CHIDAMBARAM – A full story

TRIP DOCUMENT – CHIDAMBARAM                        2014

WHERE IT IS LOCATED

Chidambaram is located in Tamilnadu at a distance of  225 kms approx from Chennai – By road it will take about 5 hours. Preferred route from Chennai – Take GST road to go to Dindivanam by pass 160 kms.Pondy to Cuddalore  20 kms. Cuddalore to Chidambaram (CDM) 42 kms  totaling to 222 kms.

WHY THE NAME

The word Chidambaram may be derived from chit, meaning “consciousness”, and ambaram, meaning “sky” (from aakasam or aakayam); Another theory is that it is derived from chit + ambalam. Ambalam means a “stage” for performing arts.

The chidakasam is the state of supreme bliss or aananda and Lord Natarajar is the symbolic representation of the supreme bliss or Aananda Natanam.

Yet another theory is that it is derived from the word Chitrambalam, from Chithu meaning “play or dances of God” and Ambalam meaning “stage

THILLAI FOREST

A tree unique in nature called TILLAI is found in this place. Thillai Vanam (Vanam meaning forest and thillai trees – botanical name Exocoeria agallocha, a species of mangrove trees – which currently grows in the Pichavaram wetlands near Chidambaram. The temple sculptures depicting the Thillai trees date back to the 2nd century.

IMPORTANT SHIVA TEMPLE – WHY

Chidambaram is one of the five holiest Shiva temples, each representing one of the five natural elements;

Chidambaram represents akasha –aether or the sky

Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara, Trichy – water ( about 310 kms from Chennai)

Kanchi Ekambareswara .Kanchipuram – earth (about 75 kms from Chennai)

Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara ,Thiruvanna malai – fire ( about  188 kms from Chennai)

 Kalahasti Nathar ,Kalahasti  near Tirupati in Andra Pradesh-  wind ( about 110 kms from Chennai)

What is special – about the shiva found here

THE AANANDA THAANDAVA POSTURE OF THE LORD SHIVA –  LORD SHIVA IS DEPICTED IN THE FORM OF A DANCING IDOL MADE OUT OF PANCHALOGA

ABOUT THE MOOLAVAR – MAIN DEITY

The demon under Nataraja’s feet signifies that ignorance is under his feet 
The Fire in this hand (power of destruction) means destroyer of evil 
The raised hand signifies that he is the savior of all life. 
The Ring at the back signifies the cosmos. 
The drum in his hand signifies the origin of Life. 

THE LEGEND GOES AS BELOW:
Adhisesha, the serpent who serves as a bed for the Lord  in his manifestation as Vishnu, hears about the Äananda thaandava and yearns to see and enjoy it. The Lord blesses him, beckons him to assume the saintly form of ‘Patanjali’ and sends him to the Thillai forest, informing him that he will display the dance in due course.   They move into the Thillai forest and worship Lord Shiva in the form of Shivalinga, a deity worshipped today as Thiru-moolatan”eswarar (Thiru – sri, Moolatanam – primordial or in the nature of a foundation, Eswarar- the Lord). Legends say that Lord Shiva displayed his dance of bliss (the Aaananda Thaandavam) – as Nataraja to these two saints on the day of the Poosam star in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan – Feb).

ANOTHER STORY

In the Thillai forests resided a group of saints or ‘Rishis’ who believed in the supremacy of magic and that God can be controlled by rituals and ‘mantras’ or magical words. The Lord strolls in the forest with resplendent beauty and brilliance, assuming the form of ‘Pitchatanadar’, a simple mendicant seeking alms. He is followed by his Grace and consort who is Lord Vishnu as Mohini. The rishis and their wives are enchanted by the brilliance and the beauty of the handsome mendicant and his consort.On seeing their womenfolk enchanted, the rishis get enraged and invoke scores of ‘serpents’ (Sanskrit: Nāga) by performing magical rituals. The Lord as the mendicant lifts the serpents and dons them as ornaments on his matted locks, neck and waist. Further enraged, the rishis invoke a fierce tiger, which the Lord skins and dons as a shawl around his waist.Thoroughly frustrated, the rishis gather all their spiritual strength and invoke a powerful demon Muyalakan – a symbol of complete arrogance and ignorance. The Lord wearing a gentle smile, steps on the demon’s back, immobilizes him and performs the Ánanda Thaandava (the dance of eternal bliss) and discloses his true form. The rishis surrender, realizing that this Lord is the truth and he is beyond magic and rituals.

