#Thread My heart and mind are lost in the thoughts of the great temple of #Chidambaram. For Shiva devotees of TN, this is THE kovil, just like for devotees of Shri Vishnu, Srirangam is THE kovil. This is also one of the few temples in India that is managed by hereditary priests.

The temple has 4 Rajgopurams in 4 cardinal directions, built at different times and yet, all 4 Gopurams are uniform in size, structure and form. All are 7-storeyed and 135 feet tall. All have 13 Copper Kalashas on them.

Belief is that temple of Chidambaram IS Lord Shiva. The gold-roofed garbhgriha has d Lord manifested in 3 forms:
-  Murti of Lord Natarajar, as the Sakala form
-   semi-form Crystal lingam, as the Sakala nishkala form
-   formless - the empty Space known as Chidambara Rahasyam.

Each of the Gopurams have the display all the 108 karanas or dance poses of Lord Shiva as found in the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni. These postures form the foundation of Bharatanatyam even today.

The roof of Chitrambalam Is made of 21600 gold plates, inscribed with Panchakshara mantra, held together with 72000 nails. As per Yogic philosophy, humans take 21600 breaths in a day and the prana is spread through the human body through 72000 nadi or veins. - Pic via internet

The golden roof was made possible by the grace of the Chozha king, Parantaka in the 10th century. Parantaka described himself as the ‘bee at the lotus feet of Lord Shiva’ in the inscriptions. The #Chidambaram temple was the coronation temple of the Chozhas.

The temple is fully managed by the Chidambaram Deekshithars, an ancient sect of Vaidik Brahmins who have been the custodians of this temple since antiquity. This is one of the few popular temples in TN that is not under the grasp of HRNCE.

Visiting #Chidambaram was like being transported to another world, a world where devotion reigned Supreme. The Chidambara Rahasya is not the empty space is the garbhgriha, it is the act of lifting the veil of illusion, to discover the Lord within. #tamizhtales (Pic via Internet