Skip to content Thillai Nataraja Temple Chidambaram
In Chidambaram, there is a very significant temple of Lord Shiva in His dancing form as Nataraja Swamy, a unique form of the Lord in His cosmic dance. Surrounded by forests, sea and rivulets, Chidambaram is a beautiful and serene pilgrim centre with lush greenery nearby. It is located in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu.
Chidambaram does not find much mention in prominent Shaiva Puranic literature except that of Nayanmars, great devout saints of Lord Shiva in the Tamil language through their songs, the Tirumurai. Chola kings like Parantaka Chola worshipped Lord Shiva and gave land, jewels and grants to Nataraja, treating Him as their family deity.
Click here for the temple location on Google Maps
The place is called Thillai according to ancient Tamil texts. Gradually, the place was visited by several Shaiva kings, saints and devotees in general. This city was made a capital for some time by the kings, as it is guarded by land, rocks, forests and sea. A shrine of Lord Shiva as Nataraja and Parvati as Shivagami was built stage by stage by several rulers who occupied this place.
It was developed and improved through the centuries with shrines dedicated to the family of Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganapati and Lord Subrahmanya.
One finds several inscriptions that mention this place as Thillai Vanam, Ponnambalam, Brahmapuri and later as Chidambaram. There are several folk and semi-historical anecdotes about the place. One finds a very interesting story related to how Lord Shiva manifested as a dancing god in Chidambaram.
Patanjali and Vyaghrapada
The two ‘rishis’ Patanjali and Vyaghrapada were in deep penance in the nearby forest in prayer to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva wished to test their devotion and appeared as a begging ‘sanyasi.’
On seeing the sages in their deep ‘tapas,’ Shiva and Parvati were so impressed and began to dance in ecstasy (Ananda Tandavam). It is said that Lord Vishnu, who saw the ultimate dance of Shiva-Parvati, decided to settle here in a relaxed mood of Govindaraja Perumal in a reclining posture. This was probably on an Arudra star day of Magham.
To mark this divine event, a silver replica of Lord Shiva as Nataraja was installed and consecrated at this place, instead of regular Shiva lingam, and is being worshipped as Mula Virat here. This form of Lord Shiva is also called Akasha Lingam and Kanaka Sabhai Nathar. Arudra festivities are held each year during the Mahashiva Ratri occasion. Priests follow Shaiva Agama and are called Deekshitars.
Chidambara Rahasyam
Chidambara Rahasyam (secret of Chidambaram) is a belief that there is a secret message conveyed through the temple. It is believed that this is the place where Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati are present but invisible to us. That is the Rahasyam of this temple.
Spatika Shiva Lingam
As a later development, a Spatika Shiva Lingam is installed here, in addition to Mula Virat. This Spatika Lingam is offered six times ‘puja’ in a day, which is unique in this temple in Chidambaram. Apart from Nataraja and Shivagami, one finds shrines dedicated to
- Lord Govindaraja Perumal,
- Goddess Pankajavalli Tayar,
- Lord Garuda,
- Lord Surya,
- Lord Subrahmanya and
- Lord Ganapati
built during later Pandyas and the king Achyutaraya among the rulers of Vijayanagara. There is a mention of the king of Angkorwat offering some jewellery to Lord Nataraja according to copper plates available here.
This temple is unique in some aspects. It has four orbits. Ponnambalam has a ‘mantapam’ built in gold, inner pillars and walls have intricate carvings of episodes from Nayanmars, the sixty three devotees of Lord Shiva, and also one hundred and eight dancing postures as described in Natyashastram of Bharata Muni.
Dance enthusiasts find a feast for their eyes here. A couple of ponds with clear water are located inside the temple premises, including Shivaganga, a prominent lake.
Nayanmars
The Dance Hall is dedicated to performing arts, and local dancers perform their debut performance (Ranga Pravesham) here seeking blessings from Nataraja Perumal.
A separate shrine for sixty-three Shiva devotees called Nayanmars is a speciality of this temple. We have stone images of Appar, Manikavachakar, Jnana Sambandhar and other great devotees of Lord Shiva, being offered ‘puja’ every day.
Puja Customs
Every day, Lord Nataraja is offered ‘puja,’ ‘arati’ and other offerings thrice and six times ‘puja’ for Spatika Lingam. Nayanmars will have daily ‘puja’ and prayers with their songs. Devotees sing poems from Periya Puranam and other Tevaram/ Tirumurais.
Annual festivals during Shivaratri, Arudra Star and some other days of Amavasya are held in the temple, with a few thousand devotees gathered regularly.
The Vedic ‘mantras’ are used less than Tamil prayers in the temple. Five chariots are drawn simultaneously during Arudra Rathotsavam. Several hundreds of devotees are fed each day during noon.
The months of Adi and Kartika have important festivals here, and during Mahashivaratri each year the festival is celebrated in a grand manner attracting several thousands of pilgrims.
Click here to explore – Hindu Temples