Chidambaram also is one of the five places where Lord Shiva is said to have displayed his dance and all these places have stages/ sabhais .

Apart from Chidambaram which has the Kanaka sabhai- Gold plated  Santum Santorum,

The Rathina sabhai at Thiruvaalangaadu (Rathinam – Ruby / Red) ,

The Chitra sabhai at Courtallam (Chitra – Painting),

The Rajatha sabhai or the Velli ambalam at Madurai Meenakshi Temple (Rajatha / Velli – Silver)

 Thaamira sabhai at Nellaiappar Temple, Tirunelveli (Thaamiram – Copper).

Dharshan Time – Temple timings

Morning 6.00.a.m to 12.00 noon
Evening 5.00.p.m. to 10.00 night

ARHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE

The Gopurams
The temple has 9 gateways and four of these have towering pagodas or Gopurams(135 ft each) each with 7 levels in the East, South, West and North. The eastern pagoda has all the 108 postures (karnams) of the Indian dance form – Bharathanatyam sculpted on it.

The Five Sabhais

There are 5 sabhas or diases or halls:

• the Chit sabhai, which is the sanctum sanctorum housing Lord Nataraja, his consort Goddess Shivagamasundari
• the Kanaka sabhai – in front of the Chitsabhai, from which the daily rituals are conducted.
• the Nrithya sabhai or Naatya sabhai, to the south of the temple’s flag mast (or Kodi Maram or Dwaja Sthambam) where the Lord is said to have danced with Goddess Kali – an embodiment of energy and established His supremacy Must see is the Naatya Sabhai hall where the pillars are carved with extreme precision and intricacy.
• the Raja Sabhai or the 1000-pillared hall (340 ft length and 190 ft breadth 24 pillars in each row and with 41 rows),which symbolizes the Yogic Chakra of Thousand Pillared Lotus or Sahasraram (which in yoga is a ‘chakra’ at the crown of the head and is a seat where the soul unites with God. This chakra is represented as a 1000-petalled lotus. Meditating by concentrating at the Sahasrara Chakra is said to lead to a state of union with the Divine force and is the pinnacle of yogic practice)
• the Deva sabhai, which houses the Pancha moorthis (Pancha – Five, Moorthis – Deities, namely the Deities of Lord Ganesh – the remover of hurdles, Lord Somaskanda, a form where the Lord is in a seated posture with his grace and consort, the Lord’s consort Sivananda nayaki, the Lord Muruga and the deity of Chandikeswarar – the principal and chief of the devotees of the Lord).

SANCTUM SANCTORUM – Dress code for men – without shirt/banian- pant/veshti only

The Ponn-ambalam or the Sanctum sanctorum is held by 28 pillars – representing the 28 Aagamas or Set Methodologies for the worship of Lord Shiva. The roof is held by a set of 64 beams representing the 64 forms of art and is held by several cross-beams representing the innumerable blood vessels. The roof has been laid by 21600 golden tiles with the word SIVAAYA-NAMAHA  inscribed on them representing 21600 breaths. The Golden Tiles are fixed using 72000 Golden Nails which represents the no. of Naadis exists in Human Body. The roof is topped by a set of 9 sacred pots or Kalasaas, representing the 9 forms of energy. There are five(5) steps which leads us to the main SS, signifies PANCHA AKSHARAM…SHI—VAA—YA-NA-MA

