Napoleon's Tomb

Shri Nathji also visited Napoleon's Tomb at Paris During His car trip to Europe  and stood in silence for a brief moment. Perhaps it was to grant salvation to that tormented soul that Shri Nathji had set foot in Paris. Shri Nathji often said: "Napoleon thought nothing was impossible for him but he met with the impossible in life, for he relied upon his own strength. Nothing is impossible for the lovers of God alone!" Shri Nathji was very fond of listening to the biography of Napoleon, which Priya Nath used to read to him frequently in Mussoorie. He admired the Emperor's courage on his return from the exile at Elba. Shri Nathji would be greatly overwhelmed whenever he would recall Napoleon's confrontation with his own troops who were then under a new emperor, but who turned loyal to him again. Napoleon’s march to Moscow and Tolstoy's War and Peace had always held a great interest for Shri Nathji. France had a large place in his heart.

Napoleon's Tomb is located in the central crypt of the Eglise du Dome Church at the Hotel des Invalides, which is situated on the Esplanade des Invalides, within the 7th Arrondissement, in the city of Paris. The remains of the emperor, inside the sarcophagus, are protected by six concentric coffins, built from different materials, including mahogany, ebony, and oak, all one inside the other. On May 5th 1821, Napoleon died on the island of St Helena, where he had been in exile since 1815. He was buried in the Geranium valley. His remains rested there until October 15th 1840. In 1840 his remains were exhumed and brought to Paris, under the instructions of Louis-Philippe, who demanded that the English return the emperor to French soil. A state funeral was held, and the remains laid to rest in St Jerome's Chapel. The remains were moved in 1861 when the tomb was completed. The tomb is crafted in red porphyry, and placed on a green granite base, it is circled by a crown of laurels with inscriptions, which act as reminders of the empires great victories. In the round gallery is a series of low relief, sculptures by Simart. A statue of the emperor, bearing the imperial emblems, is located at the back of the crypt.