Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram – History
The Nataraja temple has ancient roots, likely following
the temple architecture tradition that is found all over South India from at
least the 5th century.
Sangam
Period:
Textual evidence, such as those of the Sangam tradition,
suggest a temple existed here along with Madurai in ancient times, but the
town is not named Chidambaram in these pre-5th century texts. The Sangam
works refer to the temple being favored by all the three ancient crowns of
south, the Neriyan (Cholas), Chezhiyan (Pandyas) and Uthiyan (Cheras), even if
the temple was in what was traditionally Chola country. Chola King Kochenganan
who reigned in the first half of the 2nd century CE was born after
his parents King Subhadevan and Kamaladevi worshipped in the Thillai Golden
Hall (Pon Ambalam). He expanded the shrine in his later life and added to
unfinished decorations. The Sangam classics refer to Viduvelvidugu Perumtaccan,
respected clan of traditional Vishwakarmas, as being the chief architect of the
temple renovation.
Bhakti
Movement:
The temple and the deity were immortalized in Tamil poetry in the works of Thevaram by three poet saints belonging to the 7th century
- Thirugnana Sambandhar, Thirunavukkarasar and Sundaramoorthy Nayanmar. Tirugnana
Sambandhar has composed 2 songs in praise of the temple, Appar composed 8
Tevarams in praise of Nataraja and Sundarar composed 1 song in praise of
Nataraja. Sundarar commences his Thiruthondar Thogai (the sacred list
of Lord Shiva's 63 devotees) paying his respects to the priests of the Thillai
temple - "To the devotees of the priests at Thillai, I am a devotee".
The works of the first three saints, Thirumurai were
stored in palm leaf manuscripts in the temple and were recovered by the Chola
King Rajaraja Chola under the
guidance of Nambiandar Nambi. Manikavasagar, the 10th century Saivite poet has written
two works, the first called Tiruvasagam (The sacred utterances) which largely
has been sung in Chidambaram and the Thiruchitrambalakkovaiyar (aka
Thirukovaiyar), which has been sung entirely in the temple. Manikavasagar is
said to have attained spiritual bliss at Chidambaram. The Chidambaram
Mahatmiyam composed during the 12th century explain the subsequent evolution
and de-sanskritization.
Ancient
Texts and References:
The Suta Samhita embedded inside Skanda
Purana and variously dated between 7th
and 10th century mentions the Chidambaram dance. Nataraja Shiva and
his "dance of bliss" is an ancient Hindu art concept. It is found in
various texts such as Tatva Nidhi which describes seven types of
dance and their spiritual symbolism, Kashyapa Silpa which describes
18 dance forms with iconographic details and design instructions, as well as
Bharata's ancient treatise on performance arts Natya
Shastra which describes 108 dance
postures among other things. Reliefs and sculptures of Nataraja have been found
across the Indian subcontinent, some dating to 6th-century and earlier such as
in Aihole and Badami cave temples.
Chola
Period:
The surviving Nataraja temple has a structure that is
traceable to the early Chola dynasty. Chidambaram was the early capital of this
dynasty, and Shiva Nataraja was their family deity. The earliest historically
verifiable Shiva temple at Chidambaram is traceable in inscriptions that date
to the rule of Aditya Chola I in early 10th century, and far more during the
rule of 10th century Chola king Parantaka I. For them, the dancing Shiva
was the Kula Nayaka (family guide or deity) and Chidambaram was the
capital they built. These inscriptions and texts from this period suggest that
the significance of the Agama
texts and Shaiva Bhakti movement
was strengthening within the Chola leadership and thought.
The copper plate inscriptions of Parantaka I (c. 907-955
CE) describe him as the "bee at the lotus feet of Shiva" who built
the golden house for Shiva, with Chit-Sabha, Hema-Sabha, Hiranya-Sabha and
Kanaka-Sabha (all mandapam, pillared pilgrim rest places). He is referred to as
"Pon veinda Perumal", which means "one who covered with
gold" the Chit-Sabha of Chidambaram. Both Aditya I and his Chola
successor Parantaka I were active supporters of arts and temple building. They
converted many older brick and wooden temples into more lasting temples from
cut stone as the building blocks in dozens of places across South India.
The Chidambaram temple town remained important to the
Cholas, albeit with increasing competition from other temple towns when
Rajaraja Chola I moved the capital to Thanjavur, built a new city and the massive Brihadeeswarar
Temple dedicated to Shiva in early 11th century, which is now a
world heritage site. Gold and riches to the temple were donated by Rajaraja
Chola's daughter Kundavai II while Chola king Vikrama Chola (1118-1135
A.D.) made donations for the conduct of the daily rituals.
The temple, according to inscriptions found in South
India and Southeast Asia, was also historic recipient of a precious jewel from
the king of Angkor who built the Angkor Wat through Chola king Kulothunga, who
submitted it to the temple in 1114 CE. Kulothunga I and his son expanded
the Chidambaram Nataraja temple expanse six-fold. Chidambaram temple thrived
during the Chola dynasty rule through mid-13th century, along with
the later Shiva-based Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram capitals, as well as
Vishnu-based Srirangam temple
towns. Its facilities infrastructure was expanded.