A unique feature is that the structure of the actual Sabha is made of wood, which has so far not been botanically classified. It is rectangular in form and here Shiva is worshipped in his three aspects: 

As Form                             Nataraja the Murti or image of Shiva 

As Formless-Form             The crystal Linga called Chandramaulishvara

As Formless                       The yantra which is the Akasha Linga

From the platform opposite the Sabha one can see the image of the Dancing Shiva, situated in the middle of the Sabha. Shiva is facing south, unlike most other Hindu deities. This signifies he is the Conqueror of Death, dispelling the fear of death for the humanity.

The Crystal Linga called Chandra mauli ishwara is Shiva as Formless-Form. This Crystal Linga was formed from the essence of the crescent moon in Shiva’s matted hair, for the purpose of daily worship. This murti is taken from its keeping place at the feet of the Nataraja six times a day, and abhishekam of holy ablution is performed to him in the hall called Kanaka Sabha in front of the Cit Sabha.Once a day, as part of the 10.00 o’clock morning puja ritual, after the abhishekam of the Crystal Linga, abhishekam is also performed to the Ruby Shiva. As conclusion of this ceremony the Ruby Nataraja is placed on the edge of the Parvadam of the Kanaka Sabha and Mangala Arati is offered. This is the burning of camphor on a special plate which is shown both in front and behind the Ruby Nataraja. This brings out the special quality of translucence of this murti, creating a mystical spectacle for the onlookers.

AREA OF THE TEMPLE AND THE WATER TANK

The temple complex on 40 acres (160,000 m2) houses the temple tank – called the Siva Ganga.

There are 10 theerthas in the temple namely

1.Siva ganga- the main temple tank

2.Samudhram- underground current in siva gangai tank

3.Puli meadu- situated around a kilometer and a half to the south of Chidambaram.

4.Vyakra paadha theertham- situated on to the west of the temple opposite to the temple of Ilamai Akkinaar

5.Aanandha theertham- situated to the west of the temple in front of the Anantheswarar temple

6.Naaga keri – situated to the west of the Anantha thirtham

7.Brahma theertham- situated to the north-west of the temple at Thirukalaanjeri

8.Siva priyai

9.Thiru paar kadal- tank to the south-east of the Shivapiyai tank.

10.Paramaanandha koodham- is the well on the eastern side of the Chitsabhai hall from which water is drawn for sacred purposes

THE DAILY POOJAS

The day begins with the Chief priest of the day, performing required rituals to purify himself and assume the Shivoham bhava, after which he enters the temple to do the daily rituals. The day begins with the Lord’s footwear (padukas) being brought at 7:00am from the Palliyarai (or bedroom) to the Sanctum Sanctorum in a Palanquin accompanied by devotees with cymbals and chimes and drums. The Priest then begins by performing the daily rituals with a Yagna and a ‘ Go Pooja’ (worship of a cow and her calf).

Worship (Pooja) is done 6 times in a day. Before each Pooja, the Spadika Linga (Crystal Lingam) – The semi form state of Lord Shiva is anointed with ghee, milk, curds, rice, sandal paste and holy ash. This is followed by presenting the Neivedhyam or offering of freshly prepared food and sweets to the Lord and the Deeparaadhana, a ritual of showing varied and decoratively set lamps, the reciting of Vedas in Sanskrit and the Panchapuranam (a set of 5 poems from a set of 12 works in Tamil – called the panniru thirumurai). The Pooja ends with the priest parting the curtains of the sanctum sanctorum to reveal the Chidambara Rahasyam.

