Wanderlust भारत: Chidambaram

12/12/2011

What a day! Today we went on a field trip to Chidambaram! It was about a 3 hour bus ride :/ but very much worth it!

We had a little surprise when we got there and got to take some boats out through a swamp/jungle area! It was so refreshing and beautiful to see this side of India! We were able to see many birds, including some sort of eagle!

We then visited the Chidambaram Temple! It is an enormous temple that was built for Lord Nataraj, Lord Shiva’s aspect as the cosmic dancer. Chidambaram comes from the words “consciousness” and “stage”, as the temple is meant to serve as a stage where Lord Shiva dances. Shiva is the God of destruction and death, and is also the God of time. The temple covers 40 acres, and has 4 tall ornate towers that face the four cardinal directions.

While at the temple, we were blessed and got to participate in a small ritual of some sort. I was so amazed with the detail that went into every inch of this temple! From the floor, to the towers, to the ceiling! It was all detailed!

There was also a man and his bird there telling fortunes, so of course, some of us just had to! He told me that I was supposed to be born a buy (haha) which is what makes me stubborn and makes me have to learn things my own way. He said that I’m also very independent and ambitious, if I want something I make it happen. The funniest part was that he said starting in January, I’ll have 6 months to get married otherwise I won’t get married at all, and that I’ll be really “into” my husband (I hope my friends are laughing! Haha). And he said that the next 7 years of my life are going to be very successful ad wealthy!

Tomorrow it’s back to work – we’ll finally be getting started on our projects!