5/19/2014 Chidambaram Temple - How And Why It Was Created

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Chidambaram Temple How And Why
It Was Created
19 May 2014 166 Comments
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Chidambaram Temple
Sadhguru looks at how and why the Chidambaram temple was created
and explores its association with Patanjali, the father of modern yoga.
Sadhguru: In South India, five temples were built for each of the five
elements Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. These are the Pancha Bhuta
Sthalas. Geographically, they are all within the Deccan Plateau four in
Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh. The temple for water is in
Thiruvanaikaval, fire is Thiruvannamalai, Kalahasti is air and
Kanchipuram is earth. The temple for space is in Chidambaram.
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5/19/2014 Chidambaram Temple - How And Why It Was Created
http://blog.ishafoundation.org/yoga-meditation/science-of-temples/chidambaram-temple/ 2/7
The Chidambaram temple is an incredible space. The newer part of the
temple is around a thousand years old but no one knows how old the older
part of the temple is. People say it is 3,500 years or more. This is how
Indian culture has been. Even in ancient times, just look at the kind of
temples they built. Whether you see the Rameshwaram Temple, the
Chidambaram Temple, or the Madurai Temple, these are all colossal
establishments and they were created a thousand years ago. At that time,
almost every human being except the king lived in shacks. There was no
machinery, trucks or cranes, but they worked for a couple of generations
on these temples with a single-minded purpose. These people dedicated
their whole life, they lived and died to create these temples because it
meant so much to them.
Nataraja The Lord of Dance
At the Chidambaram temple, there is the Nataraja, Shiva as the Lord of
Dance. Natesha or Nataraja is one of the most significant forms of Shiva.
When I visited CERN in Switzerland, which is the physics laboratory on
the planet, where all the atom-smashing takes place, I saw that there is a
Nataraja statue in front of the entrance, because they identified that there
is nothing in human culture which is closer to what they are doing right
now.
The Nataraja form essentially comes from Southern India, particularly
from Tamil Nadu. It represents the exuberance of creation, the dance of
creation which self-created itself from the eternal stillness. Nataraja
standing in Chidambaram is very symbolic because what you call as
Chidambaram is just absolute stillness. That is what is enshrined in the
form of this temple. The classical arts are to bring this absolute stillness
into a human being. Without stillness, true art cannot come.
Pancha Bhuta Sthalas
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5/19/2014 Chidambaram Temple - How And Why It Was Created
http://blog.ishafoundation.org/yoga-meditation/science-of-temples/chidambaram-temple/ 3/7
Painting depicting Nataraja at
Chidambaram. Lt of Nataraja
Parvati, Rt Vyagrahapada,
Patanjali
Space
One thing about Chidambaram is the Nataraja, but the main deity is an
empty space. This temple was consecrated by Patanjali himself. Patanjali
is known as the Father of Modern Yoga. He did not invent yoga. Yoga
was already there in various forms which he assimilated into a system.
The Yoga Sutras were written by him. If you look at Patanjali, as an
enlightened being he cant be more enlightened than someone else. There
is no such thing. Realization is realization. But Patanjali as a man and
above all as an intellect, the breadth of his understanding of life is so big
that you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being. He is
absolutely incredible and almost not human.
Patanjali consecrated this temple
with a certain science behind the
whole thing because he is not a
devotee, he is a scientist and he set
up proper ways of how to conduct
the temple. He prepared a group of
people who have to maintain a
certain level of sadhana and
discipline and a method of daily
ritual in the temple. Those families
multiplied and they continued to
keep the temple. Even today, they
are generally maintaining the
codes and the ritual part that he set
forth as to how the temple should
be maintained.
Reviving Chidambaram
Just the buildings of the Chidambaram temple cover around thirty-five
acres. They are built completely of stone and are magnificent. Apart from
this, hundreds of acres of lands were attached to it, alongwith jewelry to
maintain the vast temple. But during the British era, they took over many
temples because of the enormous amount of wealth attached to them and
all the jewelry has completely disappeared today. They say that a huge
amount of the British funding for World War II came from Indian
temples. Lands were also taken over and distributed, so the temple has
become poor and unmanageable now.
Chidambaram Temple Seva - Isha Foundation
5/19/2014 Chidambaram Temple - How And Why It Was Created
http://blog.ishafoundation.org/yoga-meditation/science-of-temples/chidambaram-temple/ 4/7
Images courtesy: Ward, F. Swain View of the Pagoda of Chelimbaram, c.
1762.jpg from Wikipedia
Ferrario, GiulioPagoda di Sialembrom, 1828 from Wikipedia
Chidambaram Shiva from WikipediaChidambaram Temple from
Wikipedia
Chidambaram Nataraja temple Shivaganga tank porch from Wikipedia
Visit to CERN by oalsaker

Today there are around 360 families who are conducting the rituals and
are also the beneficiaries of the temple. But they are unable to maintain it
so many things are going away. All the vegetable dye paintings on the
ceiling, which are a thousand years old are almost sixty percent gone. The
plaster has fallen off and there is nobody for upkeep. And unknowingly,
they have put up concrete structures here and there in this hundred
percent stone temple because of which the aesthetics and the dynamics of
the temple are badly disturbed.
When Patanjali built the temple, he didnt build things for fancy. He only
did what is absolutely needed, and it is an incredible space. That space
needs to be protected and nurtured and made available to the whole of
humanity. We want to do that. It will cost plenty to restore the temple and
also clear up the surroundings because all kinds of bazaars have
mushroomed which are bad for the space. We want to just see if we can
do something about that and put up proper shopping and hotels, but this is
still an idea. We are looking for some corporate support in India. If that
happens I want to restore that because whether your house is 10,000
square feet or just 1000 square feet is not going to make an ultimate
difference in your life, but being around a consecrated space is going to
make a phenomenal difference in your life. With this understanding, in
Indian culture, they built human habitations like this: if there are 25
houses, there must be one temple. Whether you go there or not, whether
you pray or not, whether you know the mantra or not is not the point.
You must be in a consecrated space every moment of your life.
An enormous amount of knowledge about this dimension of life was
perpetuated particularly in this culture, and this was held as the most
important thing. Because it doesnt matter what you are eating, how you
are or how long you live, at some point, a need will come that you want to
get in touch with the source of Creation. If that possibility is not created
across the planet and is not available to every human being who seeks,
then society has failed to provide true wellbeing for a human being.
Editors Note: Download Sadhgurus ebook, Shiva Ultimate Outlaw,
alongwith Vairagya, an album of sacred chants (also available as an
Android App). Theyre free!
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5/19/2014 Chidambaram Temple - How And Why It Was Created
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rramesh 2 years ago
I have come to know the very importance of the temples built on those days.And
also came to know that the temples are meant for the charging place of our
system.
R.Ramesh babu


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ganesheverwhite 2 years ago
Sadhuru is gr8....


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satish_gs 3 years ago
Just wow


Reply
satish_gs 3 years ago
Just wow


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Rajan Pk 3 years ago
amazing facts-GREAT NEWS.


Reply
Bhoopathy Eswaran 3 years ago
it is truly amazing... keep up the good work.


Reply
girirajan ks 2 years ago Bhoopathy Eswaran
thanks...thanks...


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5/19/2014 Chidambaram Temple - How And Why It Was Created
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