The god dances here, and behind a curtain beside him is nothing at all. That nothing is the secret.
- Deity
- Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer
- Where
- Chidambaram சிதம்பரம்
- Known as
- One of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams: the element of space
- Oldest record
- 10th century
௧ The legend
The dance in the Thillai forest
In a forest of thillai trees, the sage Patanjali and the sage Vyaghrapada, who had the feet of a tiger so that he could climb for flowers, longed to see Shiva dance.
Shiva danced for them the Ananda Tandava, the dance of bliss, which holds creation, preservation and dissolution in one movement.
Beside his shrine is the Chidambara Rahasyam, the secret. When the curtain is drawn back, there is only empty space, hung with golden leaves: the god without form.
As the story is told at the temple. Legends vary in the telling.
௨ Across the centuries
Built by many hands, tier upon tier
10th century
Parantaka Chola I
The roof of the Chit Sabha is covered in gold. Nataraja becomes the family deity of the Chola kings.
12th–13th century
Cholas and Pandyas
The great gopurams rise, carved with dance poses.
Today
The Dikshitars
Hereditary priests still conduct worship as they have for centuries.
௩ What to look for
When you stand inside
The golden roof
Said to hold 21,600 gold tiles, the number of breaths in a day.
The 108 karanas
The postures of classical dance, carved on the gopuram gateways.
Two gods, one temple
Shiva dancing and Vishnu reclining, worshipped side by side.
௪ The temple’s year
The festivals that fill it
- சித்திரைChithiraiApr–May
- வைகாசிVaikasiMay–Jun
- ஆனிAaniJun–Jul
- ஆடிAadiJul–Aug
- ஆவணிAavaniAug–Sep
- புரட்டாசிPurattasiSep–Oct
- ஐப்பசிAippasiOct–Nov
- கார்த்திகைKarthigaiNov–Dec
- மார்கழிMargazhiDec–Jan
- தைThaiJan–Feb
- மாசிMaasiFeb–Mar
- பங்குனிPanguniMar–Apr
Margazhi Dec–Jan
Arudra Darshanam
Nataraja is brought out in procession at dawn.
Aani Jun–Jul
Aani Thirumanjanam
The great anointing of Nataraja.
Maasi Feb–Mar
Natyanjali
Dancers from across India offer their dance in the temple.
Festival dates follow the temple’s own calendar and change each year. We confirm them before you travel.
௫ Going there
Journeys that bring you here
- Most Tamil Nadu temples close around midday and reopen in the late afternoon. Each day keeps temples for the morning and evening and puts the road in between.
- Dress traditionally and modestly. Footwear is left outside every temple.
- Darshan arrangements differ from temple to temple and can change on festival days. We confirm what is possible at each one before you travel.
To stand here yourself, with the car, the stay, the guide and the darshan arranged, ask us to plan your journey. We call you back and listen first.
Draft Legends and history are retold from widely published sources and await review. Timings, dress code and special-entry arrangements are published once each fact has a source and a review date.