Natyanjali Dance Festival, Chidambaram
நாட்டியாஞ்சலி
6 Mar – 10 Mar 2027
மாசி 22 6 MarSouth Car Street, near the Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Five evenings of classical dance offered to Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram, beginning on Maha Shivaratri.
Expected: the trust announces the 46th Natyanjali 'during Maha Sivarathiri (1st week of Mar 2027)'; Maha Shivaratri is Mar 6, 2027.
Natyanjali (natya, dance, offered as anjali, worship) is a dance festival dedicated to Lord Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva, at Chidambaram. It was started in 1981 by the Chidambaram Natyanjali Trust and is held for five evenings beginning on Maha Shivaratri.
Hundreds of dancers from across India and abroad perform Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri and other forms. For many young dancers it is an offering rather than a performance, and some choose it for their first public recital. The setting links to the Nataraja Temple itself, whose gopurams carry carved panels of the 108 karanas (dance movements) described in the Natya Shastra.
The original trust's festival has been held since 2015 on the Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar Trust premises on South Car Street, next to the temple; the programme runs in the evenings and is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Tamil Nadu Tourism.
A visit can be combined with darshan at the Nataraja Temple during Maha Shivaratri and a trip to the Pichavaram mangroves, about 15 km away.
Good to know
- Performances run in the evenings (about 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm); entry is generally free and seating is first come, first served.
- Dress modestly if you combine the festival with a visit to the Nataraja Temple; remove footwear and do not photograph inside the temple.
- Rooms in Chidambaram are limited and fill around Maha Shivaratri; book early or stay in Pichavaram or Cuddalore.
- Use flash only where the organisers allow it, and do not walk in front of the stage during a recital.
