Thillai Nataraja Temple

தில்லை நடராஜர் கோயில்

Shiva · Thillai Koothan · with Sivakami Amman

Nataraja (the dancer); Akasha linga (space)

Chidambaram, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu · Shaiva tradition

The temple is one of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, the shrine of space (akasha): its Aagaya Lingam is represented by emptiness, and the 'Chidambara Rahasyam' is read either as the secret that God is formless and everywhere or as a true form that saints alone can see.

The story begins: “Chidambaram was already the abode of the goddess Kali when Shiva came to live there.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Darshan hours
  • 6:00 am – 12:00 pm · Darshan (morning)
  • 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm · Darshan (evening)
Next aarti or puja (India time)
See the schedule below
Getting there
Train: Chidambaram railway station

Not yet confirmed: dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

Told in: The account published by Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism)

The dance contest with Kali

Chidambaram was already the abode of the goddess Kali when Shiva came to live there.

In the account published by Incredible India, the two settled who would hold the place by a contest of dance. Shiva performed the tandava, his cosmic dance. Kali performed the lasya. Shiva won, and became the Lord of Chidambaram.

The story explains the temple's central image. Elsewhere Shiva is mostly worshipped as a linga; here he is worshipped as Nataraja, the god of dance — Thillai Koothan, the dancer of Thillai, in the municipality's account. The temple's architecture carries the theme through: the 108 karanas, the poses of classical dance, are carved on its gopurams.

Other traditions of the temple's origin — among them the accounts of the sages Patanjali and Vyaghrapada witnessing Shiva's dance in the Thillai forest, set down in the Koyil Puranam — are not yet told here, because we have not yet been able to give them from a primary text.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Chidambaram (destination page)" prod.incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Chidambaram Municipality, Government of Tamil Nadu (tnurbantree.tn.gov.in), "Places of Interest" — Thillai Natarajar Temple tnurbantree.tn.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Thillai Nataraja Temple matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. The temple is one of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, the shrine of space (akasha): its Aagaya Lingam is represented by emptiness, and the 'Chidambara Rahasyam' is read either as the secret that God is formless and everywhere or as a true form that saints alone can see.

    2 sources for: The temple is one of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, the shrine of space (akash
    • Government: Chidambaram Municipality, Government of Tamil Nadu (tnurbantree.tn.gov.in), "Places of Interest" — Thillai Natarajar Temple tnurbantree.tn.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Chidambaram (destination page)" prod.incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. Its Kanaka Sabha, the Golden Hall, is counted among the five Pancha Sabhas, the halls of Shiva's dance; the municipality records eighteen pillars in it, standing for the eighteen Puranas.

    Source for: Its Kanaka Sabha, the Golden Hall, is counted among the five Pancha Sabhas, the
    • Government: Chidambaram Municipality, Government of Tamil Nadu (tnurbantree.tn.gov.in), "Places of Interest" — Thillai Natarajar Temple tnurbantree.tn.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Tirujnanasambandar's Tevaram hymn 1.80 is addressed to Shiva at Koyil, in Tillai and its Cirrampalam, which places the temple among the Paadal Petra Sthalams.

    Source for: Tirujnanasambandar's Tevaram hymn 1.80 is addressed to Shiva at Koyil, in Tillai
    • Hymn: Tevaram, First Tirumurai 1.80 (Koyil (Chidambaram)), Tirujnanasambandar; text and V. M. Subramanya Aiyar's English translation on thevaaram.org thevaaram.org · seen 2026-10-09

  4. The temple is administered by its hereditary priests, the Podhu Dikshitars, whose right to do so as a religious denomination the Supreme Court upheld on 6 January 2014, setting aside 2009 Madras High Court orders that had allowed the State to appoint an executive officer.

    2 sources for: The temple is administered by its hereditary priests, the Podhu Dikshitars, whos
    • Government: Supreme Court of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors., Civil Appeal Nos. 10620–10622 of 2013, judgment of 6 January 2014 (B. S. Chauhan and S. A. Bobde JJ.), paras 36–38, 44, 47–50 and the recital of history; copy hosted at asiaconverge.com asiaconverge.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Pioneer, "SC frees Nataraja temple from TN Govt's control", Abraham Thomas and Kumar Chellappan, 7 January 2014 dailypioneer.com · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Dravida

Incredible India describes Chidambaram's temples as Dravidian in style. The municipality page attributes the beginnings to the Pallavas and the main development to the later Cholas, with Pandya, Vijayanagara and Nayak additions.

  • Detail

    Kanaka Sabha (Golden Hall)

    The Golden Hall of Nataraja, with eighteen pillars standing for the eighteen Puranas.

  • Sanctum

    Chidambara Rahasyam

    The space of the Aagaya Lingam, where layers of golden vilva leaves hang from the ceiling to show that the Lord here has no form. Entry is ticketed.

  • Gateway tower

    The 108 karanas

    Reliefs of the 108 karanas of classical dance on either side of the gopuram passages, each with a two-line inscription above it naming the pose — among them Adhikrantham, Viruchikakuthitham and Vishnukrantham.

    height of each of the four seven-storey gopurams: 135 ft
    • Government: Chidambaram Municipality, Government of Tamil Nadu (tnurbantree.tn.gov.in), "Places of Interest" — Thillai Natarajar Temple tnurbantree.tn.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  • Mural

    Nayak ceiling paintings

    The sixteenth- to seventeenth-century ceiling paintings in the maha mandapa of the Sivakami Amman shrine.

    Nayak, 16th–17th century

  • Detail

    Govindaraja Perumal shrine

    The shrine of Vishnu as Govindaraja Perumal, housed in the same temple as Nataraja.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

Darshan (morning)The municipality page also gives 06:00–12:30 elsewhere on the same page.6:00 am – 12:00 pm
Darshan (evening)The municipality page also gives 16:30–22:00 elsewhere on the same page.5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Pooja6:00 am
Pooja7:00 am
Pooja7:45 am
Pooja10:00 am
Pooja11:30 am
Pooja5:15 pm
Pooja7:00 pm
Pooja9:00 pm

Confirm on the day. Times change on festival days and without notice. These times are not from the temple’s own notice.

Before you go

  • Entry to the Aagaya Lingam (sky element) shrine is ticketed.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Getting there

  • By train: Chidambaram railway station · about 1.6 kmThe municipality page says the temple is walkable from the station.
  • By road: Puducherry · about 70 kmDistance as given by the municipality page; it also gives Chennai at about 220 km.

PIN 608001 (not yet checked with India Post)

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

The temple’s festival calendar has not been sourced yet.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

No events in this register have been sourced.

In the historical record

  1. c. 1001–1300

    Chola development

    The municipality page says the Pallavas began construction and that later Chola rulers — among them Kulothunga II, Vikrama Chola and Kulothunga III — developed the temple between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries.

    Source for: Chola development
    • Government: Chidambaram Municipality, Government of Tamil Nadu (tnurbantree.tn.gov.in), "Places of Interest" — Thillai Natarajar Temple tnurbantree.tn.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 1951

    State order of 1951 struck down by the Madras High Court

    G.O. Ms. No. 894 of 28 August 1951 brought the temple under Chapter VI of the 1951 endowments Act and an executive officer was appointed. On 13 December 1951 the Madras High Court allowed the Dikshitars' writ petitions, holding them a religious denomination protected by Article 26 (Marimuthu Dikshitar v. State of Madras, 1952 (1) MLJ 557).

    Source for: State order of 1951 struck down by the Madras High Court
    • Government: Supreme Court of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors., Civil Appeal Nos. 10620–10622 of 2013, judgment of 6 January 2014 (B. S. Chauhan and S. A. Bobde JJ.), paras 36–38, 44, 47–50 and the recital of history; copy hosted at asiaconverge.com asiaconverge.com · seen 2026-10-09

  3. 1954

    State's appeal dismissed

    The State's appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed on 9 February 1954 after the State withdrew the notification, as recited in the 2014 judgment.

    Source for: State's appeal dismissed
    • Government: Supreme Court of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors., Civil Appeal Nos. 10620–10622 of 2013, judgment of 6 January 2014 (B. S. Chauhan and S. A. Bobde JJ.), paras 36–38, 44, 47–50 and the recital of history; copy hosted at asiaconverge.com asiaconverge.com · seen 2026-10-09

  4. 1987

    Executive officer appointed under the 1959 Act

    The HR&CE Commissioner appointed an executive officer on 31 July 1987, with a duties order following on 5 August 1987. A writ petition against it was dismissed in 1997.

