Natarajar Temple, Chidambaram

Description

Hand drawn pen and ink illustration of Natarajar Temple in Chidambaram Tamil Nadu (India)

Thillai Nataraja Temple, also referred as the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Nataraja, the form of Shiva as the lord of dance. This temple is located in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. This temple has ancient roots and a Shiva shrine existed at the site when the town was known as Thillai. Chidambaram, the name of the city literally means “stage of consciousness”. The temple architecture symbolizes the connection between the arts and spirituality, creative activity and the divine. The temple wall carvings display all the 108 karanas from the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni. These postures form a foundation of Bharatanatyam, the Indian classical dance form.

The temple was consecrated by the Cholas in the 10th-century when Chidambaram was the capital of The Chola Dynasty. The Cholas considered Nataraja as their family deity. It is one of the oldest surviving active temple complexes in South India. The temple reverentially presents major themes from Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and other traditions of Hinduism while keeping Shiva as it’s main deity. Lord Shiva is presented as the Nataraja performing the Ananda Tandava (“Dance of Delight”) in the golden hall of the shrine Pon Ambalam.

The temple is one of the five elemental lingas in the Shaivism pilgrimage tradition, and considered the subtlest of all Shiva temples (Kovil) in Hinduism. It is also a site for performance arts, including the annual Natyanjali dance festival on Maha Shivaratri.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataraja_Temple,_Chidambaram

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