Chidambaram is one of the most ancient and renowned shrines in India. The Chidambaram temple dedicated to Lord Nataraja- Lord Shiva in his Ananda Tandava fake (the Cosmic Dance of bliss) as well as to Lord Govindaraja Perumal, making it one of the few temples where both the Shaivite and Vaishnavite deities are enshrined in one place.

Chidambaram is one of the Panchabootha Sthalas, where the Lord is worshipped in his manifestation as sky ("pancha" – meaning five, bootha – meaning the elements: earth, water, fire, wind and space and "sthala" meaning location). The other Panchabootha Sthalas are

Annamalai temple at Tiruvannamalai, where the Lord is worshipped in his manifestation as Fire.
Ekambareswarar temple at Kanchipuram, where the Lord is worshipped in his manifestation as Earth.
Jambukeswarar temple at Thiruvanaikaval, in Tiruchirapalli, where the Lord is worshipped in his manifestation as Water.
Kalahasti temple at Srikalahasthi, where the Lord is worshipped in his manifestation as air/wind.


Etymology
The word Chidambaram may be derived from chit, meaning "consciousness", and ambaram, meaning "sky" (from aakasam or aakayam); it refers to the chidaakasam, the sky of consciousness, which is the ultimate aim one should attain according to all the Vedas and scriptures.

Another theory is that it is derived from chit and ambalam. Ambalam means a "stage" for performing arts. The chidakasam is the state of supreme bliss or aananda and Lord Nataraja is the symbolic representation of the supreme bliss or aananda natanam.

Yet another theory is that it is derived from the word chitrambalam, from chithu meaning "play or dances of God" and ambalam meaning "stage".

History and Architecture
The Nataraja Temple is located in the center of Chidambaram town and covers an area of 40 acres. The roof of the sanctum sanctorum is covered with gold plates. The presiding deity of the temple is represented by air, one of the five elements of the universe and is known as Akasa Lingam. This is the temple of the Cosmic Dancer, where the presiding deity is called Nataraja.

This temple has five Sabhas or halls or diases, of which two-the Kanaka Sabha and the Chit Sabha-have gold-plated roofs.

The Chit sabhai- One of the significant aspects of the temple is that there is no image of god in the Chit Sabha, which houses the Akasa lingam, his consort Goddess Shivagamasundari. This to signify that God exists in vacant space too.


The Kanaka sabhai – in front of the Chitsabhai, from which the daily rituals are conducted. The main icon of Nataraja is in the Kanaka Sabha.

The Nrithya sabhai or Natya sabhai, is the most beautiful and remarkable of the five halls, built in the form of a chariot on wheels drawn by horses. There are 56 pillars in the hall depicting the 108 poses of Bharat Natyam, the classical dance of Tamilnadu.

The Raja sabhai or the 1000-pillared hall which symbolizes the yogic chakra of thousand pillared lotus or Sahasraram (which in yoga is a 'chakra' at the crown of the head and is a seat where the soul unites with God. This chakra is represented as a 1000-petalled lotus. Meditating by concentrating at the Sahasrara Chakra is said to lead to a state of union with the Divine force and is the pinnacle of yogic practice).

The Deva sabhai, which houses the Pancha moorthis (pancha - five, moorthis - deities, namely the deities of Lord Ganesh - the remover of hurdles, Lord Somaskanda, a form where the Lord is in a seated posture with his grace and consort, the Lord's consort Sivananda nayaki, the Lord Muruga and the deity of Chandikeswarar - the principal and chief of the devotees of the Lord).

The Thillaikaliamman Temple is on the northern end of the town. Kopperunjingan, who ruled between AD 1229 and 1278, built this temple. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. It is said that Goddess Kali's anger did not subside even after killing the demon Tarakasura. Hence, Lord Nataraja performed tandava dance to contain her anger. It is enjoined that all those who visit Chidambaram should pay a visit to Thillaikaliamman temple.

The South Gopuram was constructed by a Pandya king. This is evidenced by the presence of the fish emblem of the Pandyas that have been sculpted on the ceiling. Historically, the Pandyas are known to have sculpted two fishes facing each other when they complete the Gopuram (and leave it with one fish, in case it is incomplete). The South gopuram bears the two-fish insignia of the Pandyas.

Subsequently, the Gopuram appears to have been redone by the Pallava King Koperunsingan I 1216-1242 CE, after retaining the first level. This Gopuram is called the Sokkaseeyan Thirunilai Ezhugopuram.

