Natyanjali Festival

Natyanjali Festival - Chidambaram - Tamil Nadu

The ancient Nataraja temple of Chidambaram pays special tribute to Lord Nataraja - the dancing Shiva. The temple has carved pillars depicting Lord Nataraja in 108 poses of Bharathanatyam classical dance in the eastern tower.

sThe Natyanjali festival dedicated to Lord Shiva is celebrated every year for five days in the temple premise. It begins on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivaratri. During this time leading dancers from all parts of India congregate and dance in the temple as an offering to Nataraja. Natyanjali festival is jointly organised by The Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, The Ministry Of Tourism, Government of India and The Natyanjali Trust, Chidambaram. It is designed to promote a universal message of 'Unity in Diversity' conveyed in the universal language of music and dance.

The Natyanjali festival dedicated to the Cosmic Dancer (Lord Shiva) is celebrated every year during February-March. Lord Nataraja, according to Hindu mythology is the cosmic dancer. He is also called "the Lord of Dances".

Natyanjali festival opens on the auspicious occasion of the Maha Shivaratri day and of course in the right kind of venue - the 'Prakara' of the Chidambaram temple. The magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, built a thousand years ago, provides a beautiful backdrop for the event. The setting is truly divine-Chidambaram's gold-roofed temple, with pillars depicting Lord Nataraja in 108 poses from Bharatanatyam - Tamil Nadu's classical dance.

How to reach

By Rail
The nearest railway station is Palakkad which is about 45 km away from Kattukulam where the festival is to be held. Palakkad Junction is a Broad Gauge railway junction on India's Southern Railway network.

By Road
Palakkad is well connected by roads. The National Highway 47 from Salem to Kanyakumari and the Palakkad - Kozhikode National Highway 213 pass through the district. Another important road is the Palakkad - Ponnani which connects NH 47 and NH 17. The nearest city is Coimbatore in Tamilnadu which is well connected to Palakkad with broad gauge trains and buses.

By Air
Nearest airport is Coimbatore in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu which is about 55 km from Palakkad. Coimbatore airport has connecting flights to Singapore, Sharjah, Colombo, apart from major Indian cities.

Time to celebrate

The pooram day is on the 7th of month of Kumbam according to the Malayalam calendar, which corresponds to 19th February every year.