Visiting Nataraj Temple again after 20 years

Asia » India » Tamil Nadu » Chidambaram
January 11th 2014

Published: January 11th 2014

About Chidambaram

Chidambaram is about 78 Kilometers from Pondichery, 160 Km from Trichy, 50 Kms from Cuddalore, and 360 Kms from Bangalore. NH 45A passes through Chidambaram. Chidambaram is famous for Nataraj Temple, Chidambaram is another name of Lord Shiba. In this place Lord Shiba is worshiped as Nataraj, which is also another name of Lord Shiba. Inside the main temple of Chidambaram, Lord Nataraj (Shiba) and Lord Gobindaraj (Vishnu) are placed close to each other. Besides there are separate temples for Lord Ganesh and Lord Kartikeya (Murugan) in the temple premises. About half km from the main temple of Chidambaram on north side there is Thillai Kaali Amma temple (below). Kaali is believed to be the wife of Lord Shiba and Thillai Kaali Amma is believed to be dancing together with Lord Nataraj.

(Picture in front of Thillai Kaali Amma Temple)

My first experiences

I first visited Chidambaram in January 1993. I was very impressed with its beautiful Gopuram and spacious courtyards in the premises. This time when I reached there (in midday) I saw the Gopurams were all closed. The views of the Gopurams were covered by recently constructed buildings, electric poles and wires. I was very disappointed and thought probably I won't see those beautiful views again. I waited till 4 o'clock till the temple opened. When I went inside the Gopuram I found it is all the same I saw 20 years ago. The same beauty, same charm and same peace. There is no unnecessary constructions, no shops and no disturbances inside. It is the peaceful land of Lord Nataraj or Chidambaram.

The four sides of the main temple

There are four beautiful Gopuram (entrance) at the four sides of the temple. On the east side of the temple one may see the big chariot of lord Nataraj (now a days totally covered to protect from rain etc.). The roads on the four sides of the temple are called "car roads" (car means ratha or chariot). Thus there are east car road, north car road, west car road and south car road at the outside of the temple. On the west side of the main temple (west car street) there are two small temples, Sirai meetta vinayagar temple and Kothandaramar temple. On the east side (east car street) there is Anjaneya (Hanuman) temple. As I mentioned above there is Tillai Kaali Amma temple half km on the north side of the temple. Besides there are other small temples in the town too.

The beautiful Gopurams

One may go inside the Nataraj temple through any of the four gopurams. Once you get inside the gopuram you will be in a different land with all stone constructions of old centuries. The views of the Gopuram can be described only through the pictures.

One good thing is that photography is allowed in the premises and you can take pictures of temples, gopuram and temple pond etc. However photography is not allowed inside the pooja places where the deities are worshiped. That is also good as not to spoil the spiritual atmosphere of the inside places.

The Temple Tank

The temple tank is one of the most beautiful places inside the premises. It is a huge tank full of water. The reflections of temple structures on the water look extremely beautiful. There are enough space on all four sides of the tank for doing pooja and other rituals. One can easily spend hours near this tank, one of the finest place to experience the peace of spirituality.

(Picture of Shivaganga, the temple tank)
The name of the temple tank is "Shivaganga". It is said that the water never dries in this tank. Some people enjoy feeding the fishes in this water. Next to the tank there is a place called "thousand pillar hall". The beauty of the pillars and their reflections in the water cannot be described in words.

My last Impressions

While my first impression on the temple was great my last Impressions were even better. I was very impressed to see that there is no shops inside the temple premises. All shops, whether flowers, candle etc. are outside the Gopuram. As there are no shops there is no business activities inside the temple. There are no touts also. The place is just perfect to experience spirituality irrespective of whether you believe in Shiva or not.

Apart from visiting Nataraj and Gobindaraj temples, we also visited Kartikeya or Murugan temple and Ganesh temples inside the premises. As we were there in the evening we could see the Aarati of Lord Nataraj which was a great experience. As we stayed there for two days we visited the temple again on the next day too.

Some Other Remarks

- You will find quite a few restaurants on the streets outside the temple. However, the price of food has increased everywhere during last 5 years. You will get plenty of large size bananas for 5 rupees each.

- The temple premises is really large. You will need quite some time to cover all the places. It is advisable to keep atleast 2 to 3 hours to visit the temple. However, if you have more time you will not feel bored. - Pichavaram is 18 kms from Chidambaram. If you are fond of eco-tourism you may go for a back water boating in the mangrove forest of Pichavaram.

Watch my video on Chidambaram Natraj Temple