The traditional name of the temple complex,Chidambaram Tillai Nataraja-koothan Kovil. The mangrove forests houses the ancient Tillai trees surrounding the shrine. The Tillai trees of the nearby Pichavaram wetlands, the second largest mangrove in the world, extend to the temple area. The shrine is venerated as Tillai ambalam literally meaning the open stage of Tillai.
The town is located in Cuddalore district of the South Indian state, Tamil Nadu, at a distance of 150 km (93 mi) from Chennai. Chidambaram is located close to the shores of Bay of Bengal. The topography is almost plain with forests around the town, with no major geological formation. There are no notable mineral resources available in and around the town.
The main complex is dedicated to ShivaNataraja and the complex contains shrines to deities such as Shivakami Amman, Ganesh, Murugan and Vishnu in the form Govindaraja Perumal. The temple's earliest structures were designed and erected by ancient craftsmen called Perumtaccan. The golden tiled roof for the Chit Ambalam (the vimanam) was laid by the Chola King Parantaka I following which he was given the title "Thillaiyambalathhukku pon koorai veiyntha the van", meaning the one who constructed the golden roof.
During the festival times, the festive deity is brought outside the sanctum sanctorum in a procession that includes a temple car procession followed by a long anointing ceremony. Several hundreds of thousands of people flock the temple to see the anointing ceremony and the ritualistic dance of Shiva when he is taken back to the sanctum sanctorum.
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