Naralokaviran, the general of king Kulothunga Chola I was responsible for building the steps that lead
to Sivaganga water pool, a goddess shrine, a shrine for child saint Thirugnana Sambandhar,
temple gardens and a pilgrim road network in and around Chidambaram. He
constructed a hall for recitation of Thevaram hymns and engraved the
hymns in copper plates. The thousand pillars choultry, with friezes narrating Hindu texts, was built in late
12th-century.
Between the second half of the 12th century and the
early 13th century, the Chola kings added colorful and high gopura stone
gateways as easily identifiable landmarks, starting with the western gopura. Aragalur Udaya
Iraratevan Ponparappinan had refurbished most of the parts and rebuilt some
parts of the temple around 1213 AD.
Pandyan
Period:
Thereafter, about mid-13th century, the
Pandya dynasty ended the Chola dynasty. The Hindu Pandyas were liberal
supporters of Chidambaram temple, along with other Shiva and Vishnu temples,
just like the Chola. Sundara Pandya added the huge eastern gopura at
Chidambaram, beginning the colossal gateway tradition. Most of the
structure and plans currently seen in the Chidambaram complex, including the
mandapas with their pillar carvings, the various shrines with polished granite
sculptures, the sacred water pool and the early gopurams are from the 12th
and 13th century, attributed to the late Chola and early Pandya
kings.
Muslim
Invasions:
In the north, the Indian subcontinent had been conquered
by the Delhi Sultanate. Muslim armies had begun raiding central India for
plunder by late 13th century. In 1311, the Ala ud Din Khilji's
Muslim general Malik Kafur and his Delhi
Sultanate forces went deeper into the
Indian peninsula for loot and to establish annual tribute paying Muslim
governors. The records left by the court historians of the Delhi Sultanate
state that Malik Kafur raided Chidambaram, Srirangam and other Tamil towns,
destroyed the temples, and the Chidambaram Shiva temple was one of the sources
of gold and jewels booty he brought back to Delhi.
The temple towns of Tamil Nadu were again targeted for
loot in 1320s. However, when the news of another invasion spread in Tamil lands,
the community removed them into the Western Ghats or buried numerous sculptures
and treasures in the land and concealed chambers underneath temples sites
before the Muslim armies reached them. A large number of these were
rediscovered in archaeological excavations at the site in and after 1979,
including those in Chidambaram.
According to Nagaswamy, those who buried the temple
artworks followed the Hindu Agama texts such as Marici
Samhita and Vimanarcanakalpa that recommend ritually burying
precious metal Murtis as a means of protection when war and robbery is
imminent. Over 200 such items have been recovered, including relevant hordes of
copper plate inscriptions. The Islamic invasion in the 14th century,
states George Michell – a professor and art historian of Indian architecture,
brought an abrupt end to the patronage of Chidambaram and other temple
towns. The Delhi Sultan appointed a Muslim governor, who seceded within
the few years from the Delhi Sultanate and began the Madurai
Sultanate. This Sultanate sought tribute
from the temple towns, instead of supporting them.
Vijayanagar
Period:
The Muslim Madurai Sultanate was relatively short-lived,
with Hindu Vijayanagar Empire removing it in late 14th century. The
Vijayanagara rulers restored, repaired and expanded the temple through the 16th
century, along with many other regional temples. These kings themselves went on
pilgrimage to Chidambaram, and gifted resources to strengthen its walls and
infrastructure. There is a stone image of Krishnadevaraya in the North Gopura
which he is said to have erected.
Nayaka
& Colonial Period:
The destruction of Vijayanagara Empire in late 16th century by an alliance of Sultanates,
followed within a few decades by entrance of Portuguese, French and British
colonial interests brought geopolitical uncertainties to Chidambaram and other
temple towns. The Portuguese were already a major Coromandel
Coast trading group by early 17th
century, a region to which Chidambaram belonged. The Portuguese began
building forts, garrison and churches in Coromandel Coast region after the
demise of Vijayanagara, triggering the intervention of the French and the
British.
By mid-17th century, the temple complex was within
the patronage of Nayakas, who repaired the temple and repainted the frescoes on
mandapa ceilings. According to Michell, these restorations likely occurred
about 1643 CE during the reign of Shrirangadeva Raya III. Maharaja
of Pudukottai, Sethupathy donated emerald jewel that still adorns the
deity. According to British reports, Chidambaram temple town had to bear the
"brunt of several severe onslaughts" between the French and the
British colonial forces several times particularly in the 18th century.
A garrison was set up within the temple precincts and
the walls were fortified during the Carnatic Wars between
the East India Company and the French and the Anglo-Mysore
Wars that the British fought with Hyder Ali and Tipu
Sultan. British General Sir Eyre Coote unsuccessfully tried to capture it from
the Mysore Kings. During this period, the images of Nataraja and Shivakamasundari
were housed in the Tiruvarur Thyagaraja temple for safety.