Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram – Temple Design & Significance

Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram – Temple Design & Significance

Temple Design:

Picture below indicates the temple design in brief manner;

A. Chit Sabha with the Golden Roof

B.  Kanaka Sabha

C.  The four Gopurams

D.  Nritta Sabha

E.  Deva Sabha

F.  Thousand Pillars Hall or Raja Sabha

G. Shrine of the Moolasthana Lingam

H.  Shrine of Brahma-Chandikeshvara

I.  The flag mast of the Nataraja temple

J. Shrine of Vishnu Govindaraja

K.  Shrine of the Navagrahas, the Nine planets

L.  Mukkuruni Vinayaka temple

M.  Nandi

N.  Hundred Pillars Hall

O. Temple of Devi Shivakamasundari

P.  Pandya Nayakam temple, dedicated to Murugan

Q.  Sivaganga, the holy tank

R. The temple of the Nine Lingas

S. The Yaga Shala, where Yajnas are performed

T. The Kalyana Mandapam, or Marriage Hall.  Thegallery dedicated to the 63 Nayanmars or Saints

V.  The East entrance to the temple with the 21steps and the two Purushamrigam or Sphinxes guarding on either side.

Significance of the Temple Design:

The layout and architecture of the temple is replete with philosophical meanings.

1. The 9 gateways signify the 9 orifices in the human body.

2. The Chit Sabhai or Ponnambalam, the sanctum sanctorum represents the heart which is reached by a flight of 5 stairs called the Panchatchara Padi - pancha meaning 5, Achhara – indestructible syllables – "SI VA YA NA MA", from a raised anterior dias - the Kanakasabai. The access to the Sabhai is through the sides of the stage (and not from the front as in most temples).

3. The Ponnambalam or the Sanctum sanctorum is held by 28 pillars – representing the 28 agamas or set methodologies for the worship of Lord Shiva.

4. The roof is held by a set of 64 beams representing the 64 forms of art and is held by several cross-beams representing the innumerable blood vessels. 5. The roof has been laid by 21,600 golden tiles with the word SIVAYANAMA inscribed on them representing 21600 breaths.

6. The golden tiles are fixed using 72000 golden nails which represents the no. of nadis exists in human body.

7. The roof is topped by a set of 9 sacred pots or Kalasas, representing the 9 forms of energy.

8. The Artha mandapa (sanctum) has six pillars denoting the six shastras (holy texts).

9. The hall next to the Artha mandapam has eighteen pillars symbolizing the eighteen Puranas.

10. Three of the five Pancha Bootha Sthala temples, those at Kalahasti, Kanchipuram and Chidambaram all stand on a straight line exactly at 79-degree 41 minutes East longitude - truly an engineering, astrological and geographical wonder. Of the other two temples, Tiruvanaikaval is located at around 3 degrees to the south and exactly 1 degree to the west of the northern tip of this divine axis, while Tiruvannamalai is around midway (1.5 degree to the south and 0.5 degree to the west).