Ireland Theme Part 2 - Vellichabai

Madurai - Silver hall (veLLiyambalam - Rajata sabha)

Madurai is revered as one of the five Cosmic Dance Halls of Shiva. The Natarajar shrine in the Sundareswarar temple in Madurai is referred to as the Velli Sabhai or the Rajata Sabha – the Hall of Silver.

Legend has it that Shiva performed the Aananda Natanam or the Dance of Bliss here. It is said that Patanjali and Vyagrapadar the supreme devotees of
Nataraja, upon being requested to dine – on the occasion of Meenakshi’s wedding with Shiva at Madurai – expressed their desire to leave for Chidambaram to perform their daily ritual of witnessing Shiva’s dance of bliss there. Shiva is said to have requested the munis to stay on at Madurai, and to have danced the Aananda Natanam dance of Bliss at Madurai in the silver hall or the Rajata Sabha.

Also according to another legend, a devout Pandya King by name Rajasekhara, meditated upon Shiva to request him to dance with his right foot raised – in
apparent concern for the pain that might afflict the Cosmic Dancer’s permanently grounded right foot (and raised left foot). Shiva is said to have responded to the King’s pleas and changed his posture. (Nataraja is always depicted dancing with his left foot raised; however in the Madurai temple alone, he is depicted with his right foot raised).