Before the 2nd pooja, apart from the regular anointing of the crystal linga, a Ruby Nataraja deity (the Rathinasabhapathy) is also anointed. The 3rd pooja is at around 12.00 noon, after which the temple closes until around 4:30pm. The 4th pooja is performed at 6.00 PM, the 5th at 8:00pm and the last pooja of the day is performed at 10:00pm, after which the Lord’s footwear is taken in a procession for Him to ‘retire’ for the night. Before the 5th pooja at night, the priest performs special rituals at the Chidambara Rahasya, where he anointed the Yantra with aromatic substances and offers ‘Neivedhyam’.

The last Pooja, called the Arthajaama Pooja in Chidambaram is done with special fervor. It is believed that the entire divine force of the universe retires into the Lord, when he retires for the night.

THE CHIDAMBARA RAHASYAM

It is a Hindu belief that there is a secret message conveyed through the embossed figure near the shrine of Shiva in Chidambaram temple.

Since ancient times, it is believed that this is the place where Lord Shiva and Parvathi are present, but are invisible to the naked eyes of normal people. In the Chidambaram temple of Lord Nataraja, Chidambara Ragasiyam is hidden by a curtain (Maya). Darshan of Chidambara Ragasiyam is possible only when priests open the curtain (or Maya) for special poojas. People who are privileged to have a darshan of Chidambara Ragasiyam can merely see golden vilva leaves (Aegle Marmelos) signifying the presence of Lord Shiva and Parvathi in front of them. It is also believed that devout saints can see the Gods in their physical form, but no such cases have been officially reported.

THE OTHER DIETIES WHICH ARE HOUSED IN THE OUTER PRAHAARAMS  

Mukkuruni  Pillaiyaar -Sivakama sundari thayaar- Durgai- Murugan are seen at separate sannadhis on the outer Prahara. See the CHITRA GUPTA on the Amman sannadhi a rare piece of carving.

Dhakshina murthy –Kaala bhairavar- Uordhva Thaandavar,Sarabeswarar, Thaayar sannadhi, Dhandavudhapani,Thirumoolanadhar/amman, Sangoodhum Vinayagar,Sani Bhagvan, Navagraha

Ganapathy, Subramaniar,Bhairavar,The shivait gurus,Chandegeswarar,Pathanjali and Vyagrapada..

A UNIQUE FEATURE

In a same campus where Shiva and Vishnu is seen. The Anantha sayanam (Reclining on the Cosmic Snake, he is in the yogic state of consciousness, enjoying the vision of Shiva’s dance).  
posture of Lord Govindaraja is a sight to see. In the same sannadhi, donot miss the beautiful staute of Lord Venugopala where one can see the Lord smiling and re creating such a stone figure is not possible. Also seen inside the inner circle are the well crafted stone images of Narasimha and Anjaneya

THILLAI KAALI AMMAN TEMPLE

It was an argument that who is superior, either ‘Shivam’ (Lord Shiva) or ‘Shakthi’ (Goddess Parvathi). In order to resolve thus, they performed a dance program at Chidambaram in front of Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Points. While they were playing dance, Lord Shiva was about to be defeated. But knowing fully well Lord Shiva played on “OORTHAVA THANDAVA” i.e. raising is leg above his head. This “OORTHAVA THANDAVA” is one of the posture in the dance. It could not be played by the women folk due to their modesty and shyness. In this Goddess Parvathi could not equally play this posture and agreed her defeat and she was go to the extreme end of the town. In order to contain her haughtiness and to teach a lesson that “Shivam and Shakthi, both are important in our life.

Shri Thillai Kali Amman” is a deity in anger. This anger was pacified by Lord Brahma by Chanting Veda and also praising her. Because of the penance of Lord Brahma ‘Mother Thillai Kali’ became Cool. So that Goddess ‘Thillai Kali Amman’ in this temple seems with four faces. Stone Inscripts : The Hindu ‘Choza’ periods are represented in the inscriptions in this temple. This temple about construction in the regime of ‘King Kopperun singan’ The convention is to visit the Thillai kaali temple before entering or worshipping Lord Nataraja.

Featured image source : https://unsplash.com/photos/kNNCC-tF6IQ