EshwartheGod: Greatness of Thillai Sabai (Chidambaram)

Thillai is known as Chidambaram now-a-days . Chidambaram is in Tamil Nadu in India.

The Thillai Sabhai (and Humans)

Chidambaram is one of the holiest and most venerated temples in Tamilnadu dedicated to Lord Nataraja. When people refer to 'koil' (the Tamil word for temple) the word denotes the temple in Chidambaram. Chidambaram is referred to in Hindu scriptures by other names such as Thillai, Puliyur, Chittambalam, Vyagrapuram and Pundareekapuram. The temple has attained such sanctity and sacredness due to its antiquity and its association with so many miracles mentioned in Hindu scriptures. Many sages, saints and religious savants have sung in praise of the presiding deity.

Chidambaram symbolizes one of the Pancha Bootham "AAGAYAM" meaning Sky or Space

There are five sabhais in Chidambaram (Thillai) temple.

Chit Sabhai (சித்சபை)	The place where the Lord Nataraja and Goddess Sivakami resides. (Garbhagragam)
Kanaga Sabhai (கனகசபை)	The place where Abhishegams takes place which is before Chit Sabhai
Deva Sabhai (தேவசபை)	The place where the Uttsava moorthis are kept
Raja Sabhai (ராஜசபை)	The 1000 pillared Mandapam where the first oration of Periyapuranam by Sekkizhar took place
Nirudha Sabhai (நிருத்தசபை)	The Mandapam which looks like chariot with horses and where the Oorthuvamoothi and Thillaikali dances. Also Sarabha Moorthi resides

Some Interesting Facts about Chit Sabhai and Kanaga Sabhai:

The Ponnambalam is designed to represent the human body. The sanctum is not in the centre but slightly to the left denoting the heart. The entrance to these shrines is not in the front but on the side drawing parallel to the flow of blood into the heart. The dancing figure of Lord Nadarajah itself is the subject of many long theses by scholars of the past and present giving various interpretations of Hindu philosophy.

Items in Sabhai	Denotes or Represents
The five steps leading unto the Chitsaba	Panchaksharam [the five syllables of the 'Panchakshara mantram' (Na,Ma,Si,Va,Ya)]
The ten golden pillars in Chitsaba	4 Vedas (Rigveda , Samaveda, Yajurveda , Atharvaveda) and 6 agamams
The five silver pillars in Chitsaba	Pancha Boodhas (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space)
The 96 holes in the silver wood separating chitsaba and kanaga saba	96 Thathuvangal
18 pillars in Ponnambalam	18 puranams (Vishnu Purana, Narada Purana, Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Garuda (Suparna) Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Vamana Purana, Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Linga Purana, Siva Purana, Skanda Purana (Kartika Purana) and Agni Purana)
64 (gold) wooden rafters in Ponnambalam roof	64 types of different art forms (64 Kalaigal)
21,600 golden tiles in Ponnambalam roof	the number of breaths taken by a human being in a day
72,000 golden nails attaching the rafters	The number of nerves in human beings (Naadi Narumbugal)
The 9 golden Kalasams	The 9 shakthis
The name written on each golden tile	Pancaksharam - “Namasivayam” (நமசிவய)
The place where God and Goddess resides	Shivaskahthi Peedam

Greatness of the Nataraja Deity

The Nataraja deity denotes – The Panchakshara (Om Namasivaya - ஓம் நமசிவய).

ஓம்	Thiruvasi (திருவாசி) – The rim around the Lord
ந	Thookiya Thiruvadi (தூக்கிய திருவடி) – The lifted foot
ம	Thiruvayiru (திருவயிறு ) – The stomach
சி	Thirutholgal (திருதோள்கள்) – The shoulders
வ	Thirumugam (திருமுகம்) – The face
ய	Thirumudi (திருமுடி ) – The Hair

The three stages of Lord:

Vuruvam (one with Form) – Nataraja deity

Aruvam (Formless) – The Chidambara Ragasiyam

Aruvuruvam (Doesnot having a porper form) – Spadiga Lingam or Thiruchittrambalam mudaiyar

Nataraja‘s deity performing the five big Thirukoothu

The Hand having oodukkai (உடுக்கை ஏந்திய திருக்கை)	Creation (படைத்தல் )
The blessing Hand (அபய திருக்கை)	Protection (காத்தல்)
The hand lifting the fire (எரியேந்திய திருக்கை)	Destruction (அழித்தல் )
The foot in the ground (ஊன்றிய திருவடி)	Concealment (மறைத்தல்)
The lifted foot (தூக்கிய திருவடி)	Grace (அருளல்)

Chidambara Ragasiyam

Some more wonderful surprises secrets:

The place where the temple is built and where Lord Nataraja stands is the claimed center of the earth’s magnetic equator. This shows the tremendous engineering, geographical and astrological knowledge of the ancient architectures. (Center Point of World’s Magnetic Equator).
The Cosmic dance he does is referred to Cosmic atom movement in all the particles and is still a great shaking pattern for the scientists.
The temple has nine gateways among which four of them have gopurams in the East, West, North and South. The eastern gopuram/pagoda has all the 108 dance postures of Bharathanatiyam. The south gopuram Sokkaseeyan Thirunilai Ezhugopuram was constructed by Pandya king. This is evident from the sculpted fishes (flag of Pandya king) in the ceiling. The smallest gopuram is the western gopuram that was constructed in 1150