- Best time
- November to February
- Nearest airport
- Tiruchirappalli (about 170 km); Chennai (about 230 km)
- Nearest railway station
- Chidambaram
- Element
- Space (akasha)
The Nataraja Temple
The temple covers about 40 acres and has four tall gopurams covered in sculpture, including carvings of the 108 poses of Bharatanatyam. The inner shrine, the Chit Sabha, has a gold-plated roof. Shiva is present here in three ways: as the dancing Nataraja, as a crystal lingam, and as an empty space behind a curtain known as the Chidambara Rahasyam, the 'secret of Chidambaram'.
The goddess here is Sivakami Amman, and there are shrines to Ganesha and Murugan as well. The Govindaraja Perumal shrine, one of the 108 Divya Desams, makes the temple sacred to both Shaivites and Vaishnavites. Large halls and the Sivaganga tank lie within the walls.
The legend
Tradition says that Shiva came to the Thillai forest with Vishnu, who had taken the form of Mohini. The sages living there tried to destroy the visitor with a tiger, snakes and a dwarf demon. Shiva wore the tiger's skin, draped the snakes round his neck, and danced the Ananda Tandava on the demon's back, after which the sages accepted him.
Best time to visit
November to February is the most comfortable season, with temperatures between about 20°C and 30°C. The Margazhi Arudra Darshanam festival in December–January and the Natyanjali dance festival around Maha Shivaratri are the busiest times. March to June is hot, and the north-east monsoon from October to December brings heavy rain on this coast.
How to reach
Chidambaram railway station is on the Chennai–Kumbakonam–Thanjavur line, and buses run often from Cuddalore, Puducherry, Kumbakonam and Virudhachalam. Chennai International Airport is roughly 230 km away and Tiruchirappalli about 170 km. We run temple trips from Virudhachalam that combine Chidambaram with nearby shrines in one day.
- Men may be asked to remove shirts in the inner shrine
- Footwear is left outside the gopuram
- Photography is restricted inside
Places to see in Chidambaram
Also nearby
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