Chidambaram Temple - Tamilnadu.

Chidambaram Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the heart of the temple town of Chidambaram,Tamil Nadu).The temple , 78 km south of Pondicherry and 235 Km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state of southeastern India.

Chidambaram is one of the most ancient and celebrated Shiva shrines in India. It is associated with Nataraja Shiva in his Ananda Tandava pose. The Chidambaram temple houses the Nataraja (Shiva in Ananda Tandava pose; the Cosmic Dance of bliss) statue. It is of great religious, historical and cultural significance. Chidambaram is one of the foremost Shaivite shrines in India. Chidambaram is one of the Pancha bhoota signifying the 5 elements of wind water, fire, earth and space.

The three eyes of the god represent the sun, moon and fire. The deity has four arms, in the rear right hand, he holds a drum (damaru) the symbol of sound and creation as from it emanates the sounds that gave birth to music. The palm of the front right hand is raised in a gesture of protection and blessing. The rear left hand holds a pot of fire signifying destruction while the other points downwards to the left foot raised in a dance pose. The hand is the source of divine grace and bliss while the raised foot represents salvation. The right foot firmly represses Mauyalka, embodiment of human cruelty and ignorance, victory over whom leads to salvation. Surrounding the figure of the dancing god is an aureole of flames, representing wisdom, truth and the vital forces of creation sustained by the cosmic energy generated by the divine dancer. And so, the dance becomes a metaphor of life, wherein are balanced good and evil, creation and destruction.

The garland of sacred bilva leaves hanging in the sanctum actually represents the invisible ‘chakra’, symbol of the divine union of Shiva and Parvati as Nataraja and Sivakami and is known as Chidambaram’s Rahasyam (secret). Leaves of the bilva or bel tree, (Indian wood apple, Aegle marmilos) are always offered to Shiva in a tradition begun by Lord Vishnu himself. Legend tells us that once, when Vishnu ran out of offerings while worshipping Shiva, the goddess Lakshmi came to his rescue and using the powers of her austerity created the Bel tree, the leaves of which were then used by Vishnu to complete his pooja.

The word Chidambaram may be derived from chit, meaning “consciousness”, and ambaram, meaning “sky” (from aakasam or aakayam); it refers to the chidaakasam, the sky of consciousness, which is the ultimate aim one should attain according to all the Vedas and scriptures.Another theory is that it is derived from chit + ambalam. Ambalam means a “stage” for performing arts. The chidakasam is the state of supreme bliss or aananda and Lord Natarajar is the symbolic representation of the supreme bliss or aananda natanam. Saivaites believe that a visit to Chidambaram leads to liberation.Yet another theory is that it is derived from the word chitrambalam, from chithu meaning “play or dances of God” and ambalam meaning “stage”.

Legend :

The story of Chidambaram begins with the legend of Lord Shiva strolling into the Thillai Vanam (Vanam meaning forest and thillai trees - botanical name Exocoeria agallocha, a species of mangrove trees - which currently grows in the Pichavaram wetlands near Chidambaram. The temple sculptures depicting the Thillai trees date back to the 2nd century CE).

In the Thillai forests resided a group of saints or 'rishis' who believed in the supremacy of magic and that God can be controlled by rituals and 'mantras' or magical words. The Lord strolls in the forest with resplendent beauty and brilliance, assuming the form of 'Pitchatanadar', a simple mendicant seeking alms. He is followed by his Grace and consort who is Lord Vishnu as Mohini. The rishis and their wives are enchanted by the brilliance and the beauty of the handsome mendicant and his consort.On seeing their womenfolk enchanted, the rishis get enraged and invoke scores of 'serpents' (Sanskrit: Nāga) by performing magical rituals. The Lord as the mendicant lifts the serpents and dons them as ornaments on his matted locks, neck and waist. Further enraged, the rishis invoke a fierce tiger, which the Lord skins and dons as a shawl around his waist.Thoroughly frustrated, the rishis gather all their spiritual strength and invoke a powerful demon Muyalakan - a symbol of complete arrogance and ignorance. The Lord wearing a gentle smile, steps on the demon's back, immobilizes him and performs the Ánanda Thaandava (the dance of eternal bliss) and discloses his true form. The rishis surrender, realizing that this Lord is the truth and he is beyond magic and rituals.

