The below sequence of photos are from a recently concluded function at Arunachaleswarar Temple. The photographs are of the Sri Nataraja Utsavam and of his abhishekam. During the festival Lord Nataraja is taken jewelled and decorated to the One Thousand Pillar Hall.
To find out more about the significance of Shiva as the manifestation of Lord Nataraja, please go the earlier posting at this link here.
However it is Chidambaram one of five holy Shiva Sthalams that fully celebrates festivals dedicated to Lord Nataraja. Chidambaram represents the element space. The other four Shiva Sthalams are: Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara (water), Kanchi Ekambareswara (earth), Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleswarar (fire) and Kalahasti Nathar (wind).
 | ||
| Lord Nataraja Sandal Abhiskeham |
 |
| Bath of Turmeric |
 |
| Vibhutti abhiskeham of the idol |
 |
| Idol fully covered with vibhutti |
 |
| Milk abhiskeham of the idols |
Dancing with Shiva
The world is seen as it truly is—sacred—when we behold Siva's cosmic dance. Everything in the universe, all that we see, hear and imagine, is movement. Galaxies soar in movement; atoms swirl in movement. All movement is Siva's dance. When we fight this movement and think it should be other than it is, we are reluctantly dancing with Siva. We are stubbornly resisting, holding ourselves apart, criticizing the natural processes and movements around us.
It is by understanding the eternal truths that we bring all areas of our mind into the knowledge of how to accept what is and not wish it to be otherwise. Once this happens, we begin to consciously dance with Siva, to move with the sacred flow that surrounds us, to accept praise and blame, joy and sorrow, prosperity and adversity in equanimity, the fruit of understanding. We are then gracefully, in unrestrained surrender, dancing with Siva. The Vedas state, "The cosmic soul is truly the whole universe, the immortal source of all creation, all action, all meditation. Whoever discovers Him, hidden deep within, cuts through the bonds of ignorance even during his life on earth."
[By Satguru Sivaya Subramaniyaswami]
