Sivakami patim Chintayeham — Chidamabaram through the eyes of Dishitar — III
Chidambaram — Where Kailash meets Vaikunth
And we are back on our Yatra !! This time we look into another Chidambaram Krithi by Dikshitar — Sivakami patim Chintayeham (ragam Nattai Kurinji).
In the krithi, he says:
“Nava kaali jitha nartana dheeram” — the expert dancer who defeated (the dance of) Kali in her nine forms. Once again, flashback…
Once Shiva and Shakti got into an argument as to who is the better dancer. After many including Brahma failed to give a proper judgement, the couple chose Vishnu. He being both Shiva’s friend and Shakti’s brother was considered an ideal judge. Vishnu ordered Vishwakarma to create a place for the contest to happen. This mandapam (hall) was so beautiful that it came to be known as Thiruchitrakoodam. Vishnu descended as Govindarajar. As the contest progressed, Shakti put up a tough fight. In the end, Natraja lifted his left leg to the sky and performed the Urdva Tandava posture which Parvati could not imitate.
With Shiva declared as the winner, Shakti turned furious, assumed her Kali form and left the town. She now resides in the outskirts of Chidambaram as Thillai Kali. Her anger was pacified by Brahma who chanted the Vedas and praised her. Kali was pleased and assumed a four-headed form similar to Brahma and is known as Brahma Chamundeeswari.There are two main shrines in the temple. The west-facing shrine depicts the goddess in her gentle form — Brahma Chamundeeswari.In the east-facing shrine, the goddess appears in her ferocious form called Thillai Kali.
Hence, Dikshitar describes Natraja as the one who defeated the dance of Kali.
A visit to Chidambaram is incomplete without the darshan of Thillai Govindaraja perumal. Next up, are his krithis ! Stay tuned for the Chidambaram finale !