The West Gopuram was constructed by Jadavarman Sundara Pandyan I 1251-1268 CE.

The North Gopuram was constructed by the Vijayanagara King Krishnadevarayar 1509-1529 CE.

The East Gopuram was first constructed by the Pallava King Koperunsingan II 1243-1279 CE.


Subsequent repairs were carried out by Subbammal, who was the mother-in-law of the famous philanthropist Pachaiappa Mudaliar. The idols of Pachaiappa Mudaliar and his wife Iyalammal have been sculpted on the eastern gopuram. The Pachaiappa trust to date has been responsible for various functions in the temple and also maintain the temple car.

The golden tiled roof for the Chitsabha is said to have been laid by the Chola King Parantaka I (907-950 CE) ("Thillaiyambalathhukku pon koorai veiyntha thevan"). King Paranthaka II, Rajaraja Chola I, Kulothunga Chola I are reported to have made significant donations to the temple. Rajaraja Chola's daughter Kundavai II is also said to have donated gold and riches to the temple. Later Chola kings Vikrama Chola (AD 1118-1135) is also reported to have made donations for conduct of the daily rituals.

There have been donations of gold and jewels made by various kings, rulers and patrons to the temple - including the Maharaja of Pudukottai, Shri Sethupathy (the emerald jewel still adorns the deity), the British, etc.
Chidambara Rahasyam

Lord Shiva in his manifestation of formlessness is worshipped in Chidambaram. The Lord is said to continuously dance in a state of eternal bliss "Aananda thaandava", with his consort Sakthi or energy called Sivagami. A curtain covers this space which when drawn reveals strands of golden ‘Vilva’ leaves hung to indicate the Lord’s presence. The curtain is dark on its exterior side (indicating ignorance) and bright red on the interior side (indicating wisdom and bliss).

Lord Nataraja at the Chitsabhai in Chidambaram. To the left of the Lord's idol is the Chidambara Rahasya - represented by strands of gold Vilva leaves. To the right is the idol of His Consort Goddess Sivagamasundari. During the daily rituals, the Chief priest, of the day, himself in a state of Godliness - Shivohambhava (Shiva - the Lord, in his Sandhi form - Shivo-, aham – me / us, bhava - state of mind), parts the curtain, indicating the withdrawal of ignorance and reveals the space, and the Lord’s presence.

The Chidambara Rahasya, is hence representative of that time when one, in total surrender, allows God to intervene and remove our ignorance, even as we get to 'see and experience' his presence and hence - bliss.



Places around Chidambaram
Pichavaram is situated around 16 km from Chidambaram.The place is a scenic spot with abundant and varied tourism resources. A unique natural phenomenon in the form of mangrove forests, which sprawl over 11,000 hectares of backwaters, is the main tourist attraction here.

Vaitheeswaran Koil is about 24 km from Chidambaram. The place is famous for a Shiva temple dedicated to Vaidyanatheswarar, the healer of all diseases.

Neyveli is 45 km from Chidambaram. Lignite mines are located here.

Gangaikonda Cholapuram is situated 42 km from Chidambaram. The city was founded by the Chola king Rajendra I, who made it his capital. A temple of Lord Shiva with massive and richly carved sculptures exists here.

Poompuhar is a small city 40 km from Chidambaram. It served as a major port of the Chola Empire.
How to reach?

By Air:

The nearest airports are Tiruchirapalli (195 km) and Chennai (245 km). From Tiruchirapalli, Indian Airlines flights can be taken to Chennai (Madras). Chennai is connected to all the major cities in India and abroad through regular flights.
By Rail:

Chidambaram is situated on the Madras-Tiruchirapalli main line of the Southern Railway. It is connected with Tiruchirapalli, Madras, Madurai (335 km), Rameswaram (575 km), Bangalore (340 km), and Tirupati (290 km).
By Road:

Frequent bus services are available to various places in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Pondicherry states from Chidambaram. There are non-stop bus services and express bus services to major cities like Chennai.
Local Transport:

For local transportation, taxis and auto rickshaws are available without meter. Other modes of transport are bus, and cycle rickshaw. Bullock carts for hire are a specialty.

My experience

I had visit this famous temple two times.
First time, I had visited Chidambaram on my College Tour in 1998 and next time with my friends Raja Sekhar, Sudheer and Srinu from Chennai.
Its definitely worth a visit.