which could be obtained only by concentrated devotion to God and which when once acquired could be exercised at pleasure. Including the chit-sabha—the hall of supreme vision and wisdom, there are five chief halls in the Chidambaram shrine, which are called the kanaka-sabha—the golden hall; the chitra-sabha—ornamental hall; the deva-sabha—the divine hall; and the nritta-sabha—the hall of dancing. The special deity worshipped in the temple is called Natesa—the lord of dancers. His other names are Nataraja—the king of dancers; Sabhesa—the lord of the several sacred halls; and Sabhapati—the president of these sacred halls. The prominent idea underlying the Sthala Purana of Chidambaram is that the great God having perceived his own Self in Himself is illuminated with wisdom and dances with very joy on account thereof; and that the devotee who visits the temple and witnesses this dance becomes himself absorbed in God. The Chidambaram shrine has thus from time immemorial been a visible symbol of a philosophic phase of the Hindu religion. It is the place where, according to Hindu beliefs, nersons even of the lowest caste have attained
