Chidambaram is a whole temple city, which is one of the most sacred places in India. It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu, 150 miles from Madras. Rituals are still performed here in the ancient Vedic tradition. And the main thing here is the Nattaraja temple, built in honor of the "cosmic" dance of Lord Shiva.
The temple was erected in time immemorial, the first mention of it dates back to the sixth century BC. Although according to Indian myths, the temple was built much earlier. The Nattaraja temple is dedicated to the incarnation of God Shiva, who performs the Ananda Tandava dance, which has an important sacred meaning. In the movements of this dance, not only the foundations of the universe are hidden, but all the laws of the existence of the world. They say that Shiva danced his first dance, which marked the beginning of all civilization, right here, in Chidambaram.
The dance consists of 108 movements, which contain information about the laws of being. All these movements are depicted on the bas-reliefs of an Indian temple. It is believed that those who can accurately repeat the dance of Shiva will be able to comprehend all the secrets of the universe.
According to legends, both the first and last dance of Shiva should also be danced in Chidambaram. But this will mean the end of the universe. And so that this end does not come, the dance of Shiva is constantly guarded by the priests of the temple - dikshitars. This is a special caste of priests who have dedicated their entire life to serving in the temple. They lead a secluded life, while hiding their ancient knowledge from the rest of the world. They themselves believe that their ancestors once descended to earth from heaven together with Shiva, therefore some call the dikshitars aliens.
The servants of the temple are not like any other people of India, they wear specific hairstyles, therefore they are easily recognizable. Their knowledge has not yet been studied, since Chidambarama is the only Indian temple that does not have any written monuments and documents.
There are only legends. And one of them says that the goddess Kali was once the local patroness. But one day Shiva came down here to dance for two great saints. Kali did not like this idea, and she challenged Shiva to a dance duel. They agreed that the one who plays will be forced to leave. Vishnu himself became the judge of the dance.
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For a long time, none of the participants in the fight was inferior to the other. Until Shiva made his signature "vertical split" movement, he threw his leg over his head. Kali could not repeat this because of modesty and lost. She left this place, and Shiva remained here forever.
The roof of the temple is made of pure gold, it is decorated with nine stupas. According to one version, these stupas represent the nine holes of the human body, according to the other - the nine components of the Universe. The roof consists of 21,600 tiles, which is the number of breaths a person takes per day. The shingles, in turn, are held in place by 72,000 nails - like 72 beats of a human heart per minute. The roof is supported by 64 wooden beams - in honor of the 64 arts that a person must master in order to gain power over others.