Chidambaram

Chidambaram is one of the most ancient and most celebrated of shrines in India.  It is of great religious as well as historic and cultural significance Chidambaram is associated with Nataraja or Shiva in his Ananda Tandava pose (the Cosmic Dance of bliss) in the cosmic golden hall and the hall of consciousness (Chit Sabha).  Shiva is also worshipped in the “formless form” of the Chidambara Rahasyam, while the temple is known for its Akasa Lingam, an embodiment of Shiva as the formless space.

       It is a major tourist centre that opens the real gateway to the land of temples.  The original name of this place was Thillai Vanam (Forest).  Thillai (Excecasia  Agallcha) is a kind of thick shrub.  The real meaning of Chidambaram is consciousness of the sky (space) [cit - consciousness, ambaram – sky(space)].  It is one of the five element places of Lord Siva and the element represented here is the sky (space) – ambaram.  Hence, the name Chidambaram.  The Pandyas, the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Vijayanagar kings have all worshipped the dancing Nataraja and enriched the temple with various works including the gold plating of the vimanam (dome) of the sanctum.  Besides, the temple was also used as a garrison by the Marathas, the French, the British and by Hyder Ali for over 35 years during the Carnatic Wars. The famous Natyanjali festival is held here every year to pay homage to the Cosmic Dancer.

Nataraja

     The dance of bliss or the Ananda Tandavam of Shiva is said to symbolize the five divine acts (pancha krityas) of creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment and bestowment of grace.  The dance of Shiva has been made in metal and held in worships in Nataraja Sabhas, in virtually all of the Saivite temples in Tamil Nadu. Five of the foremost Sabhas (Pancha Sabhai) are at Chidambaram (Kanaka Sabhai the hall of gold), Madurai (Rajata Sabhai the hall of Silver), Tiruvalangadu  near Chennai (Ratnasabhai the hall of rubies), Tirunelveli  (Tamrasabhai the hall of Copper) and Kutralam near Tirunelveli (Chitrasabhai the hall of pictures).  Other dance halls of significance are Adri Sabhai (the Himalayas), Aadi Chitsabhai (Tiruvenkaadu near Chidambaram) and Perur Kanakasabhai (Patteeswarar temple at Perur near Coimbatore).

How to get there?

     Chidambaram is 245 km from Chennai and is well connected with several towns in the state.  From here, there are bus services to Chennai, Pondicherry, Nagapattinam and Madurai. It is also connected with meter gauge rail link, main link going to Rameswaram via Kumbakonam, Thanjavur and Trichirappali.  The nearest airport is at Trichirappalli from where Indian Airlines connections are available to Chennai, Madurai and Sri Lanka. Umpteen buses ply daily to Chidambaram and via Chidambaram to various places.