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

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.