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**Chidambaram**
	Chidambaram
	Chidambaram Location of Chidambaram; in Tamil Nadu and India
Coordinates	11°23′59″N 79°41′37″E / 11.399686°N 79.693622°E
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District(s)	Cuddalore leader_title =
Population	58,968 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area; • Elevation	; • 3 m (10 ft)

This article is about the town in Cuddalore district. For the current union Home Minister of India, see P. Chidambaram.

Chidambaram is a municipality in Tamil Nadu and the taluk (tehsil) headquarters of the Cuddalore district. Located at 11°23′58.87″N 79°41′37.04″E / 11.3996861°N 79.6936222°E / 11.3996861; 79.6936222, it is 11 km from the coast, 20 km from the towns Kollidam and Sirkazhi, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail in the Kollidam River Valley.^[1] It has an average elevation of 3 metres (9 ft).

Chidambaram is a major pilgrimage site for Shaivites as well as Vaishnavites, where one of the holiest and ancient temples of Hinduism is located.

Chidambaram is the birthplace of the winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Venkatraman Ramakrishnan.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[2], Chidambaram had a population of 58,968. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Chidambaram has an average literacy rate of 80%, significantly higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 84% and female literacy of 76%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.hi

[edit] Chidambaram Temple

The ancient Chidambaram Temple (Tamil: சிதம்பரம் கோயில் ) is dedicated to Lord Shiva in His form of the Cosmic Dancer (Nataraja நடராசர்) as well as to Lord Govindaraja Perumal, making it one of the few temples where both the Shaivite and Vaishnavite deities are enshrined in one place. It is one of the panchabhoota sthalam - representing five basic elements. This is the Akasa Sthalam representing 'Space' among the Pancha Bootha Sthalams. The others are - Tiruvannamalai (Thejo sthalam - Fire) Kanchipuram (Prithvi sthalam - Earth) Kalahasti (Vayu sthalam - Air) Tiruvanaikaval (Appu sthalam - Water). The temple houses the Akasha Lingam of Shiva and is one of the greatest Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu. The Govindaraja shrine was opened in 1639 C.E. by a Telugu/Kannada Nayak chief of that area.^[3] It hosts the most ancient set of 108 Karana stone carvings, the key dance movements of Nataraja. The temple complex is spread over 40 acres (160,000 m²) in the heart of the city. Many thousands of devotees come to this auspicious temple to pay homage to the deities.

[edit] Traditional crafts

In Chidambaram, one can find a number of families who have been engaged in the gold and silver ornament-making business for a very long time. The art is taught by one generation to the next. Most of the artifacts are hand created and hence are rich in quality and artistry.

[edit] Education

Chidambaram is home to the Annamalai University. It is home to reputed medical and nursing schools.

[edit] Hospitals

Chidambaram has a Government run public hospital and a tertiary referral hospital attached to Rajah Muthiah Medical College of Annamalai University. There are many small private nursing homes and hospitals.

[edit] Transport

It is on the Cuddalore-Chennai highway and frequent buses are available from major cities in Tamil Nadu. Buses and taxis are available to the Kollidam-Sirkazhi region. A major rail station is near the city.

[edit] Politics

Chidambaram assembly constituency is part of Chidambaram (Lok Sabha constituency).^[4]

[edit] Real Estate

Like many areas in Tamil Nadu, real estate in the Chidambaram area is booming. Plots in the center of the city sell for 3-5,000 rupees per square foot. In the nearby Kollidam-Sirkazhi area, prime land can be gotten for 2-3 crores an acre.

[edit] References

^ "Important Places - Chidambaram." 2004. http://www.nlcindia.co.in/about/about_05b.htm (accessed 05 Sept 2007).
^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
^ "Chidambaram temple". http://www.indialine.com/travel/tamilnadu/chidambaram/. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
^ "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies". Tamil Nadu. Election Commission of India. http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S22/TN_ACPC.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-09.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chidambaram

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

[edit] See also

[0] "Important Places - Chidambaram." 2004. http://www.nlcindia.co.in/about/about_05b.htm (accessed 05 Sept 2007).

[1] "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.

[2] "Chidambaram temple". http://www.indialine.com/travel/tamilnadu/chidambaram/. Retrieved 2006-09-11.

[3] "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies". Tamil Nadu. Election Commission of India. http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S22/TN_ACPC.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-09.

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