Nataraja Swamy Temple, Chidambaram

Nataraja Swamy Temple is located 60 km north of Karaikal in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, 78 km south of Pondicherry, and 243 km south of Chennai in the heart of the temple city of Chidambaram. The Chidambaram Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva as Nataraja, is built on a 40-acre complex. Each temple was built for the Panchabhutas. Examples of Chidambaram astronomy, Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeshwara hydrology, Kanchi Ekambareswara geometry, Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara fire philosophy, and Kalahastiswaraswamy air philosophy. Chidambaram means the number of knowledge, the proverb of the original Chidambaram mystery has been in use since time immemorial. The mystery of how much research has been done is called the Chidambaram mystery. Akashalingam does not have a shape when you go inside to pay a fee to see one of the Panchalingas here. The wall of the temple is fastened with a gold foil machine. There is a screen in front of it. Come inside and show the curtain to the devotees. But we do not see anything. That is, we must assume that what we do not see is the Chidambaram mystery. It is believed that the only temple in Chidambaram has an idol of Lord Shiva in human form.

The idol of Sri Nandeeshwara enshrined in the temple of Chidambaram Natarajaswamy is very large and carved out of stone and appears to be alive. It is the largest river in India. Sivaganga is the western corner of the Thousand Pillars Mandapam. This is called Suvarnakoneru. The uniqueness of this temple is the image of Nataraja adorned with ornaments. One day Parameswara went to the Tillai forest. The sages in this forest are invoking the deities with their mantras. Lord Shiva succumbs to the mantras recited by the sages and eats amphibians. His wife Parvati also followed Shiva. The sages and sages praised the Pitambaradhara in many ways. Their wives and other women were enraged to see the divine form and were enchanted, and invoked many snakes with their magic to put an end to the form. The Pythagorean lord lifted the snakes and wore them as ornaments around the hair, neck, and waist. The sages who could not get excited at seeing it created a terrible tiger. God took it off and pulled the skin and put it on the waistcloth. Yet the bored sages used all their spiritual power to invoke a powerful, arrogant demon named Mulakan. Laughing, God killed it, put his foot on his back, and rejoiced over it, showing its true form. The sages themselves called him Dasohman. At the place where Lord Shiva performed Ananda Thandavam - south of the Thirumulathaneshwar temple - is the Ponnambalam / Por Sabai where Lord Shiva is now seen in a dance pose. The deity here is called Sabha Nayakar which means the god on stage.

This idol of Nataraja Swamy is in a dancing posture with the left hand slightly raised, folded towards the right hand. This type of performance is called shoulder traction performance.

Next to this Pushkarini is the Ammavari Temple. The name of the Goddess in this temple is Sivakami. This mother standing statue is very beautiful and attractive. The uniqueness of the Chidambaram Temple is that almost every time is located exactly in the middle of the precincts of the temple. Throughout this precinct, there is a corner in the middle. All the temples surround this corner. The Ananda Thandavam pose of Lord Shiva, one of the most famous poses in the world, tells how to dance the dance form Bharatanatyam. Nataraja symbolizes the sense of ignorance in the monster placed under the foot. The fire in the hand is the one that destroys the evil forces. The raised hand signifies that he is the Savior of all the world. The circle at the back represents the universe. Damarukam in the hand signifies the birth of life. Natarajamoorthy's divine dance posture describes such cosmic things. In Chidambaram, Lord Shiva is measured as the Absolute. Swami is known to perform his divine bliss infinitely with his Deveri Shakti or Sivagami. This is done by placing a picture of a machine on a wall in the empty space of the sanctum sanctorum and covering the space with a screen. When this screen is taken, the golden arches that indicate the presence of God are seen hanging. The mystery of Chidambaram is that at that time one is completely submissive to God, immerses Him in us and removes ignorance, and sees and experiences the presence of God, and thus attains the bliss. The Nataraja Temple has a large idol of Lord Ganesha in the second wall of the temple. Kella Chidambaram Temple is one of the most beautiful temples in Tamil Nadu. Worship is done six times a day. Before each puja, the crystal lingam is anointed with ghee, milk, yogurt, rice, sandalwood, and ashes to the six uruva or semi-form of Lord Shiva. After several procedures, the priest pulls the curtain of the sanctum sanctorum and reveals the secret of Chidambaram. Before the second puja, apart from the regular crystal lingam anointing, the Ratna Nataraja idol is also anointed. The third puja is performed for about 12 hours. The temple is then closed till 4.30 pm. The fourth puja is performed at 6 p.m. The fifth puja is performed at 8 am and the last puja at 10 am. The feet of the Swami is then taken in procession to sleep that night. Before the fifth puja at night, the priest performs some special pujas, such as anointing the Chidambaram secret machine with spices and making an offering.