Tamil nadu tourist places-chidambaram

Chidambaram Travel Guide

The temple town of Chidambaram, 58 km south of Pondicherry greets the visitors, with a beautiful temple, dedicated to Lord Nataraja - Lord Shiva in the enthralling form of a Cosmic Dancer. This is one of the few temples, where Shiva and Vishnu are enshrined under one roof. Chidambaram is also called Thillai, since the place was originally a forest of Thillai shrubs. It is one of the five Shaivite mukti sthalams, the other four being Kalahasti, Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai and Tiruvanaikaval. A unique feature of Chidambaram is that a person of any race or religion can visit the shrine and pray.
Chidambaram is also known as Thillai, since the place was originally a forest of Thillai(Excecaria agallecha)shrubs. It is an important pilgrim centre and a holy place for Saivaites as the famous Nataraja Temple is located here.

Dedicated to Lord Nataraja, this ancient temple of the Cholas is unique not only it is devoted solely to the art of Bharatanatyam, but also it is one of the rare temples where Shiva is represented by an idol rather than the customary Lingam. Spread over an area of 40 acres with a gopuram on each side, the temple is distinguished by five sabhas or courts.

The eastern gopuram is 40.8 m. high and carved on it are the 108 dance poses of Bharatanatyam. The western tower has also similar carvings while the northern tower which soars to a height of 42.4 m. is the tallest.

The idol of Nataraja is installed in the Kanaka Sabha, the roof of which is covered with gold Plates. The icon is a stunning piece of sculpture that evokes a sense of continuous movement. Though non-Hindus are not allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum, replicas of this idol are easily available in most handicraft emporia and shops selling art and curio objects.

A shrine to Govindaraja or Lord Vishnu lies adjacent to the main shrine and has a beautiful idol of the lord reclining on Adisesha, the serpent. There are two other shrines, one dedicated to Subramanya and the other to Ganesha. In the courtyard, a large Nandi looks on devotedly at its lord and master through an aperture on the wall.

Chidambaram General Information

Area : 5 sq. kms.

Population : 58,740,(1991 census)

Altitude : 5.97 m (19.45')


Climate : Summer : 37.0ºC 36.4ºC
Winter : 21.3ºC 20.1ºC

Rainfall : 85.5 cms average

Languages spoken : Tamil and English

STD : 04144

Chidambaram Travel Information

Chidambaram is well connected by road with several towns in the state. There are bus services to Pondicherry, Chennai, Nagapattinam and Madurai. It is also served by the Chennai - Trichy (main) metre gauge line and has rail connections to Chennai, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Trichy and Rameswaram. The nearest airport is Trichy from where Indian Airlines connections are available to Chennai, Madurai and Srilanka.



By Air : Nearest Airport is Trichy

By Rail : It is connected by rail with Trichy, Madurai, Chennai.

By Road : It is also connected with all major towns.

Chidambaram Near by places of interest:

Tarangambadi
Once the site of a Danish settlement, Tarangambadi has the remains of the Dansborg fort built by Ore Gedde, the commander of the Royal Dutch Navy, in the 17th century.

The fort constructed in 1620 with two storeys was the most important building which housed the top echelons of the Danish officials. Apart from the ramparts, the rest of the buildings are in good condition.

The Church of Zion
The Church was built in 1701 in the corner of King Street and Queen Street. After several modifications during 1782 - 1784 and 1800 - 1839, the Church as it stands today has a vaulted roof and is very impressive.



The Gate
The 200-year-old Gate is of historical and architectural interest. The residents of Tarangambadi have to pass through it on their way in and out of the town.

Masilamaninathar Temple
The Masilamaninathar temple was built in 1305 A.D. by the Pandya King Kulasekaran and is of great architectural interest. There are several smaller shrines in this temple complex.

Rehlings Gard
Another interesting building in Tranquebar is Rehlings Gard named after Johnnaes Rehling who was the Danish Governor and owned the house between 1823 and 1841. It presently houses the St. Theresa's Teachers Training College and well preserved.

British Collector's House
The British Collector's house on the eastern end of King street opposite to the Dansborg fort is yet another important and impressive landmark. It is about 150 years old and is one of the largest buildings in the town with beautiful round columns, a central courtyard and a garden at the back.

Efforts are on to restore all the monuments to their old glory and plans are afoot to develop Tarangambadi into a modern tourist centre.