The Theosophical Society

Banyon Tree

The Theosophical Society may be of interest for spiritual reasons or simply for its beautiful park, including a banyan incredible. This "ficus bengalensis" is one of the world's largest banyan tree, its roots extend over 22 square meters from north to south and 24 meters square from east to west. And the primary root continues to grow underground ...

The park includes the company headquarters of the Theosophical Society, based in Chennai since 1882, the temples of all faiths, a library with valuable manuscripts and trees from all countries. You'll find a most restful quiet, especially if you stop there after a day visiting the city. Be careful with the times, the park closes between noon and 2:00 p.m. and after 16 hours.

 

The Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and Colonel H. S. Olcott. Both wanted and set up chat rooms for men to defend the "universal brotherhood" over all religion, by accepting any interested person irrespective of caste, sex, color, etc.. The motto of this organization, derived from the Upanishads, "There is no religion beyond the truth," is inscribed on the main building. Since 1875, the "boxes" have emerged in 42 countries, including France. The headquarters are located in India at Chennai. The members of the world (about 30,000) can navigate all the years, the Christmas period, for a series of lectures and seminars.

Theosophical Society Head Quarters

A public relations office is located in the main building (brick red with elephant heads), and available to answer questions from the curious.

Pichavaram - Mangrove Forest

'Backwater Pichavaram near Chidambaram' 
 

This picture Pichavaram Backwater and mangrove forest near Chidambaram, 75 km from Pondicherry. It is located south of Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu India. It is considered the second largest mangrove forest in the world where you can find rare species of shellfish and fish.

It is a beautiful tourist place which is under the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Its main objective is to strengthen the tourism sector. Installing Boating is available here and you go in you will enter another world that you can see in this video.

Fishing activity is also seen in this place. Tourists from various parts of the world visit this popular tourist destination.

The mangrove ecosystem is a grouping of plants including a main timber specific, do develop in the area of intertidal foreshore called low coasts of tropical regions. There are also mangrove swamps at the mouth of some rivers.

These particular settings provide substantial resources (forestry and fisheries) for people living on these shores. Mangroves are the most productive ecosystems in the biomass of our planet. Woody species are the most notable with their mangrove pneumatophores and stilt-roots.

The rapid degradation of some mangroves in the world, has become alarming because they are effective in stabilizing fragile coastal areas that are now threatened, and because they contribute to ecological resilience of ecosystems after cyclones and tsunamis and address the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels.

in this harsh environment, mangroves have evolved a mechanism to provide assistance to young seedlings. All mangroves have seeds floating that promote dispersal by water. Unlike most plants, whose seeds germinate in the soil, many mangrove trees (eg red mangrove) are viviparous, that is to say that their seeds germinate on the parent tree before falling. Once the seed has germinated, the seedling grows into the fruit (eg Aegialitis, Acanthus, Avicennia and Aegiceras), or out by using the fruit as a medium (eg Rhizophora, Ceriops, Bruguiera and Nypa) . We call the latter system a propagule (a plant ready to go), which can produce its own food through photosynthesis.  

When the propagule is mature it drops into the water where it can be transported over long distances. It can survive desiccation and remain dormant for weeks, months, or even a year until it reaches an appropriate environment. Once a propagule is ready to take root, it will change its density so that instead of a horizontal root system favoring the waterline, it produces a vertical root system. In this position, he is ready to take root in the mud. If a propagule is not rooted, it can change its density so that it floats farther in search of more favorable conditions.

Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram

Surrounded by wide streets (by the standards of the Middle Ages) to allow passage of trucks of procession, the shrine of Nataraja is surrounded by a wall dating from the twelfth century. It can be accessed by one of four gopuram ("towers" entry), gems of Chola art, and whose importance, both in terms of size and artistic treatment, is sometimes greater than the sanctuary itself (this being a constant in the Hindu religious architecture of South India).
Gopuram of the temple of Nataraja at Chidambaram

The interior of the sanctuary has five main rooms (Sabhas):

   1. Chitrambalam or Chit Sabha (the "Golden Hall"), which houses the sculpture of Nataraja.
   2. Ponnambalam, or Kanaka Sabha: The room where the Nataraja takes his ablutions.
   3. Perambalam or Deva Sabha, which contains the "five deities (Pancha Murtha).
   4. Nritya Sabha, where Nataraja danced the Tandava Oordhva.
   5. Raja Sabha (the "room with 1000 pillars"): Where the icon Mobile (utsavamūrti) of Nataraja is washed and walked to the 10th day of the festival and Ani Tirumanjanam Marghazi (December-January), before joining again the Chitrambalam (the "Golden Hall").

