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Natyanjali Dance
Festival
 Starts from the day of Mahashivaratri, for 5 days. Chidambaram is situated along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, 75 kms south of Pondicherry. Lord Nataraja, according to the Hindu mythology is a cosmic dancer. He is called the Lord of dances. This is an opportunity for all dancers, from all India, to perform and to pay their tribute to Lord
Nataraja.The Natyanjali festival, which brings all the prominent dancers of India, together on the same platform, opens on the auspicious occasion of
Mahasivaratri, in the month of February. It is performed at the 'Prakara' of the temple, and the dancers, full of intense bliss and devotion, with their evocative
abhinaya, offer their dance to the great divinity, Lord Nataraja.
Festivals have great value in Chidambaram. 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 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.
An Oppurtunity For All
 This is an opportunity for all dancers, from all over India, to perform and to pay their tribute to Lord 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. The festival lasts for 5 days.
This dance festival at Chidambaram brings together all the prominent dancers of India with an enchantment and elation, which shone in their eyes and evocative Abhinaya as they offered their dance to the great divinity,
Lord Nataraja. To many of them it is like a dream come true, to be able to perform in the vicinity of the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Nataraja himself, whose 'Padams' and 'Varnams' they often dance upon creating an imaginary figure of the Lord.
The Natyanjali Dance Festival is designed to promote a universal message of "Unity in Diversity" conveyed in the universal language of music and dance. Its purpose also is to both educate and entertain the audience.
HOW TO GET THERE
Air : The nearest airport is at Trichy, at a distance of 160-km.
Rail : The railway station is a 20-minute walk southeast of the Nataraja Temple. Express and passenger trains leave for Chennai four times daily, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur twice daily, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai.
Road : Chidambaram is well connected by road with Chennai, Pondicherry, Madurai, Thanjavur, etc.
WHERE TO STAY
Accommodation is available at the hotels in Chidambaram.
The temple city of Chidambaram pays special tribute to Lord Nataraja the 'Cosmic dancer'. The setting is truly divine-Chidambaram's gold-roofed temple, with pillars depicting Lord Nataraja in 108 poses from Bharatha Natyam - Tamil Nadu's classical dance.
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