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Pancha Sabhai: Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal Refers To The Temples of

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Pancha Sabhai

Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal refers to the temples of


Lord Nataraja, a form of Lord Shiva[1] where he
performed the Cosmic Dance.[2] Pancha indicates
Five, Sabhai means hall and Stala means place. All
these temples are located in Tamil Nadu, India.

Contents
Nataraja
The Five Temples
External Shiva-Nataraja in the Thousand-Pillar-Hall of the
Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu,
References
India

Nataraja
The five places where Shiva performed cosmic dance are called Pancha sabhai Thalangal. There are five
Sabhas within Chidambaram temple itself. Those are called Chirsabhai (the sanctum), Porsabhai (hall
preceding the sanctum), Nirutha Sabhai (the chariot shaped hall), Deva Sabhai (the hall where all the festival
deities are housed) and Rajasabhai (the thousand pillared hall).[3]

As per Bharathamuni, Shiva was the originator of dance and he allowed Nandi to witness his performance.
Thandava, the dance form, is derived from Thanda, the other name of Nandi. Shiva Thandava is classified
into seven types, namely, Kali Thandava, Sandhya Thandava, Tripura Thandava, Anandha Thandava, Uma
Thandava, Samhara Thandava and Urdhwa Thandava.[4]

A few temples in Tamil Nadu are closely associated with Nataraja and have their own myths of dance along
with the halls specific to their version of dance.[5] The seven dances of Lord Siva can be recognised as the
varied facts of single theme viz. the Beauty and Bliss of the Absolute. Herein lies the aesthetic fact of the
dance. The seven dances are:
Thandavam(Dance) Hall Temple Location Photo
Vada aaranyeswarar Thiruvalangadu,
Kali Thandavam Rathinachabai
Temple Chennai
Ananda Thandavam Porchabai Natarajar Temple Chidambaram

Meenakshi Amman
Sandhya Thandavam Vellichabai Madurai
Temple

Muni Thandavam Thamirachabai Nellaiappar Temple Tirunelveli


Kutralanathar
Tirupura Thandavam Chithirachabai Courtallam
Temple

In the above classification of Siva's dance, as mentioned in puranic literature the temples are found within the
geographical and cultural limit of Tamil Nadu. Of the seven dances, the seventh dance, Ananda Thandavam is
representative and symbolic of the themes inherent in all other dances. The seventh is a composite ideal of the
main tenets of Saiva Siddhanta Philosophy. The dance itself is a source of supreme aesthetic enjoyment of the
beauty and bliss of god[6]

The Five Temples


Category Temple Location Element Image

Thiruvalangadu,
Rathinachabai Vada aaranyeswarar Temple Emerald
Chennai

Porchabai Natarajar Temple Chidambaram Gold

Vellichabai Meenakshi Amman Temple Madurai Silver

Thamirachabai Nellaiappar Temple Tirunelveli Copper

Chithirachabai Kutralanathar Temple Courtallam Art

External
Pancha Sabhai Map (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=pancha+sabhai&hl=en&ll=10.97355,77.969971&spn=
5.229098,9.832764&sll=10.271681,78.013916&sspn=5.241115,9.832764&z=7)

References
1. Historical dictionary of the Tamils.Vijaya 4. Neergundha, Nagaraj. Artha: A life Fostered
Ramaswamy by Silence (https://books.google.com/book
2. The Dance of Siva: Religion, Art and Poetry s?id=C4XSCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT60&dq=tha
in South IndiaDavid Smith ndava#q=thandava). Notion Press. pp. 60–
3. Dr. R., Selvaganapathy, ed. (2013). Saiva 1. ISBN 9789352060962.
Encyclopaedia volume 1 - Thirumurai 5. Rajarajan, R.K.K. (2014).
Thalangal. Chennai, India: Saint Sekkizhaar "Pañcanṛtyasabhās: Dancing Halls Five" (ht
Human Resource Development Charitable tps://www.academia.edu/9571297). Religion
Trust. pp. 631–2. of South Asia, Equinox Publishing,
Sheffield. 8 (2): 197–216.
6. Encyclopaedia of the Śaivism . P 212 by
Swami P. Anand, Swami
Parmeshwaranand.
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This page was last edited on 5 December 2020, at 06:22 (UTC).

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