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Chidambaram Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to
Lord Shiva located in the heart of the temple town of
Chidambaram, 58 km south of Pondicherry in Cuddalore
District, the east-central part of the Tamil Nadu state of
southeastern India. In Hindu mythology, Chidambaram is one
of five holiest Shiva temples representing the natural
element, sky.
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History
The Natraj Temple at Chidambaram is very special, not merely
architecturally, but conceptually. This is the temple of
the Cosmic Dancer, where the presiding deity is called
Nataraja. This temple has five halls, of which two-the Kanaka
Sabha and the Chit Sabha-have gold-plated roofs. The main icon
of Nataraja is in the Kanaka Sabha. One of the significant
aspects of the temple is that there is no image of god in the
Chit Sabha, which houses the Akasa lingam. This to signify
that God exists in vacant space too. The Nritta Sabha or the
Hall of Dance is the most beautiful and remarkable of the five
halls, built in the form of a chariot on wheels drawn by
horses. There are 56 pillars in the hall depicting the 108
poses of Bharat Natyam, the classical dance of Tamilnadu.
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Mythology
One Hindu myth, with deep philosophic symbolism, is a story
about Shiva and his wife Parvati. We are told that the divine
couple spent much of their time sporting in the Himalaya,
dallying with and teasing each other. Once, in the course of
their jestful banter, a dance competition was set up to see
who could out dance the other. The heavenly creatures
assembled, and while the celestial musicians played divine
music, Shiva and Parvati began to dance. As the dance
progressed it was clear that the couple was perfectly matched;
anything Shiva did Parvati could equal and the other way
around, So the competition |
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proceeded
virtually without end. Finally, the dance dialogue came to a
standstill. Shiva, the strident expert of many yogic practices
and tantric norms, stood on one leg and lifted the other high
above his shoulder. Standing in this Urdhva-tandava stance,
clearly meant for competent male dancers, he waited for
Parvati to imitate this difficult position. The celestial
audience watched in silence, for this was the ultimate
challenge. We are told that Parvati demurely bowed her head,
modesty inhibiting her from imitating his posture it is
believed that the grand Chidambaram temple was the venue of
this cosmic dance competition between the god and the goddess.
A central image of the temple is of Natraj, the cosmic dancer,
and there is a shrine in the complex dedicated to his wife
Shivakamasundari, the beautiful one desired by the Shiva. The
gopurams and the temple walls are adorned with myriad dancing
figures and musicians celebrating this great event of
creation.
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The Temple Architecture
The Natraj Temple at Chidambaram marks another important stage
of evolution of southern Indian architecture. The Chidambaram
Temple covers an area of 40 acres and is situated at the heart
of the city. It is a ancient and historic temple dedicated to
Lord Nataraja and Lord Shiva, one of the few temples where the
two dieties are enshrined in one place.[1] The origins of this
ancient temple are buried in the past. It is made up of an
assortment of architectural and sculptural styles built up
over the centuries including that built by the Cholas. One of
the special features of this temple is the bejewelled image of
Nataraja. It is devoted solely to the art of Bharatanatyam and
is one of the few temples where Shiva is represented by an
idol rather than a Lingam. The temple has five courts
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Festival
Brahmotsavam, Ani Thirumanjanam, Thai Poosam, and Arudra
Dharshan are some of the temple festivals that attract large
crowds from far and nearby places. During Arudra Dharshan, the
icons of Shri Nataraja and Shivakama Sundari are decorated
with flowers and taken around the town to the accompaniment of
nadaswaram. The streets during this time are a veritable
treasure of kolam art, in which the womenfolk of this area
revel.
The Natyanjali festival held for five days during February is
an eloquent tribute to this center as origin of dance. The
dance avenue, which was originally in front of the
1000-pillared Raja Sabha, has now been shifted to the
enclosure beyond the gopurams to facilitate closure of temple
in time and accommodate a larger audience. The number of dance
performers has been increasing year after year even though
they are only paid travel and lodging expenses. The
performance starts from 6.30 PM on the festival days and
continues past midnight.
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