Martin Randall News

Lord of Dance: Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram

posted on 22/01/2012

Hannah Wrigley, Special Projects Manager at Martin Randall Travel, travelled to India in November 2011 to prospect our new tour: Temples of Tamil Nadu (14–26 January 2013). Read about her experience at Nataraja Temple below.

Lord of Dance: Nataraja Temple (Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu)

After an invigorating walk through sand dunes to watch the sun rise above the seemingly endless and mesmeric stretch of the Coromandel coast, we drive inland to the pilgrimage town of Chidambaram. It is here that Shiva as Nataraja, Lord of Dance, is reputed to have performed his powerful cosmic dance to destroy a weary universe. Highly revered in Tamil Nadu, Nataraja is frequently depicted in exquisite, finely featured bronze statuary. The Cholas excelled in their creative production of these idols, sensuous in their near-nakedness but divine and all-powerful in symbolic representation. Nataraja holds fire in one hand, symbol of destruction, and in another a drum signifying recreation, all the while elegantly poised with leg cocked in mid-dance. Fine examples are displayed in various museums throughout the state, but here at the heart of Chidambaram stands the enormous ninth-century temple dedicated to Shiva in this form. The complex is constructed as five concentric courtyards, or prakaras, separated by high walls. We enter the fourth prakara via the imposing granite-based eastern gopuram dating from 1250. Here the entrance is framed with 108 panels each carved with lithe figurines enacting the Bharatnatyam, the classical dance of Tamil Nadu. The physical contortions are elegant in stone relief, but some appear beyond the realms of human capability. Can mere mortals flip backwards in to crab-like pose having moments earlier demonstrated the elasticity and strength to stand on one leg with the other wrapped snugly around the nape of the neck? It appears to be a truly celestial art form.

Within the temple compound, Monsoon rains have enriched the colours of the flagstone beneath our bare feet, a pinkish hue alternating with darker grey. We patter and splash among the worshippers navigating our way to the central enclosure, past the impressive colonnaded Sivaganga tank and slightly neglected thousand-pillared mandapa, once used for Royal rituals. Gloomy on entrance, the darkness occasionally pricked by small butter-fuelled lamps, the temple is a hive of active worship. At the heart of the bustle is the striking sanctum (Cit Sabha, the hall of Wisdom), topped by a gilded roof. We cannot enter further to see the cosseted crystal lingum, only momentarily disappointing; there is plenty more to admire in the surrounding halls. Near to the Nritta sabha (hall of dance), emerging from the darkness, is a colourfully clad young woman, eyes dramatically lined with kohl, fixed almost trance-like toward her deity in the inner sanctum. A plump lady (I later discover her tutor) strikes up a rhythmic clashing of small symbols and the girl begins to dance. Her movements are fluid, yet calculated. She switches between complex poses with resolve, each held long enough to transmit some meaning, but quick enough to connect together as a dance. But what is extraordinary to me is the transformation of her facial expressions, at times grotesque, eyes fierce with reproof, next sublime and almost whimsical. With each chiseled poise of her foot, or stretch of her arm her face transfigures; it is at once seductive, then ecstatic, then soft or scornful. All the while, each controlled movement resonates with strength from her every limb. I am entranced. My guide explains this is her arangetram, the graduation dance. After many years of study, she is dedicating her first public performance of the Bharatnatyam to Lord Shiva. Only then can she begin to earn a living from her art. Here I have witnessed the celestial dance made human. It is a spectacular sight.

For more information about our tour, Temples of Tamil Nadu (14–26 January 2013), please click here.