Friends and colleagues: Archaeologists often investigate ruined temples abandoned by ancient civilizations.  Remarkably, some parts of our world shelter temples that were never abandoned and, even after millennia of use, still are active.  An impressive example of such a temple is richly illustrated by Shri Shiva Nataraja: His Temple in Chidambaram, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel (http://www.archaeologychannel.org).

The temple of Chidambaram, India, is the home of the Dancing Shiva, Lord of Cosmic Dance, Shiva Nataraja, who dances the dance of Creation and Destruction.  One of India’s largest temples, it is one of the very few practicing the Vedic tradition and rituals.  This doctrine has been preserved by a community of hereditary priests, the Deekshithars (one of whom produced this film), in an unbroken oral tradition dating to prehistoric times.  The temple’s early history is obscure, but it reached its present form in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries under of the kings of the Chola Dynasty.

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Richard M. Pettigrew, Ph.D., RPA
President and Executive Director
Archaeological Legacy Institute
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

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