Festivals
have great value in Chidambaram. The Natyanjali festival dedicated to the
Cosmic Dancer (Lord Shiva) is celebrated every year during February-March.
Lord Nataraja, according to Hindu mythology is the cosmic dancer. He is also
called "the Lord of Dances".
Natyanjali festival opens on the auspicious occasion of the Maha Shivaratri
day and of course in the right kind of venue - the 'Prakara' of the
Chidambaram temple. The magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, built a
thousand years ago, provides a beautiful backdrop for the event. The setting
is truly divine-Chidambaram's gold-roofed temple, with pillars depicting
Lord Nataraja in 108 poses from Bharatanatyam - Tamil Nadu's classical
dance.
An Oppurtunity For All :
This is an opportunity for all dancers, from all over India, to perform and
to pay their tribute to Lord Nataraja. Natyanjali festival is jointly
organised by The Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, The
Ministry Of Tourism, Government of India and The Natyanjali Trust,
Chidambaram. The festival lasts for 5 days.
This dance festival at Chidambaram brings together all the prominent
dancers of India with an enchantment and elation, which shone in their eyes
and evocative Abhinaya as they offered their dance to the great divinity,
Lord Nataraja. To many of them it is like a dream come true, to be able to
perform in the vicinity of the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Nataraja himself,
whose 'Padams' and 'Varnams' they often dance upon creating an imaginary
figure of the Lord.
The Natyanjali Dance Festival is designed to promote a universal message of
"Unity in Diversity" conveyed in the universal language of music
and dance. Its purpose also is to both educate and entertain the audience.
How to get there ?
Air - The nearest airport is at Trichy, at a distance of
160-km.
Rail - The railway station is a 20-minute walk southeast
of the Nataraja Temple. Express and passenger trains leave for Chennai four
times daily, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur twice daily, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai.
Road - Chidambaram is well connected by road with
Chennai, Pondicherry, Madurai, Thanjavur, etc.
A
majority of the population of India depends on agriculture. As a result,
most of the festivals are also related to the agricultural activities of the
people. These festivals are celebrated with different names and rituals in
almost all the states of India. Pongal is an important festival of Tamil
Nadu, which is celebrated to mark the withdrawal of the Southeast monsoons
as well as the reaping of the harvest. It falls in the month Thai and is
strictly a rural festival.
The Legend Behind The Celebrations :
There are few interesting legends behind the Pongal celebrations. The most
popular among them related to the celebrations of the first day of the
Pongal festival goes like this - Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Mountain
on his little finger to shelter his people and save them from being washed
away by the rains and floods.
According to another the third day of Pongal is celebrated because Lord
Shiva once asked Nandi, his bull, to go to earth and deliver his message to
the people - to have an oil bath every day and food once a month. But Nandi
got it all mixed up when he delivered the message, and told the people that
Shiva asked them to have an oil bath once a month and eat every day. Shiva
was displeased, and told Nandi that since the people would now need to grow
more grain, Nandi would have to remain on earth and help them plough the
fields.
Mattu Pongal is also called "Kanu Pongal", and women pray for the
welfare of their brothers. This is similar to the festivals of Raksha
Bandhan and Bhai Dooj celebrated in some states of North India.
About The Festival :
The festival is celebrated for four days and the celebrations on the first
day of the Tamil month Thai and continues for the three days. The month of
Thai is supposed to be very auspicious for every kind of activity. The Sun
is worshipped for his rays are responsible for the life on earth.
It is the biggest harvest festival, spread over four days. 'Bhogi' is
celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on January 14, 'Mattu Pongal' on January
15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on January 16. Thiruvalluvar has done a great
contribution to Tamil literature with 'Thirukkural'. There are 1,330 verses
in this work and they talk about all aspects of life.
In fact, the name of the festival is derived from Pongal, a rice pudding
made from freshly harvested rice, milk and jaggery. The first day, "Bhogi
Pongal", is a day for the family. "Surya Pongal", the second
day, is dedicated to the worship of Surya, the Sun God. The third day of
Pongal, "Mattu Pongal", is for the worship of the cattle.
Cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colours, and
garlands of flowers placed around their necks. Pongal is associated with
cleaning and burning of rubbish, symbolizing the destruction of evil.
All the four days of Pongal have there own individual significance. On the
first day, delicious preparations are made and homes are washed and
decorated. Doorways are painted with vermilion and sandalwood paste with
colourful garlands of leaves and flowers decorating the outside of almost
every home. On this day 'Bhogi' or the Rain God is worshipped.
Rituals Followed :
A typical traditional Pongal celebration has a number of rituals attached
to it. The place where the Pongal Puja is to be conducted is cleaned and
smeared with dung, a day prior to the festival. People generally choose an
open courtyard for this purpose.
'Kolams' (Rangoli) generally drawn with rice flour are special to the
occasion. The idea behind using rice flour is that the insects would feed on
it and bless the household. At the centre of it a lump of cow dung holds a
five-petal pumpkin flower, which is regarded as a symbol of fertility and an
offering of love to the presiding deity. In a similar way the houses are
also cleaned, painted and decorated. Kolams (Rangoli) are made in the front
yards of the houses and new clothes for the whole family are bought to mark
the festivities. Even the cattle are gaily caparisoned with beads, bells and
flowers-their horns painted and capped with gleaming metals.
The Tempting Recipes :
Sweet rice, known as "Pongal", is cooked in a new earthenware pot
at the same place where puja is to be performed. Fresh turmeric and ginger
are tied around this pot. Then a delicious concoction of rice, Moong Dal,
jaggery and milk are boiled in the pot on an open fire. This Pongal,
according to ritual, is allowed to boil and spill out of the pot. Pongal,
once ready, is offered to God first, on a new banana leaf along with other
traditional delicacies like Vadas, Payasam, etc. Besides this, sugarcane,
grain, sweet potatoes, etc are also offered to the Sun God.
Processions:
A procession is taken out from the Kandaswamy (also spelt as Kandaswami)
Temple in Chennai. In Madurai, Tanjore and Tiruchirrapalli, where Pongal is
known as Jellikattu, bundles of money are tied to the horns of bulls, and
villagers try and wrest the bundles from them. Community meals are made from
the freshly gathered harvest and enjoyed by the entire village.
Akin
to the nectar of the Gods is the Camellia Sinensia, which is a bush that
gives fragrant amber ambrosia-a refresher and stimulizer. In other words,
TEA.
Commercial plantations came into existence in the Nilgiris around 1853,
though tea plants were thriving in Tamil Nadu earlier to this. South Indian
Tea has gained recognition far and wide. India is the fifth largest
tea-producing belt in the world after China. In 1991, south India exported
50 million kg. to over 30 countries.
The Celebration Of Tea :
The major tea growing areas in the South are the Nilgiris and the Anamalais
High Ranges, Peermedu-Vandiperiyar belt and Wynad in Kerala and a few in
Karnataka.
The Annual Tea and Tourism Festival is celebrated in the Nilgiris in the
months of January/February jointly by the Department of Tourism, Government
of Tamil Nadu and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The festival is
held for 3 days and varieties of tea are put on display. Visitors can also
taste and select from the wide varieties of tea available.
Cultural programs, visits to Tea Estates and factories, fun and frolic
etc., mark the celebrations. Come to the Nilgiris, during this festival,
when tea lovers from all over the world converge. An occasion not to be
missed!
How to get there ?
Air - The nearest airport is at Coimbatore (100-km).
Rail - Udhagamandalam on the narrow gauge railway is
connected to Mettupalayam, which is directly connected to Coimbatore and
Chennai on the broad gauge.
Road - There are regular bus services connecting
Udhagamandalam to Coimbatore, Trichy, Bangalore, Madurai, Kanyakumari,
Mysore, Calicut, Tirupati etc.