Architecture :

The temple has 9 gateways and four of these have towering pagodas or gopurams each with 7 levels in the East, South, West and North. The eastern pagoda has all the 108 postures (karnams) of the Indian dance form – Bharathanatyam sculpted on it. The Nataraja Temple has five halls, Kanaka Sabha, Chit Sabha, Nritta Sabha, Deva Sabha and Raja Sabha. Shiva Nataraja and his consort Parvati Sivakami preside over the garba-griham or the sanctum sanctorum in the Kanaka Sabha while the sanctum of the Chit Sabha houses the Akasalingam (Lingam of Space). Interestingly, there is no image or representation of Shiva because here the god is worshipped in his all-encompassing ‘formless’ state.

The Hall of Dance, the Nritta Sabha is the most outstanding of all the halls – designed like a horse drawn chariot; it has 56 pillars portraying 108 poses of Bharatnatyam, the classical dance form associated with Shiva and with Tamil Nadu. Festivals were organised in the Deva Sabha, the hall of the gods. The thousand pillared pavilion, the Rajya Sabha was the venue for victory celebrations and thanksgiving ceremonies during the reigns of the Pandya and Chola dynasties.

The Ananda Thaandava :

Adhisesha, the serpent who serves as a bed for the Lord in his manifestation as Vishnu, hears about the Änanda thaandava and yearns to see and enjoy it. The Lord blesses him, beckons him to assume the saintly form of 'Patanjali' and sends him to the Thillai forest, informing him that he will display the dance in due course.Patanjali who meditated in the Himalayas during krita age joins another saint, Vyagrapathar / Pulikaalmuni (Vyagra / Puli meaning "Tiger" and patha / kaal meaning "feet" – referring to the story of how he sought and got the feet and eyesight of a tiger to help climb trees well before dawn to pick flowers for the Lord before the bees visit them). The story of sage Patanjali as well as his great student sage Upamanyu is narrated in both Vishnu Puranam as well as Siva Puranam. They move into the Thillai forest and worship Lord Shiva in the form of Shivalinga, a deity worshipped today as Thirumoolataneswarar (Thiru - sri, Moolatanam - primordial or in the nature of a foundation, Eswarar- the Lord). Legends say that Lord Shiva displayed his dance of bliss (the Aananda Thaandavam) - as Nataraja to these two saints on the day of the poosam star in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan – Feb).

The Ananda Tandava Posture :

The Ananda Tandava posture of Lord Shiva is one of the famous postures recognized around the world by many. This celestial dancing posture tells us how a Bharathanatium Dancer should dance.

The demon under Nataraja's feet signifies that ignorance is under his feet 
The Fire in this hand (power of destruction) means destroyer of evil 
The raised hand signifies that he is the savior of all life. 
The Ring at the back signifies the cosmos. 
The drum in his hand signifies the origin of Life. 

CHIDAMBARA RAHASYAM :

