Every year, the month of “Marghazi” is of very special significance as it heralds new beginnings, the new year, the music season in Tamil Nadu made redolent with the myraid  performances of senior music stalwarts in the various halls, Vaikunta Ekadasi, and of course Thiruvadharai.  When I actually embarked on the significance of this day I found so many different versions, all of them confluencing on the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.

This festival occurs on the day of the Arudra star in the tamil month of Marghazi, and is of course of special significance to Lord Shiva. This day also marks the auspicious time for Arudra Darisanam – of Lord Nataraja in the Saivite temples all over Tamilnadu.  This celebration is marked by abhishekams to Nataraja and his consort Sivakami during the full moon night, and worship services such as the Deepa Aradhanai to Natarajar amidst the chanting of sanskrit and tamil hymns and the waving of lamps, in the pre-dawn hours, when the moon still shines bright, an enactment of the dance of Shiva, and a grand procession through the processional streets.

Although there is a shrine to Natarajar, in virtually all of the Saivite temples in Tamilnadu, five of these are considered to be the Pancha Sabhais or the five cosmic dance halls of Shiva. The five dance halls are:

The Hall of Gold – Kanakasabha at Chidambaram,

The Hall of Silver Velli Sabhai at Madurai,

The Hall of Rubies – Ratnasabha at Tiruvalankadu,

The Hall of Copper – Tamrasabha at Tirunelveli and

The Hall of Pictures – Chitrasabha at Kutralam.

The usual Neivethyams that are offered to Lord Shiva are Thirivadharai Upperi & Thiruvadharai Kali. The postings will follow in the later blogs.