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Thillai Natarajah Temple, Chidambaram or Chidambaram temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the town of Chidambaram, East-Central Tamil Nadu, South India. The temple is known as the foremost of all temples (''Kovil'') to Saivites and has influenced worship, architecture, sculpture and performance art for over two millennium. The Sangam classics list chief architect Viduvelvidugu Perumtaccan as directing an early renovation of the shrine. A major shrine of Lord Shiva worship since the classical period, there have been several renovations and offerings to Chidambaram by the Pallava, Chola, Pandya, Vijayanagara and Chera royals in the ancient and pre-medieval periods. The temple as it stands now is mainly of the 12th and 13th centuries, with later additions in similar style.〔Harle 1994, p. 321〕 Its bronze statues and stone sculptures depicting various deities and the famous Thillai trees (Excoecaria agallocha) of the surrounding forest reflect the highpoints of early Chola and Pallava art while its famed gold plated ''gopuram'' towers are medieval structural additions by the royals Aditya I, Parantaka Chola I, Kopperunchinga I, Krishnadevaraya and Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan. King Kocengannan Chola was born following prayers his parents offered at the temple and later in his life he refined its structure.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Britannica )〕〔Motilal Banarsides 1984, p. 119〕〔Pillai 1964, p. 34〕 The shrine gave the town its name. The deity that presides here is கூத்தன் - Thillai Koothan (Thillai Nataraja - Shiva, The Lord of Dance). Chidambaram is the birthplace of the sculpture and bronze image representation of Lord Shiva as the cosmic dancer, a Tamilian concept and motif in Chola art that has since become notable as a symbol of Hinduism. The shrine is the only Shiva temple to have its main deity represented in this anthropomorphic form, as the supreme being who performs all cosmic activities.〔G. 1971, p. 36〕〔Pal 1988, p. 36〕 The consort deity here is Sivakami Amman (form of Amman - mother goddess and female energy). Two other forms of Lord Shiva are represented close to this in the vimana (inner sanctum) of the temple - as a crystallised lingam - the most common representation of Lord Shiva in temples, and as the ''aether'' space classical element, represented with empty space and a garland of fifty one hanging golden vilvam leaves (''Aegle marmelos''). Lord Shiva is captured in pose as Nataraja performing the Ananda Tandava ("Dance of Delight") in the golden hall of the shrine ''Pon Ambalam'' (பொன் அம்பலம்). The sculptures of Chidambaram inspired the postures of Bharatha Natyam. The Chidambaram complex is admired for its five famous halls (''ambalam'' or ''sabhai''), several grand smaller shrines to the Hindu deities Ganesh, Murugan, Vishnu and Sivakami Amman which contain Pandyan and Nayak architectural styles, and for its endowment from many water tanks, one of which links it to the Thillai Kali temple.〔Ca Ve 1985〕 Chidambaram is one of the five Pancha Bootha Sthalams, the holiest Shiva temples each representing one of the five classical elements; Chidambaram represents akasha (aether). Chidambaram is glorified in Tirumular's ''Tirumandhiram'' and was visited by Patañjali and Pulikaal Munivar.〔S. Padmanabhan. (1977). Temples of South India. Kumaran Pathippagam〕 It is the primary shrine of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams - Shiva Sthalams glorified in the early medieval ''Tevaram'' poems by Tamil Saivite Nayanar saints Tirunavukkarasar, Thirugnana Sambandar and Sundarar. Hailed in the ''Tiruvacakam'' series by Manikkavacakar, these very volumes of the ''Tirumurai'' literature canon were themselves found in secret chambers of the temple. The ''Periya Puranam,'' a biography of these Nayanar saints by Sekkizhar commissioned by emperor Kulothunga Chola II, was written in the shrine's Thousand Pillared Hall. In ''Kanda Puranam'', the epic authored by Kachiyappa Sivachariar of Kanchipuram, the Chidambaram shrine is venerated as one of the three foremost Shiva abodes in the world, alongside Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee and Mount Kailash. ==Etymology== The traditional name of the temple complex, Chidambaram Tillai Nataraja-koothan Kovil, alludes to the environment of its location and its origins and significance in Saivite worship. The mangrove of ancient ''Tillai'' (தில்லை) trees (''Exocoeria agallocha'') of the forest surrounding the shrine when it was first built inspired the shrine's name and early artistic inspiration; the Tillai trees of the nearby Pichavaram wetlands, the second largest mangrove in the world, extends to the temple area. The shrine is venerated as ''Tillai ambalam'' (தில்லை அம்பலம் ), literally meaning ''Tillai Open Stage'', the open space surrounded by Tillai Vanam (தில்லை வனம்) (the Tillai forest) - the original name of this area.〔T. A. Gopinatha Rao, Kalyan Kumar Dasgupta. (1971). Elements of Hindu iconography, Volume 1, Part 1. pp.43〕 The name of the town of this shrine, ''Chidambaram'' comes from the Tamil word ''Chitrambalam'' (சிற்றம்பலம்) - "small hall/stage"; also spelled ''Chithambalam'' (சிட்டம்பலம்), from ''citt''/''chitthu'' and ''ambalam'' - meaning "wisdom of this open stage/atmosphere".〔〔Charles Allen Lawson (1887). Narrative of the celebration of the Jubilee of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, Empress of India, in the Presidency of Madras ... Second edition. London. Macmillan & Co. pp.60〕〔B. Natarajan. (1974) The city of the cosmic dance: Chidambaram. Orient Longman. pp. 14〕 The shrine is where some devotees believe they will attain liberation, or ''chitaakasam'' - "wisdom/consciousness of the sky". "Nataraja" or "Koothan" mean "Lord of Dance".〔Caṇmukam Meyyappan. (1992). Chidambaram Golden Temple. pp.16. "The brahmins of Thillai showed this Composition to Manickavachagar and requested him to explain the contents. Manickavachagar led them to Thillai Koothan and pointed to Him as the essence of this hymn. lt was then he merged into the...."〕〔Cupāṣin̲i Patmanātan̲ (2008) Bharatha natyam: a basic study. pp. 129. "Even the cosmic dancer LORD NATARAJA is called KOOTHAPIRAN, AMPALAK KOOTHAN, THIRUKOOTHAN, KOOTHARASAN, and THILLAI KOOTHAN. In the 2nd century AD the TAMIL classic SILAPATHIKARAM deals with variety of KOOTHUS. During the PALLAVA times,..."〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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