Nataraj and Chidambaram

Saint Thirumoolar, whose legend is intricately woven with Chidambaram, says in his Thirumanthiram:

mAnudarAkkai vadivu sivalingam
mAnudarAkkai vadivu chidambaram
mAnudarAkkai vadivu sadAsivam
mAnudarAkkai vadivu thirukkoothe

Sivalingam is of the form of the human body;

So is Chidambaram ; So is Sadasivam ;

And so is His divine dance.

Symbolism behind the structure of a Shiva Temple:
1. The temple is so constructed as to resemble the human body with all its subtleties.

2. The five walls encircling one another are the koshas ( sheaths) of human existence .
a. The outermost is the Annamaya kosha, symbolizing the material body.
b. The second is Pranamaya kosha, symbolizing the sheath of vital force or prana.
c. The third is Manomaya kosha, symbolizing the sheath of the thoughts, the mana
d. The fouth is the Vignyana maya kosha, symbolizing, the sheath of the intellect
e. The fifth and innermost is the Ananda maya kosha, symbolizing the sheath of Bliss.
3. The sanctum which is in the prakara symbolizing the Ananda Maya Kosha sheath ,
houses the lord, seated as the Jiva within us. It is to be noted that the sanctum is an unlit space, just as if within the heart closed on all sides.

4. The entry Gopuras are likened to the feet, as resembling a person who is lying on the back with the toe up.

5. The flag post depicts the sushumna nadi which raises from the Mooladhar (base of the spine ) to the sahasrar ( vertex in the head).

6. Some temples will have three prakarams. There they represent the stoola, sukshma
and karana sareeras (bodies) of a human being Some temples have only one and they
represent all the five.

Nataraja is the cosmic dancer form of Shiva.A separate South-facing shrine for Nataraja exists in all the Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu maintained in accordance with the Saiva Agamas.

Symbolism behind the structure of a Chidambaram temple:

The main edifices of the temple are the five Sabhas or Halls: the Cit Sabha, Kanaka Sabha, Deva Sabha, Nritta Sabha, and the Raja Sabha. There are five steps leading to the Chit sabha from the Kanaka sabha depicting the five lettered Panchakshara mantra ( Na ma chi vA ya).
At the centre of the temple is situated the sanctum sanctorum or holy of holiest, called the Cit Sabha or Cit Ambalam. This means the ‘Hall of Wisdom’. It is the main shrine where Lord Shiva Nataraja accompanied by his consort Parvati performs His Cosmic Dance, the Ananda Tandava or Dance of Bliss. 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

The world is the embodiment of the Virat Purusha, the colossal human form. Chidambaram is the centre of this form, the place of the heart, where Shiva performs the Cosmic Dance.
The Chidambaram temple is laid out as a Purusha. For this reason the devotees may approach the central shrine from two sides. As blood flows to and from the heart. The nine stupas topping the golden roof represent the nine orifices of the human body, and also symbolise the nine Matrikas or goddesses. The roof is made of 21.600 tiles, representing inhalations and exhalations of breath. The links and side joints symbolise the connecting veins.
In the Chidambaram temple the Dancing Shiva is the Presiding Deity, and all rituals are conducted on the basis of the Vedic doctrine. These are the two features which distinguish the Shiva Nataraja temple from all other temples in India. Shiva Nataraja’s dance is seen as the visualisation of the processes of cosmos. In his murti or physical image we can see his five activities.
a) creation:
Visualised in the small, hourglass-shaped drum, called damaru, which he holds in his upper right hand. It represents the vibration of the Big Bang, which is the sacred sound OM.
b) preservation:
Is seen in his lower right hand. It signals protection; fear not. Nataraja faces south and thus dispels the fear of death for the humanity.
c) dissolution:
Is symbolised by the flame in his upper left hand. At the end of the lifetime of the universe everything will be dissolved in fire.
d) illusion:
Is in his stable right leg, which dances on the dwarf, pressing him down. This symbolises his conquest of Maya, Illusion.

e) Salvation:His lower left hand points the attention of the devotee towards his raised, dancing left foot. Here in his dance one can realise the Salvation he offers to the humanity.

His dance also makes the five Elements out of which the universe is formed, become visible. The damaru represents the Element Air. The air inside it makes the sound, the vibration, possible. The flame in his left hand represents the Element Fire. The goddess Ganga, in his matted hair, from which flows the sacred river Ganges, represents the Element Water. The Element Earth is the dwarf on whom he dances. The fifth Element, Akasha or Ether, is invisible to us. It is the empty space, the Void, between his stable right leg and his lifted foot.

Kripa samudram sumukham trinetram
jatadharam Parvati vama bhagam
Sada Sivam Rudram anandarupam
Cidambaresam hridi bhavayami

O Lord, you are the ocean of mercy,

Your shining face adorned with three eyes,With matted hair,
Goddess Parvati permanently with you on your left,
You are the eternal and cosmic form of bliss,
Presiding Lord of Chidambaram,
Dancing the Ananda Tandava,
You are dwelling in the heart of the devotees.

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA