Chidambaram Nataraja Temple

Chidambaram is the headquarters of Annamalai University. The Chidambaram Nataraja Temple is the temple of Panchabuthanada, bears the memories of Dravidian culture. There will be no one who has not heard about Chidambaram, the temple town. The Chidambaram which bears the memories of Dravidian culture is a repository of sights. It was the capital of the Chola Kingdom. The Nataraja temple here was built in the 10th century. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Four temple towers are spread over 50acres in the temple complex. The Chidambaram Nataraja Temple is one of the rare temples which dedicated to Shiva and Vaishnava in one place. It is surrounded by five shrines and the flag of the God flies in the south tower. The Chidambaram Nataraja Temple is a wonder of devotion to Lord Shiva and the marvelous architecture. The temple tower is filled with sculptures of Natya Shastra Mudras and the sculptures of countless characters in epics are engraved. The eastern tower was built during Chola Dynasty by carving the sculptures depicting the 108 dance postures explained in Bharathamuni’s Natya Shastra. The unique feature of this temple is that Lord Shiva and Vishnu are worshiped in the same place. The temple is open from 6 am to 12 pm and from 5 pm to 10 pm every day.