Pancha Sabhai

Shiva-Nataraja in the Thousand-Pillar-Hall of the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

The Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal (Tamil: பஞ்ச சபை ஸ்தலங்கள், lit.'Five hall places') refers to the temples of Nataraja, a form of the Hindu god Shiva[1] where he is regarded to have performed the cosmic dance called the Tandava.[2] All these temples are located in Tamil Nadu, India. The five dance performances were the Kali Tandava at Ratna Sabha in Vada Aaranyeswarar Temple, Ananda Tandava at the Kanaka Sabha in Natarajar Temple, Sandhya Tandava at the Rajata Sabha in Meenakshi Amman Temple, Muni Tandava at the Tamra Sabha at Nellaiappar Temple, and Tripura Tandava at the Chitra Sabha in Kutralanathar Temple.

The presiding deities are revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. The four temples in Tamil Nadu are maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

  1. ^ Historical dictionary of the Tamils.Vijaya Ramaswamy
  2. ^ The Dance of Siva: Religion, Art and Poetry in South IndiaDavid Smith