Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu
The temple of Shiva as Nataraja, the dancer. Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga explains why the yogic tradition holds Chidambaram sacred.
What the texts say
- Lineage text
The book names Chidambaram as the place that enshrines Nataraja most memorably, with his dance of bliss read as the yogic ideal: exuberance and stillness together.
Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga, Sadhguru and Arundhathi Subramaniam, "THE DANCE OF LIGHT"
- Lineage text
It tells how Adiyogi danced again at Thillai, or Chidambaram, for a devotee. It explains the name as chitta, intelligence unclouded by memory, joined with ambara, limitless space. It also states that the temple was built exactly on the magnetic equator of its time, which has since shifted. That is the book's claim, reported here as such.
Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga, Sadhguru and Arundhathi Subramaniam, "THE DANCE OF LIGHT"
What you will find today
- Getting there
- In Chidambaram town, Cuddalore district. The district administration dates the temple to the 10th century, when Chidambaram was a Chola capital, and describes its five halls, or sabhas.
- Timings and conduct
- The district administration does not publish timings. Check at the temple before you plan your visit.
Last checked via Cuddalore District Administration, Government of Tamil Nadu (https://cuddalore.nic.in/tourist-place/chidamabaram/). Conditions change; confirm before you travel.
A practice for this place
Stand before Nataraja for a few minutes, then find a quiet place in the temple to sit. Close your eyes and notice both what moves in you and what does not: the breath and thoughts moving, and the awareness that watches them staying still. Let that be the practice.