Colorful Chennai

Today, the streets of Chennai offered up a magical experience that made me happy this was not my first trip to a developing country.  I was able to see beyond the contrasts between socio-economic class, poverty, trash, and chaos to a city with labrynthine streets filled with color, community, and welcoming faces.  I have never been in a community so open to the camera and so unworried about the distance between our lived realities.

Walking through the neighborhood behind our hotel:  

From there, we walked to a beach on the Bay of Bengal:

Then we walked and felt our way through various neighborhoods: 

We came across a Catholic church where there was a Wednesday wedding!

 

around the corner...

  

not to be confused with a pup, here is a calf tied to a moto

this made me laugh!

last shot of the day!

Chidambaram Temple--Home of Nataraja

One cannot separate custom, ritual, action, and faith in the world of Kuchipudi.  Thus, the week began in Chidambaram!  Everyone traveled four hours south on Sunday from Chennai to this spiritual haven for Lalita Sahara Nama Parayanam and Ati Rudram--two rituals practiced by the Brahmins who live and worship at the temple.  Put me in a voudu ceremony late at night in the mountains of Borgne or in front of a Malian blacksmith and I am good for a lengthy, legitimate, and trustworthy description. Here, I am at some stage that precedes initiate. Thus, here is my lay, surface-level description of what we experienced, beginning with an answer to "why?"

Chidambaram temple celebrates Nataraja, or Shiva as Lord of the Dance--one of the most significant forms of Shiva.  People come from all over India to be close to the dance of creation and the stillness it affords.  Sreedhar arranged a special, ancient blessing for Savita to honor Nataraja, and we all had the privilege of participating.

My participation consisted of observing.  There was also some sweating as we were inside a stone temple and I was in a silk sari Jyotsna selected for me to wear for the occasion.  From my journal: "the air is heavy, but the mood is light as the group chants."  Priests led the group in prayer as onlookers envied our closeness to Nataraja.  As the group chanted (punctuated by bells drawing the sound of om), the priests made endless offerings of flowers, honey, coconut milk, money, and silver.

                     

While the priests used offerings prepared for, and delivered especially to, them, 
one can also purchase flowers just inside the temple to make an offering

Sunday night found us largely in one space within the massive temple, chanting.  The evening closed with access to the golden temple wherein the space that is Shiva (the atmosphere) resides.  As Savita said upon leaving:  "that was powerful."

Monday morning we gathered again in the same space for more offerings and prayer before joining the priests, their wives, and the many visitors who make the pilgrimage outside for 100,000 prayers. As I understand, the ceremony will continue (100,000 prayers daily for 11 days).

a sense of the evening 

Savita and Deepika, the sisters

Monday's second offering

preparing Monday's second offering

one of the priests' children

Savita's Aunt and Uncle

Amama, Deepika, Savita

Dr. Lakshmi (expert on Chidambaram and historian) with Dr. Sunil Kothari (dance critic)

Alejo--professional photographer from whom I have learned more 

in two days then 10 years of amateur photography

thousands of stone pillars, each with intricate carvings.  

I found a small spotted owlet perched on one at the end of this hall.  I was so stunned, I missed the shot, but here is a stock photo of the little treasure from wikipedia 

(I did research and this is definitely the dude). 

for E & L

for LJC