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{{Short description|Group of Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu, India}}
[[File:Madurai Meenakshi temple Nataraja.jpg|x216px|thumb|right|Shiva-Nataraja in the [[Meenakshi Amman Temple#Hall of Thousand Pillars|Thousand-Pillar-Hall]] of the [[Meenakshi Amman Temple]] in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India]]

The '''Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal''' ({{Langx|ta|பஞ்ச சபை ஸ்தலங்கள்|lit=Five hall places}}) refers to the temples of [[Nataraja]], a form of the Hindu god [[Shiva]]<ref>''Historical dictionary of the Tamils''.Vijaya Ramaswamy</ref> where he is regarded to have performed the cosmic dance called the [[Tandava]].<ref>''The Dance of Siva: Religion, Art and Poetry in South India''David Smith</ref> All these temples are located in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]. The five dance performances were the Kali Tandava at Ratna Sabha in [[Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple|Vada Aaranyeswarar Temple]], Ananda Tandava at the Kanaka Sabha in [[Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram#External links|Natarajar Temple]], Sandhya Tandava at the Rajata Sabha in [[Meenakshi Amman Temple]], Muni Tandava at the Tamra Sabha at [[:ta:செப்பறை_அழகிய_கூத்தர்_கோவில்|Chepparai Temple]], and Tripura Tandava at the Chitra Sabha in [[Thirukutralam|Kutralanathar Temple]].

The presiding deities are revered in the 7th-century Tamil [[Shivism|Shaiva]] canonical work, the ''[[Tevaram]]'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the [[nayanars]] and classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]''. The five temples in [[Tamil Nadu]] are maintained and administered by the [[Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department]] of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]].

==Description==
The five halls within the Chidambaram temple are called Chitra Sabhai (the sanctum), Por Sabhai (hall preceding the sanctum), Nirutha Sabhai (the chariot shaped hall), Deva Sabhai (the hall where all the festival deities are housed) and Raja Sabhai (the thousand pillared hall) in Tamil.<ref name=Saiva1>{{cite book|title=Saiva Encyclopaedia volume 1 - Thirumurai Thalangal|editor-last=Dr. R.|editor-first=Selvaganapathy|publisher=Saint Sekkizhaar Human Resource Development Charitable Trust|location=Chennai, India|year=2013|pages=631–2}}</ref>

As per the sage [[Bharata Muni|Bharata]], Shiva is the originator of dance, and he allowed [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] to witness his performance. [[Tandava]], the dance form, is derived from ''Tanda'', the other name of Nandi. Shiva Tandava is classified into seven types, namely, Kali Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Tripura Tandava, Ananda Tandava, Uma Tandava, Samhara Tandava, and Urdhva Tandava.<ref>{{cite book|title=Artha: A life Fostered by Silence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C4XSCQAAQBAJ&dq=thandava&pg=PT60|first=Nagaraj|last= Neergundha|isbn=9789352060962|publisher=Notion Press|pages=60–1}}</ref>

A few temples in [[Tamil Nadu]] are closely associated with [[Nataraja]] and have their own myths of dance along with the halls specific to their version of dance.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rajarajan|first=R.K.K.|date=2014|title=Pañcanṛtyasabhās: Dancing Halls Five.|url=https://www.academia.edu/9571297|journal=Religion of South Asia, Equinox Publishing, Sheffield|volume=8|issue=2|pages=197–216}}</ref>

In the above classification of Shiva's dance, as mentioned in puranic literature the temples are found within the geographical and cultural limit of [[Tamil Nadu]]. Of the seven dances, the seventh dance, ''Ananda Tandava'' is representative and symbolic of the themes inherent in all other dances. The seventh is a composite ideal of the main tenets of ''[[Saiva Siddhanta|Shaiva Siddhanta]]'' Philosophy. According to Anand and Parmeshwaranand, the dance itself is a source of supreme aesthetic enjoyment of the beauty and bliss of god.<ref>''Encyclopaedia of the Śaivism ''. P 212 by Swami P. Anand, Swami Parmeshwaranand.</ref>

