitterness after the naivaidiyam.

Also interesting to note is that, in this temple, the devotees do not get the aarathi. Generally, when we take the aarathi, we are said to hinder or stop the flow of fire while it reaches to go up. This temple believes that there should be no force that should hinder the aarathi fire to reach its righteous place - at God’s abode.


Our third halt is now at the Ambal sannithi, which is on the left - back side of Swamy Atmanathar. The goddess here also does not have swaroop. However her footprints are engraved and pooja happens to those. The doors to her sannithi are closed to visitors; however, everyone can see the footprints through a window that is exactly opposite to the sannithi of Manickavasagar. Above the footprints, on the ceiling is the ‘Srichakra’ denoting the goddess.

The daily aarathi for Manickavasagar and the Ambal happens at the same time. Devotees thus need to line up on the side so as not to obstruct the view of aarathi at both the places. 

Besides the Ambal Sannithi and right behind the Sanctum is the location where Lord Siva wrote the Thiruvachagam as was recited to him by Manickavasagar under the Kurunda tree. 

Next, on the right of this, is the room, where the ‘oolai chavudu’ written by Lorn Siva himself is kept in a glass box.

Now coming back to the main sanctum, we have now finished one pradakshanam around the sanctum. However as stated earlier, the visit to the temple is not complete without the final darshan of the Manickavasagar. Post this, you can collect the tamarind rice with bitter guard and head back home.