THE REGIONAL KINGDOMS OF EARLY MEDIEVAL INDIAwhose shrine was called Perampalam (‘Great Hall’). In addition, there was
a Cidampalam (‘Little Hall’), associated with a cult similar to that of
Murugan, a god served by priests who dance in a state of trance. The
whole sacred complex was called Puliyur (Tiger town’) in Tamil.
There is no reference to Chidambaram in the early Sangam literature of
the first to fifth centuries AD or in the early epic Sanskrit. The identification
of the local dancing god of Chidambaram with Shiva seems to have been
established by the sixth century at the latest: Appar and Sambadar refer to
the dance of Shiva in the Little Hall at Chidambaram in the early seventh
century. The Chidambaram Mahatmya composed in the twelfth century
provides insights into the subsequent evolution of the cult and also shows the
process of Sanskritisation. The upgrading of the cult of the lingam and the
Sanskritisation of the name of the temple town were the first achievements.
Both were accomplished by inventing a legend according to which a North
Indian Brahmin, Vyagrahapada, a devout Bhakta of Shiva, came to
Chidambaram in order to worship the Mulasthana lingam. A Brahmin by
that name—meaning ‘Tiger foot’—was mentioned in Late Vedic texts and so,
by making this saint the hero of the legend, the Tamil name Puliyur (‘Tiger
town’) was placed in a Sanskrit context.
In the tenth century the ‘King of Dancers’ was adopted by the Chola
kings as their family god, which meant that the reputation of the cult of the
dancing Shiva had to be enhanced by inventing a new legend.
Vyagrahapada’s worship of the Mulasthana lingam was now regarded as a
mere prelude to the worship of the divine dancer who manifested himself at
Chidambaram by dancing the cosmic dance, Ananda Tandava. The fact that
the cult had originated in the ‘Little Hall’ while the neighbouring hall of the
goddess was called the ‘Great Hall’ was felt to be somewhat embarrassing;
the legend had to correct this imbalance. The Tamil word Cid-ampalam
(‘Little Hall’) was therefore replaced by the Sanskrit word Cid-ambaram
(‘Heavenly Abode of the Spirit’)—nearly a homophone, but much more
dignified in meaning. Shiva’s cosmic dance performed for both Chola kings
and humble Bhaktas now had a new setting in keeping with the greatness of
the god. This etymological transformation, so typical of Hinduism’s
evolution, then provided striking metaphysical perspectives. Chidambaram
was praised to be the heart of the first being (purusha) ever created and at its
innermost centre (antahpura) was the Brahman, the impersonal cosmic
essence. By alluding to the Vedic myth of the Purusha—whose sacrifice had
engendered the universe—and by equating this Purusha with the human
body, the priest could now interpret the divine dance of Shiva as taking place
in Chidambaram, the centre of the cosmos, as well as in the hearts of the
Bhaktas. By this kind of Sanskritisation the autochthonous cult of a local
god was placed within the context of the ‘great tradition’. At the same time
the heterodox Bhakti movement was reconciled with the philosophical
system of the Brahmins, who had taken over the control of the temple.