Temple Trip #1 - Chidambaram

 Temple Trip: Summer 2022

This is the first edition in a series of temples talking about temples I visited on my trip to India in the summer of ´22. All photos included were taken by yours truly. 

Chidambaram Temple:

This temple has extreme significance to the people in Tamilnadu and to Hindus in general . It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, however this temple was built to be Lord Shiva’s abode, Kailash, on Earth. This is why you can find Vishnu, and many other gods in this Shiva temple. The Cholas wanted to embody how Kailash is, flourishing with different gods. Chidambaram is also called Thillai which is the name of the town it is located in. Chidambaram means ‘deep in thought’ or ‘atmosphere of wisdom’  

The architecture represents the link between art and spirituality, and was constructed by the Cholas in the 10th century. Chidambaram was the capital of the Chola dynasty and they revered Lord Shiva. The architecture of the temple represents the link between art and spirituality, the balance and the dichotomy between the two. This temple used to be the capital of the Chola dynasty, and the Cholas revered Lord Shiva and worshiped Lord Shiva, in his natural form, as their family deity. 

The Chidambaram temple has undergone a lot of damage and repair over the last millennium and has been expanded. It is one of the oldest temples in Southern India and Lord Nataraj is one of the most heavily decorated gods in any temple. 

The temple has five main halls, or sabhas, each with their own significance. Lord Nataraj is the most happy and joyous form of Lord Shiva, which is why this incarnation of Lord Shiva is one of the most celebrated. This temple has significant weight in Tamil history and carries a lot of historical and cultural importance. One amazing geographical fact about the temple's location is that Lord Nataraj´s big toe is at the exact point where the world's magnetic equator is located. This shows that the Cholas have a great understanding of modern science, even thousands of years ago. 

This temple is one of the Pancha Bootha temples, or one of the temples that denote the five elements of the universe. Chidambaram is the temple for the Sky Element. Kalahasthi, Kanchi Ekambareswarar and Chidambaram are all located in a straight line at 79 degrees 41 longitude. This is an amazing fact and a miracle. 

Now, some quick facts about this temple:

• Chidambaram temple has 9 entrances, akin to the human body (with 9 entrances)

• The temple´s roof is made of 21600 gold sheets, which signifies the 21600 breaths taken by a human being every day (rough calculation by the Cholas: 15 breaths x 60 minutes x 24 hours)

• These 21600 gold sheets are fixed on the “Vimanam” (Roof) using 72000 gold nails which denote the total no. of Nadis (Nerves) in the human body.

• Ponnambalam has 28 pillars denoting the 28 “ahamas“ as well as the 28 methods to worship Lord Shiva. 

• The 18 pillars in the adjacent Mantapa represent the 18 puranas.

Part 2 with the next temple is coming soon!