== The five temples ==

{{Location map+|Tamil Nadu|alt=Locations of the Pancha Sabha
|places=
{{location map~ |Tamil Nadu|lat=13.13|long=79.775|label= Ratna Sabha|position=left}}
{{location map~ |Tamil Nadu|lat=11.3994|long=79.6933|label= Kanaka Sabha|position=right}}
{{location map~ |Tamil Nadu|lat=9.9197|long=78.1201|label= Rajata Sabha|position=left}}
{{location map~ |Tamil Nadu|lat=8.7286|long=77.6882|label= Tamra Sabha|position=right}}
{{location map~ |Tamil Nadu|lat=9.0735|long=77.2699|label= Chitra Sabha|position=bottom}}
|caption=Temple locations|float=center|width=300}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#FFC569"
| '''Category'''
| '''Temple'''
| '''Location'''
| '''Element'''
|'''Tandava'''
| '''Image'''
| '''Details'''
|- align ="center"
|- style="background:#ffe;"
|-
| Ratna Sabha (Rathinachabai)
| [[Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple|Vada Aaranyeswarar Temple]]
| [[Thiruvalangadu]] {{coord|13|07|48|N|79|46|30|E}}
| Emerald
| Kali Tandava
| [[Image:Thiruvalangadu (18).jpg|200px|center]]
| At Sage Munjikesa Karkodaka's request, Shiva reached this temple's site. Kali challenged Shiva to a dance and said that she would give her right in the place to the deity if he won. The dance began. Shiva dropped his earring on the ground, picked it by the toe of his left leg and fixed it back on his ear in the dance. Kali accepted her defeat and said she could not do such a marvellous dance. Shiva said that he alone was equal to her and said further that those coming to worship him here, should worship her first to reap the full benefit of the worship. Since then, Kali has her own temple to grace the devotees.
|-
| Kanaka Sabha (Porchabai)
| [[Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram#External links|Natarajar Temple]]
| [[Chidambaram]] {{coord|11|23|58|N|79|41|36|E}}
| Gold
| Ananda Tandava
|[[Image:Chidambaram Temple.jpg|200px|center]]
| Chidambaram, the name of the city and the temple literally means "atmosphere of wisdom" or "clothed in thought", the temple architecture symbolizes the connection between the arts and spirituality, creative activity and the divine.<ref name="Lochtefeld2002p147">{{cite book|author=James G. Lochtefeld|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8|page=147}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Donald Frederick Lakh|author2=Edwin J. Van Kley|title=South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YPPiumz4vx0C |year=1993|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-46754-2|pages=1002–1003}}</ref><ref name="Chidambaram">[https://www.britannica.com/place/Chidambaram Chidambaram], Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> The temple wall carvings display all the 108 karanas from the ''[[Natya Shastra]]'' by Bharata Muni, and these postures form a foundation of [[Bharatanatyam]], a classical Indian dance.<ref name="Lochtefeld2002p147"/><ref name="JonesRyan2006p107">{{cite book|author1= Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC&pg=PA107|year= 2006|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5|page=107}}</ref> Shiva as [[Nataraja]] is the primary deity of the temple, it reverentially presents major themes from [[Shaktism]], [[Vaishnavism]], and other traditions of Hinduism. The Chidambaram temple complex, for example, has the earliest known Amman or [[Devi]] temple in South India, a pre-13th-century [[Surya]] shrine with chariot, shrines for [[Ganesha]], [[Kartikeya|Murugan]] and [[Vishnu]], one of the earliest known Shiva Ganga sacred pool, large mandapas for the convenience of pilgrims ([[choultry]], ''ambalam'' or ''sabha'') and other monuments.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Barrett | first=Douglas | title=James C. Harle: Temple gateways in South India: the architecture and iconography of the Cidambaram gopuras | journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies | publisher=Cambridge University Press | volume=27 | issue=2 | year=1964 | doi=10.1017/s0041977x00096063 | pages=462–463| s2cid=162883647 }}</ref><ref name="Pal 1988, p. 36">[[#Pal|Pal 1988]], p. 36</ref> Shiva himself is presented as the [[Nataraja]] performing the [[Ananda Tandava]] ("Dance of Delight") in the golden hall of the shrine ''Pon Ambalam''.<ref>[[#Ca Ve|Ca Ve 1985]]</ref>