The bronze sculpture of Nataraja is exposed in the Chitrambalam, a rectangular room covered with gold and copper. This room (the "Golden Hall") is faithful to the center of the world where Shiva, under the representation of Nataraja performs his "cosmic dance". This sculpture of Nataraja, typical of Chola art, has a strong symbolic
Shiva Nataraja (British Museum)

    1. The Nataraja is held in a "ring of fire" (thiruvāsi) which symbolizes the vibrant nature, rhythmic, and cyclic life.
   2. It builds on his right foot, crushing the muyalagan (daemon), symbolizing the abolition of evil.
   3. His left leg lifted leads the way to salvation.
   4. His first right hand holds a drum (damaru) representing the vital rhythm.
   5. His second right hand is held palm forward, in the posture Pataka symbolizing protection, removal of fear.
   6. His first left hand holds the fire, which symbolizes the life force vital energy.
   7. His second left hand at the end of his outstretched arm to his body, adopts the posture hasta-kari, meaning "Here I am," Shiva refocuses him on everything.
    
8. To the left of his head, the crescent moon (Shandra) symbolizes the culmination of the knowledge and intellect.
   9. To the right of his head, the Ganges, in the form of fish, symbolizes the life-giving water.
  10. To the left of his body, the veil flying in the wind symbolizes the removal of illusion (Maya).
  11. On the right side of his body, the serpent, ancient symbol of fertility, is the breath and air.
 

On the other hand, the sculpture of Nataraja, which is carved by artisans of a particular type (the sthapati) who make icons for generations of Hindu temples, is subject to strict proportional rules: For example, an equilateral triangle upper vertex (om-ma-va) can be traced from the top of the head (om), the left foot (va), and the scarf when it crosses the thiruvāsi (Ring of Fire) (my) of Similarly, an equilateral triangle with lower vertex (if-ya-na) can be drawn between the right foot (if), the drum (there), and the hand holding the fire (na). The two overlapping triangles are the oldest known representation of the figure called "Star of David" symbol used in other religions (including Judaism). There, in the sanctuary, two types of idols: idols fixed (sthibera), which can not be displaced once the temple consecrated idols and mobile (utsavamūrti) that can be taken out of the temple, especially during ritual processions in the city.

Apart from the "Golden Hall", other parts of the sanctuary all have a symbolic own: thus, the 4 Vedas, 108 Upanishads, 18 Puranas, and all other Hindu canonical texts are identified by either party of this temple.

    * The temple of the goddess Sivakami:

Situated within the sanctuary of the Nataraja temple is dedicated to Sivakami, one of the representations of the goddess Parvati, consort of Shiva, in his role as "wife" of Nataraja. It dates from the Chola period and hosts numerous sculptures of Bharata Natyam dance postures.

    * The Temple Govindaraj:

Located near the shrine of Nataraja, the temple is dedicated to one of the representations of the god Vishnu.

Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram is a small village near the sea which is very famous throughout India for the quality and delicacy of stone carvers.Often this village that are the most monumental Indian sculpture you can see in temples, houses and luxury hotels worldwide.

This is a great trip to make from Chennai to Pondicherry or both for the peace of his village and the quality of its craftsmanship! It is also a popular destination for Indian tourists and there is often a lot of people and colors! The monumental sculptures of the Pallava

Details of meditation Arjuna Les historic and artistic sites of Mamallapuram are among the oldest in Tamil Nadu, between the VII and VIII, it is under the Pallava dynasty, among the oldest in South India Mamallapuram that had its moment of glory.

You can start by exploring the extraordinary bas relief "Arjuna's meditation" or "the descent of the Ganges", carved directly into the wall of the hill behind the main temple of the village.

It is a wealth of detail, gods, ascetics, animals of all sizes and a succession of Hindu symbols that you can ask a local guide to explain! Several theories run, in fact, the significance of the relief.

 
The funniest of the frieze is also that you can watch the draft, realized there are more than 15 centuries by sculptors! Just a few meters upstream of the frieze now, you can see an outline of the frieze, but has not been completed due to lack of space.

The history and sculpture at Mamallapuram are everywhere and you find beautiful caves carved in the center of the city. so you can walk in the hills around the city center (particularly during the day, because there is no security or lighting at night).

The hills are covered with carved caves, small temples, roads, and a beautiful view over the village and sea from the headland on which the two lights are installed in the village.
  

Temple of shoreline along the merEnfin do not miss "the temple of the shore, which is one of the few temples of South India built near the sea and also one of the oldest (seventh century).
It was badly damaged by the spray and some sculptures are erased, but it remains a landmark temple, enchanting and quiet especially at sunrise and sunset.
 
The paradise of stone carvers

Sculptures MamallapuramIl still some treasures to discover in the village of Mamallapuram. First quarter sculptors, south of the city. Mamallapuram still has a college that trains young sculptors the ancestral techniques of the city. It's beautiful to walk between Ganesh, the Durga, representations of elephants, gigantic goddesses barely out of stone (usually granite) and shots of the sculptor chisels.

You can also find sculptures of green stone, the "marble", almost translucent, which changes color when it went underwater. two of the last five rathasEnfin gift that can offer Mamallapuram is the "five its rathas" or "5 tanks.

 
There are 5 monumental sculptures carved directly into huge blocks of granite from the sixth century. Each tank is a small temple dedicated to a great man or a deity of the Hindu pantheon.