CHIDAMBARAM

THE TEMPLE

This temple covering an area of 39 acres is in the heart of the city. Its courtyards are quite spacious accommodating several shrines and mini-shrines built in it. It is surrounded by massive walls with four big tall gopurams in four directions and a big tank called Sivaganga tank measuring 175 x 100 feet towards the North with a nice colonnade around, beautifying with minishrines. Of the gopurams, two - the North and the South ones are of 160 feet high and have the carvings of the 108 dance poses. A unique feature! A great honour to Natya Sastra!! Their sculptural beauty too is of high quality. 

It has five principal sabhas-halls, and are called by different and appropriate names, such as Kanakasabha, Chit Sabha, Nritya Sabha, Deva Sabha and Raja Sabha. The highly venerated image of Nataraja is enshrined in Chit Sabha and it is the garbha griha in common parlance. It is here the Lord performed his Cosmic Dance first and behind the idol and separated from it by a black screen, there is found the Akasa lingam. To be true there is no Sivalinga at all, but we are made to believe that there is one invisible linga called Akasa linga. This is the real secret of this place - i.e., making people believing that nothing has something in it.

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