Chidambaram
The temple town of Chidambaram, 58 km south of
Pondicherry greets the visitors, with a beautiful
temple, dedicated to Lord Nataraja - Lord Shiva
in the enthralling form of a Cosmic Dancer. This
is one of the few temples, where Shiva and Vishnu
are enshrined under one roof. Chidambaram is also
called Thillai, since the place was originally a
forest of Thillai shrubs.
What to See
| Around
Chidambaram | Festival
| How to Get There
Where to Stay
| Contact
What to
See
The Nataraja Temple
The Nataraja temple at the heart of the town,
covering an area of 40 acres, is one of the
ancient temples in Tamil Nadu. It has a gold
plated roof, towering over the presiding deity,
Akasha Lingam. While the four shrines at
Tiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram, Kalahasthi, and
Tiruchirapalli have the main deities in fire, air
and water lingams, Chidambaram is unique
in that, the viewer does not see any deity in the
inner shrine, when the curtain is pulled back-
for Chidambaram, meaning sky, enshrines the sky
lingam.
One of the main features of this temple is a
magnificent bejewelled Nataraja image. Details of
the Natya Sastra are carved on one of the four
tall gopurams, each rising to 40.8 metres. 108
Bharatanatyam dance poses also can be seen on
each tower.
The Sivakamiamman temple, the Sivaganga tank,
the thousand pillar hall are the other important
features of the temple.
Kali Temple
This temple is situated on the northern end of
the town. It was built by Kopperunjingan, who
ruled between 1229 AD and 1278 AD.
Annamalai University
On the eastern outskirts of the town is this
residential University, founded by Raja Sir
Annamalai Chettiar. A great centre of Tamil
learning and carnatic music, it offers
educational facilities in various disciplines
including Medicine, Engineering etc.
Around
Chidambaram
Seerkazhi
20 kms from Chidambaram, Seerkazhi has three
shrines - Sree Brahmapureeswarar, Sattanathar and
Thoniappar shrines; the Goddess Tirunilai Nayaki
shrine and; the shrine of God Child,
Gnanasambandar.
Pichavaram
Pichavaram, 16 kms east of Chidambaram, ranks
among the most exquisite scenic spots, with
islands rich in mangroves and avianfauna, dotting
the back waters. The back waters which are
interconnected by the Vellar and Coleroon system,
offer abundant scope for water sports -
parasailing, rowing and canoeing. The mangroves,
here, are considered to be the healthiest
mangrove occurrence in the world. The area is
about 2800 acres, and is separated from the sea
by a sand bar, which is a patch of extraordinary
loveliness.
Poompuhar
About 40 kms from Chidambaram in Tanjavur
district, is Poompuhar, once the biggest port on
the east coast. This is the place where the Tamil
classic, 'Silappathikaram', has been created to
the immense pleasure of the Tamils. The Cauvery,
merging with the bellowing sea, was known as
Puhar, but due to the exquisite beauty of the
port town, it came to be called Poompuhar.
Another name of Poompuhar was Kaveripoompattinam.
The greatness of this city is brought out in some
of the poems in Sangam literature, and also by
Silapathikaram and Manimekalai, among the epics.
In order to conjure up the divine scenic beauty
of Poompuhar, the art gallery, here, exudes a 2nd
century AD ambience, with the creation of ilanji
Manram, Pavai Manram, the Buddhist School, Arugan
Kottam, Tirumal Kottam and Murugu Kottam etc.
Festival
The Natyanjali festival, which brings all the
prominent dancers of India, together on the same
platform, opens on the auspicious occasion of
Mahasivaratri, in the month of February. It is
performed at the 'Prakara' of the temple, and the
dancers, full of intense bliss and devotion, with
their evocative abhinaya, offer their
dance to the great divinity, Lord Nataraja.
How to Get
There
Chidambaram is connected by road to all major
towns. Rail connections to Trichy, Madurai and
Madras. Nearest airport is Trichy.
Where to
Stay
Hotel Tamil Nadu, Railway Feeder Road. Hotel
Saradharam, VGP Street. Hotel Akshaya, East Car
Street.
Contact
Government of Tamil Nadu Tourist Office,
Railway Feeder Road, Chidambaram.
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