|-
| Rajata Sabha (Vellichabai)
| [[Meenakshi Amman Temple]]
| [[Madurai]] {{coord|9|55|22|N|78|7|12|E}}
| Silver
| Sandhya Tandava
|[[Image:Madurai, India.jpg|200px|center]]
| The temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the [[Vaigai River]]<ref name="Ramaswamy2017p9">{{cite book|author=Vijaya Ramaswamy|title=Historical Dictionary of the Tamils|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ALUvDwAAQBAJ |year=2017|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1-5381-0686-0|pages=9–10, 103, 210, 363–364}}</ref> in the temple city of [[Madurai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]. It is dedicated to the goddess [[Meenakshi]], a form of [[Parvati]], and her consort, ''Sundareshvarar'', a form of [[Shiva]].<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/33832897/Minaksi_or_Sundaresvara_Who_is_the_first_principle Rajarajan], R.K.K. 2005. Minaksi or Sundaresvara: Who is the first principle? ''South Indian History Congress Annual Proceedings'' XXV, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, pp. 551-553.</ref> The temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, with the goddess temple mentioned in 6th-century-CE texts.<ref>{{cite web |title=This Temple Is Covered in Thousands of Colorful Statues |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/india/meenakshi-amman-hindu-temple/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804112508/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/india/meenakshi-amman-hindu-temple/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 4, 2017 |publisher=[[National Geographic]] |access-date=26 February 2019 |date=2 August 2017}}</ref>
|-
| Tamra Sabha (Thamirachabai)
| [[Nellaiappar Temple]]
| [[Tirunelveli]] {{coord|8|43|43|N|77|41|17|E}}
| Copper
| Muni Tandava
|[[Image:Nellaiappar temple tower.jpg|200px|center]]
| During Puranic times, the place was called Venuvana, a forest of bamboos. The deity in the current temple was believed have appeared inside the bamboo forest. [[Vishnu]] is believed to have witnessed the wedding between Shiva and [[Parvathi|Parvati]] at this place. There is an image of Vishnu with a metallic ''gindi'', a vessel with a spout, in the temple depicting the legend.<ref name=Ayyar>{{cite book|title=South Indian Shrines: Illustrated|page=24|last=Ayyar|first=P. V. Jagadisa|publisher=Asian Educational Service|year=1993|isbn=81-206-0151-3|edition=2nd|location=New Delhi}}</ref> Shiva is worshipped as Nellaiappar (also called Venuvananathar) represented by the ''[[lingam]]'' and his consort [[Parvati]] is depicted as Kanthimathi Amman.<ref name=Ayyar/>
|-
| Chitra Sabha (Chithirachabai)
| [[Thirukutralam|Kutralanathar Temple]]
| [[Courtallam]] {{coord|8|55|45|N|77|16|9|E}}
| Art
| Tripura Tandava
| [[Image:The Kutraleeshwarar temple Gopuram.jpg|200px|center]]
|The sage [[Agastyar|Agastya]], at Shiva's request, proceeded southward to stabilize the balance of the earth, and relieve the instability caused by the multitude of entities at Shiva's and Parvati's wedding in the [[Himalaya]]s, to wait for a glimpse of the divine couple. There he is said to have created the Shivalingam here by shrinking an image of Vishnu, hence the name Kutralam. Architecturally the Chitrasabha resembles that of the other Nataraja Sabhas elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, and its interior is decked with hundreds of murals, depicting images from the Indian epics. Nataraja is brought here during festivals from the Kurumpalaveesar temple. The [[Sthala Vriksha|temple tree]] is called the Kurum Pala and the temple tank is called Chitranadhi. Nataraja is depicted with the Nritya Tandava posture.<ref name=Meena>{{cite book|title=Temples in South India|last=V.|first=Meena|publisher=Harikumar Arts|location=Kanniyakumari|page=9}}</ref>
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|20em}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last1=Ca Ve |first1=Ppiramaṇiyan̲|last2= G.|first2= Rajendran|year=1985|title= Heritage of the Tamils: temple arts. International Institute of Tamil Studies|quote= "the hymnists as Tillai came to be universally accepted as the place where the Lord dances in the Hall of Gold - ''Pon Ambalam''"|ref=Ca Ve}}
* {{cite book|title=Indian Sculpture: 700-1800 By Los Angeles County Museum of Art|first=Pratapaditya|last=Pal|ref=Pal|publisher=University of California Press|year=1988|isbn=9780520064775|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/indiansculpturec00losa}}

==External==
{{Famous Shiva temples}}
{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:Pancha Sabhai| ]]

Pancha Sabhai - Revision history

PasqualeCairnduf: adding new info - done