Chidambara Ragasiyam/Rahasyam (Tamil for "secret of Chidambaram") is a Hindu belief that there is a secret message conveyed through the embossed figure near the shrine of Shiva in Chidambaram temple. Since ancient times, it is believed that this is the place where Lord Shiva and Parvathi are present, but are invisible to the naked eyes of normal people. In the Chidambaram temple of Lord Nataraja, Chidambara Ragasiyam is hidden by a curtain (Maya). Darshan of Chidambara Ragasiyam is possible only when priests open the curtain (or Maya) for special poojas. People who are privileged to have a darshan of Chidambara Ragasiyam can merely see golden vilva leaves (Aegle Marmelos) signifying the presence of Lord Shiva and Parvathi in front of them. It is also believed that devout saints can see the Gods in their physical form, but no such cases have been officially reported. The phrase "Chidambara Ragasiyam" really means something different. The pharse literally means a secret associated to Chidambaram - the place. Behind this is a real meaning to a secret. As described above there is a particular curtain kind of curtain which when removed enables us viewing the secret. The real significance of doing so is that, when the curtain which is "maya" is removed one can see his real self. And the seeing of oneself removing the curtain of maya is viewing the secret. According to legend, "Chidambara Ragasiyam" will never be revealed as it is the secret relating to a particular person who sees it removing the screen of "maya". In the temple, when the poojas are performed and the screen is removed, one will be able to see the secret only when he applies this to his mind and soul. RITUALS : The day begins with the Chief priest of the day, performing required rituals to purify himself and assume the Shivoham bhava, after which he enters the temple to do the daily rituals. The day begins with the Lord’s footwear (padukas) being brought at 7:00am from the Palliyarai (or bedroom) to the sanctum sanctorum in a palanquin accompanied by devotees with cymbals and chimes and drums. The Priest then begins by performing the daily rituals with a yagna and a ' Go pujai' (worship of a cow and her calf). Worship (Pooja) is done 6 times in a day. Before each pooja, the Spadika linga (Crystal linga) – the 'aru uruva' or the semi form state of Lord Shiva is anointed with ghee, milk, curds, rice, sandal paste and holy ash. This is followed by presenting the neivedhyam or offering of freshly prepared food and sweets to the Lord and the deeparaadhana, a ritual of showing varied and decoratively set lamps, the reciting of Vedas in Sanskrit and the Panchapuranam (a set of 5 poems from a set of 12 works in Tamil – called the panniru thirumurai). The pooja ends with the priest parting the curtains of the sanctum sanctorum to reveal the Chidambara Rahasyam. Before the 2nd pooja, apart from the regular anointing of the crystal linga, a ruby Nataraja deity (the Rathinasabhapathy) is also anointed. The 3rd pooja is at around 12.00 noon, after which the temple closes until around 4:30pm. The 4th pooja is performed at 6.00 PM, the 5th at 8:00pm and the last pooja of the day is performed at 10:00pm, after which the Lord’s footwear is taken in a procession for Him to ‘retire’ for the night. Before the 5th pooja at night, the priest performs special rituals at the Chidambara Rahasya, where he anointed the yantra with aromatic substances and offers 'neivedhyam'. The last pooja, called the Arthajaama pooja in Chidambaram is done with special fervor. It is believed that the entire divine force of the universe retires into the Lord, when he retires for the night.

 FESTIVALS :

 Marghazhi Thiruvaadhirai (in December - January ) indicating the first pooja , the fourteenth day after the new moon ( chaturdasi) of the month of Masi ( February - March) indicating the second pooja, the Chittirai Thiruvonam ( in April- May), indicating the third pooja or uchi kaalam , the Uthiram of Aani (June- July) also called the Aani Thirumanjanam indicating the evening or the fourth pooja , the chaturdasi of Aavani (August-September) indicating the fifth pooja and the chaturdasi of the month of Puratasi ( October - November) indicating the sixth pooja or Arthajama.

Of these the Marghazhi Thiruvaadhirai ( in December-January) and the Aani Thirumanjanam ( in June-July ) are the most important. The Natyanjali Dance Festival is held on the temple grounds in February with performances by eminent dancers. The 5 day long festival is held during the Mahashivratri celebrations in February, and attracts the finest classical dancers who perform in the ‘prakararam’ in the temple grounds.

Darshan Timings :

Morning 6.00.a.m to 12.00 noon
Evening 5.00.p.m. to 10.00 night

Daily Schedule :

6.30.a.m. PAAL NIVEDHYAM 

7.00.a.m. MAHA AARTHI

7.45 a.m.to 9.00.a.m. KALASANDHI POOJA

10.00a.m.to 11.00.a.m. IRANDAAM KAALAM

11.30.a.m.to 12.00noon UCHIKAALAM

5.15p.m. to 6.00.p.m. SAAYARAKSHAI

7.00.p.m.to 8.00.p.m. IRANDAAM KAALAM

9.00.p.m. to 10.00.p.m. ARDHAJAAMAM

How To Get Here :

By Train : Chidambaram is well rail connected to all major cities in India through Chennai and Tiruchirappalli.

By Bus : Chidambaram is connected by buses to all the major towns and cities in Tamilnadu and also connected to cities in Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Regular bus services are available to Madurai, Kanyakumari, Chennai, Trichy, Pondicherry, Trivandrum and Thanjavur.

By Air : Nearest airport to Chidambaram is at Tiruchirappali at distance of about 195 kms.