The ancient Sabhanayagar temple, also known as the Nataraja temple, in Chidambaram in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu is often plagued by controversies. The administration of the temple has been a contentious subject between the Podhu Dikshitars (administrators-cum-priests) and the State government.
While Chidambaram is the prime centre of Saiva philosophy, the temple, located 215 km south of Chennai, enjoyed the patronage of different rulers including Simha Varman of the Pallava dynasty, Aditya I of the Chola dynasty, Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara empire, and Nayaka kings, points out T. Satyamurthy, veteran archaeologist. The sheer historical significance of the temple has meant that every issue impacting it has been considered newsworthy.
In 1885, a question was placed before the Madras High Court on whether the temple was public or private property. This is still being debated animatedly, even though a 2014 judgment of the Supreme Court reinforced the right of the Dikshithars to administer the temple and reaffirmed their position as a religious denomination.
