Vada aaranyeswarar Temple,thiruvaalangadu,pic 1--5

Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal refers to the temples of Lord Nataraja, a form of Lord Shiva where he performed the Cosmic Dance. Pancha indicates Five, Sabhai means hall and Stala means place. All these temples are located in Tamil Nadu, India.

Nataraja

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. The seven dances of Lord Siva can be recognised as the varied facts of single theme viz. the Beauty and Bliss of the Absolute. Herein lies the aesthetic fact of the dance. The seven dances are:

Thandavam(Dance)	Hall	Temple	Location
Kali Thandavam	Rathinachabai	Vada aaranyeswarar Temple	Thiruvalangadu, Chennai
Ananda Thandavam	Porchabai	Natarajar Temple	Chidambaram
Sandhya Thandavam	Vellichabai	Meenakshi Amman Temple	Madurai
Muni Thandavam	Thamirachabai	Nellaiappar Temple	Tirunelveli
Tirupura Thandavam	Chithirachabai	Kutralanathar Temple	Courtallam
Samhara Thandavam			Irundanalliravu
Gowri Thandavam	Chittsabai	Thirupattur	Thirupattur

It is significant to note that the above classification of Siva's dance, as mentioned in puranic literature are found within the geographical and cultural limit of Tamil Nadu. Of the seven dances, the seventh dance, Ananda Thandavam 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 Philosophy. The dance itself is a source of supreme aesthetic enjoyment of the beauty and bliss of god^[3]

The Five Temples

Category	Temple	Location	Element
Rathinachabai	Vada aaranyeswarar Temple	Thiruvalangadu, Chennai	Emerald
Porchabai	Natarajar Temple	Chidambaram	Gold
Vellichabai	Meenakshi Amman Temple	Madurai	Silver
Thamirachabai	Nellaiappar Temple	Tirunelveli	Copper
Chithirachabai	Kutralanathar Temple	Courtallam	Art