Indian traditions, Nivedita and Coomaraswamy
Chidambaram
The Manikka Vaçagar narrative identifies Chitambaram as the sacred city where Shiva’s dance is beheld. The saint’s final encounter takes place before Shiva’s image in the Golden Court. The dance legend also calls Tillai, or Chitambaram, the centre of the universe and directs the serpent devotee to seek a lingam tended by Tiger-foot. The earthly destination is given a cosmic position in the narrative.
Also known as Chitambaram · Tillai
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In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalThe Manikka Vaçagar narrative identifies Chitambaram as the sacred city where Shiva’s dance is beheld. The saint’s final encounter takes place before Shiva’s image in the Golden Court.
Further detail
TraditionalThe dance legend also calls Tillai, or Chitambaram, the centre of the universe and directs the serpent devotee to seek a lingam tended by Tiger-foot. The earthly destination is given a cosmic position in the narrative.
Context & interpretation
The entry follows the collection’s historical spellings and sacred narratives of Chidambaram. The centre-of-the-universe designation is attributed religious language, not a measured location. These passages do not supply a complete architectural or institutional history of the temple.
Original passages
Source 1
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
the sacred city where Shiva s dance is daily beheldOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 374
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0374
- Original scan leaf
- 374
- Recorded leaf number
- 374
- Current Reader position
- 365
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
Tillai, Chitambaram, the centre of the universeOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 378
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0378
- Original scan leaf
- 378
- Recorded leaf number
- 378
- Current Reader position
- 369
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Illustrations
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Sacred & Legendary Locations ↗
Shiva
The ascetic and dancer whose action embraces the creation and release of worlds.
Shared source pageLingam
Shiva’s sacred emblem, represented in one legend as a pillar whose limits cannot be found.
Shared source pageMaya
The principle of appearance and material manifestation in the collection’s Shaiva explanation.
Same subject and traditionAyodhya
The royal city whose ideal order is broken by Rama’s exile and restored by his return.