Chidambaram
Chidambaram is one of the most ancient and most celebrated shrines in India located in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu
The origins of this vast temple are buried in antiquity.
Adi Shankara is said to have presented a Spatika Lingam, which is still under worship in this temple. Sekkizhaar's Periya Puranam, describing poetically the life of the Saivite Saints (63 in number) was composed in the 1,000-pillared hall, and was expounded by the author himself in the presence of the Chola emperor Kulottunga II, who had commissioned the work, amidst great festivity and fanfare.
Each of the four most revered Saivite Saints (Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavacakar) has worshipped at Chidambaram, and the bulk of Manikkavacakar's work is in praise of Shiva at Chidambaram. Accordingly, their images are placed in the temple entrances corresponding to their points of entry into the temple (Sambandar - South, Appar - West, Sundarar - North and Manikkavacakar - East).
Spiritual Significance Of Chidambara Rahasyam
Of the word Chidhambaram, the term 'Chit' would mean consciousness and 'Ambaram' would mean 'Sky' derived from 'Aakaasam' or 'Aaakayam'. The terms put together would be the 'Sky of Consciousness'.
A curtain is found within the sanctum sanctorum, the drawing of which reveals an empty space with streams of golden bilva leaves hung to indicate the presence of the Lord. The exterior part of the curtain which is black indicates the ignorance of man while the interior part of it in red, symbolises wisdom and bliss. The empty space within exposes the worship of the Lord in His formless state. The curtain is drawn during the daily rituals for the worship of the formless Lord, the realization of which is liberation or Mukti. This is truly a ritual that penetrates the prevailing notions about the divine to the bareness of nothingness, which is divinity in actuality.
Chidambara Rahasyam is hence, the journey from ignorance to wisdom and ultimately to liberation through surrender that bestows bliss.
Lord Shiva in his manifestation of formlessness is worshipped in Chidambaram. The Lord is said to continuously dance in a state of eternal bliss "Aananda thaandava", with his consort
Sakthi or energy called
Sivagami. A curtain covers this space which when drawn reveals strands of golden ‘Vilva’ leaves hung to indicate the Lord’s presence. The curtain is dark on its exterior side (indicating ignorance) and bright red on the interior side (indicating wisdom and bliss)
During the daily rituals, the Chief priest, of the day, himself in a state of Godliness - Shivohambhava (
Shiva - the Lord, in His Sandhi form -
Shivo-,
aham – me / us,
bhava - state of mind), parts the curtain, indicating the withdrawal of ignorance and reveals the space, and the Lord’s presence.
The Chidambara Rahasya, is hence representative of that time when one, in total surrender, allows God to intervene and remove our ignorance, even as we get to 'see and experience' His presence and hence - bliss.
Essence of Chidambara Rahasya:
Chidambaram is Akasha Ksehtra of the Pancha Bootha Kshetras. The Swami Akasha Linga is invisible and we have to visualise the lord by his golden vilva hara. This explanation is for those less enlightened.
On a higher spiritual level less enlightened (those who dwelve in Agnana) need a form to pray to while those who have attained enlightenment (Meignana) need no form to pray to.
Legends associated with Chidambaram Temple
Aadi Sesha, the serpent (couch) of Vishnu, heard from Vishnu the grandeur of Shiva's cosmic dance. Filled with irrepressible desire to witness this dance in person at Chidambaram, Seshan descended to the earth as Patanjali (the one who descended). Vyagrapaadar, another devotee of Shiva prayed to obtain the tiger's claws so that he could obtain with ease the sacred Vilva leaves meant for Shiva's worship at Chidambaram.
At the appointed hour, Shiva (with Shivakami) granted to Patanjali and Vyagrapaadar, a visual treat in the form of his Cosmic Dance of Bliss, to the accompaniments of music played by several divine personalities in the Hindu pantheon.
This Dance of Bliss is said to have been witnessed by Vishnu, and there is a Govindaraja shrine in the Nataraja temple commemorating this. The dance of bliss of Shiva is also said to have been enacted upon Shiva's (Bhikshatana) victory over the married ascetics of Daruka Vanam.
The Legendary Dance Duel of Lord Shiva And Goddess Kali
Yet another legend, commemorating the dance duel between the doyens of dances Shiva and Kali is associated with Chidambaram. Shiva is said to have lifted his left foot towards the sky in the Urdhuva Tandava posture, a definite male gesture, which out of adherence to protocol, Kali could not reciprocate, thereby causing Shiva to emerge victorious, delegating Kali to the status of a primary deity in another temple in the outskirts of Chidambaram. This legend is portrayed in the Nritta Sabha, one of the halls within the Chidambaram temple.
There is another recent legend associated with this temple. The sacred Tamil works of the Nayanmaars had been missing for several years, and it was during the period of Rajaraja Chola (the builder of the Grand temple at Thanjavur) that formal research was initiated to trace these fine works of devotional literature. These works of the Saivite Saints - rich in musical content were recovered in a dilapidated state in one of the chambers in this vast temple, after the monarch brought images of the Saint trinity in procession to the temple.
Ananda Tandavam - Dance of Lord Shiva
The dance of bliss, or the Ananda Tandavam of Shiva is said to symbolize the five divine acts ("Pancha Krityas") - creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment and bestowment of grace. The dance of Shiva has been frozen in metal and held in worship in Nataraja Sabhas, in virtually all of the Saivite temples in Tamil Nadu.
Sources:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/soc.culture.indian.karnataka/ezFoS_WITxc
Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indians, what is actually "Chidambara rahasyam" (secret of temple in chidambara, a town in tamilnadu) mean? - Yahoo Answers India
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