    Source for: Executive officer appointed under the 1959 Act
    • Government: Supreme Court of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors., Civil Appeal Nos. 10620–10622 of 2013, judgment of 6 January 2014 (B. S. Chauhan and S. A. Bobde JJ.), paras 36–38, 44, 47–50 and the recital of history; copy hosted at asiaconverge.com asiaconverge.com · seen 2026-10-09

  5. 2009

    Madras High Court upholds State administration

    A single judge of the Madras High Court held on 2 February 2009 that the 1952 judgment did not bar the State's action, and a Division Bench affirmed on 15 September 2009.

    2 sources for: Madras High Court upholds State administration
    • Government: Supreme Court of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors., Civil Appeal Nos. 10620–10622 of 2013, judgment of 6 January 2014 (B. S. Chauhan and S. A. Bobde JJ.), paras 36–38, 44, 47–50 and the recital of history; copy hosted at asiaconverge.com asiaconverge.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Pioneer, "SC frees Nataraja temple from TN Govt's control", Abraham Thomas and Kumar Chellappan, 7 January 2014 dailypioneer.com · seen 2026-10-09

  6. 2014

    Supreme Court restores the Dikshitars' administration

    On 6 January 2014 the Supreme Court allowed appeals by the Dikshitars and Subramanian Swamy and set aside the 2009 orders. It held that the 1951 judgment had settled the Dikshitars' right to administer the temple, that the power to supersede a religious denomination's administration is regulatory and cannot be for an indefinite period, and that no executive officer could be appointed without rules framed under Section 45. One copy of the judgment carries a header date of 6 December 2014; its signature block and contemporary press give 6 January 2014.

    2 sources for: Supreme Court restores the Dikshitars' administration
    • Government: Supreme Court of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors., Civil Appeal Nos. 10620–10622 of 2013, judgment of 6 January 2014 (B. S. Chauhan and S. A. Bobde JJ.), paras 36–38, 44, 47–50 and the recital of history; copy hosted at asiaconverge.com asiaconverge.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Pioneer, "SC frees Nataraja temple from TN Govt's control", Abraham Thomas and Kumar Chellappan, 7 January 2014 dailypioneer.com · seen 2026-10-09

  7. 2023

    Worship from the temple stage after a standoff

    Deccan Herald reported on 28 June 2023 that, after a standoff, devotees were allowed to worship from the temple's stage. The positions of the parties to the dispute are not yet described here.

    Source for: Worship from the temple stage after a standoff
    • Press: Deccan Herald, "After standoff, devotees allowed to worship from Chidambaram temple stage", 28 June 2023 deccanherald.com · seen 2026-10-09

  8. Tirujnanasambandar sings Koyil

    Hymn 1.80 of the Tevaram is addressed to Shiva at Koyil — Tillai and its Cirrampalam. No date is given, because we have not yet found a scholarly dating of the poet.

    Source for: Tirujnanasambandar sings Koyil
    • Hymn: Tevaram, First Tirumurai 1.80 (Koyil (Chidambaram)), Tirujnanasambandar; text and V. M. Subramanya Aiyar's English translation on thevaaram.org thevaaram.org · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Place

    Pichavaram

    Where the Thillai plant that gives the town its old name grows in abundance, per the municipality page.

  • Temple

    Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram

    The earth shrine of the Pancha Bhoota set.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Government: Chidambaram Municipality, Government of Tamil Nadu (tnurbantree.tn.gov.in), "Places of Interest" — Thillai Natarajar Temple tnurbantree.tn.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Chidambaram (destination page)" prod.incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Hymn: Tevaram, First Tirumurai 1.80 (Koyil (Chidambaram)), Tirujnanasambandar; text and V. M. Subramanya Aiyar's English translation on thevaaram.org thevaaram.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Supreme Court of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors., Civil Appeal Nos. 10620–10622 of 2013, judgment of 6 January 2014 (B. S. Chauhan and S. A. Bobde JJ.), paras 36–38, 44, 47–50 and the recital of history; copy hosted at asiaconverge.com asiaconverge.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The Pioneer, "SC frees Nataraja temple from TN Govt's control", Abraham Thomas and Kumar Chellappan, 7 January 2014 dailypioneer.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Herald, "After standoff, devotees allowed to worship from Chidambaram temple stage", 28 June 2023 deccanherald.com · seen 2026-10-09
Corrections made to this page (1)
  • 2026-10-09: changed “traditional” to “canonical”. A dated modern event reported by a dated documentary source; "traditional" presented it as folklore. No source disputes it.

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Thillai Nataraja Temple”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/nataraja-chidambaram (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence