Chidambaram joins chit, consciousness, and ambaram, sky. This 10th-century temple, spread over more than 40 acres, was built by King Aditya Chola I and his successor Parantaka I; the dancing Shiva Nataraja was the Cholas' family deity.
The site is where, tradition says, Shiva performed the Ananda Tandava with Parvati in a grove of Tillai trees, a dance that symbolises the motion of the universe. Its carvings show the 108 postures of Bharatanatyam, alongside a 1,000-pillared hall, mandapams and a holy tank, and puja has continued here for over 1,000 years.
