P Chidambaram
Minister of Home Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 30 November 2008
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Shivraj Patil
Minister of Finance
In office 22 May 2004 – 30 November 2008
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Jaswant Singh
Succeeded by	Manmohan Singh
In office 1 June 1996 – 21 April 1997
Prime Minister	H. D. Deve Gowda
Preceded by	Jaswant Singh
Succeeded by	Inder Kumar Gujral
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge)
In office 1995–1996
Prime Minister	P. V. Narasimha Rao
In office 1991–1992
Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
In office 26 December 1985 – 2 December 1989
Prime Minister	Rajiv Gandhi
Preceded by	K.P. Singh Deo
Succeeded by	Margaret Alva
Personal details
Born	(1945-09-16) 16 September 1945 (age 66) Kandanur, British Raj (now India)
Political party	Indian National Congress (Before 1996; 2004–present)
Other political affiliations	Tamil Maanila Congress (1996–2001) Congress Jananayaka Peravai (2001–2004)
Spouse(s)	Nalini Chidambaram
Children	Karti Palaniappan Chidambaram
Alma mater	University of Madras (B.Sc./LL.B.) Harvard Business School (M.B.A.)
Profession	Lawyer
Website	Official website

Chidambaram Palaniappan (born 16 September 1945) is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and the current Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008. However, after the resignation of Shivraj Patil, Chidambaram was made the Home Affairs Minister.^[1]

Early life and education[link]

Chidambaram was born to Kandanur L. Ct. L. Palaniyappa Chettiar and Mrs. Lakshmi Achi in Kanadukathan in the Sivaganga District, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was born into the royal family of Chettinad.^[2] Chidambaram did his schooling from the Madras Christian College Hr.Sec.School, Chennai. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Statistics from The Presidency College, Chennai, he completed his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Madras Law College currently Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai, and his Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Harvard Business School class of 1968. He also holds a Masters from Loyola College, Chennai.^[3]

He enrolled as an Advocate in the Chennai High Court. He was designated as a Senior Advocate in 1984. He has chambers in Delhi and Chennai and practices in the Supreme Court and in various High Courts in India.

Political career[link]

Chidambaram was first elected to the Lok Sabha (Lower House) of the Indian Parliament from the Shivaganga constituency of Tamil Nadu in general elections held in 1984. He was re-elected from the same constituency in the general elections of 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2004 and 2009. He was a union leader for MRF and worked his way up in the Congress party.

He was the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress president and then the general secretary of the (TNPCC) Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee unit.

He was inducted into the Union (Indian federal) Council of Ministers in the government headed by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on 21 September 1985 as a Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Commerce and then in the Ministry of Personnel. His main actions during his tenure in this period was to control the price of tea. He has been criticized by the Government of Sri Lanka for destroying the Sri Lankan tea trade by fixing the prices of the commodity in India using state power. He was elevated to the rank of Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in January 1986. In October of the same year, he was appointed to the Ministry of Home Affairs as Minister of State for Internal Security. He continued to hold both offices until general elections were called in 1989. The Indian National Congress government was defeated in the general elections of 1989.

In June 1991, Chidambaram was inducted as a Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce, a post he held till July, 1992. He was later re-appointed Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce in February 1995 and held the post until April 1996. He made some radical changes in India's export-import (EXIM) policy, while at the Ministry of Commerce.^{[citation needed]}

In 1996, Chidambaram quit the Congress party and joined a breakaway faction of the Tamil Nadu state unit of the Congress party called the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC). In the general elections held in 1996, TMC along with a few national and regional level opposition parties formed a coalition government. The coalition government came as a big break for Chidambaram, who was given the key cabinet portfolio of Finance; this put him in the limelight. The coalition government was a short-lived one (it fell in 1998), but he was reappointed to the same portfolio in the Government formed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004.

In 1998, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took the reins of the Government for the first time and it was not until May 2004 that Chidambaram would be back in Government. Chidambaram became Minister of Finance again in the Congress party-Communist Party United Progressive Alliance government on 24 May 2004. During the intervening period Chidambaram made some experiments in his political career, leaving the Tamil Maanila Congress in 2001 and forming his own party, the Congress Jananayaka Peravai, largely focused on the regional politics of Tamil Nadu. The party failed to take off into mainstream Tamil Nadu or national politics. Just before the elections of 2004, he merged his party with the mainstream Congress party and when the Congress won the election, he was inducted into the Council of Ministers under the new Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as cabinet Minister of Finance.^{[citation needed]}

On November 30, 2008, he was appointed the Union Home Minister following the resignation of Shivraj Patil who had come under intense pressure to tender his resignation following a series of terror attacks in India, including the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008. The public response to this move was generally favourable given Chidambaram's reputation for competence and efficiency.

He has been credited with taking the bold decision of prioritizing elections above corporate demands to deploy security for T20-20 matches if IPL.^[4]

In 2009, Chidambaram was re-elected from Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency in the Congress victory and retained the Home ministry.

He was one of the representatives of the Central Government when a tri-party agreement was signed with the Gorkha Hill Council and the Government of West Bengal. The agreement was a result of Mamata Banerjee's effort to end a decade long unrest in the hills of Darjeeling.^[5]

Controversies and Allegations[link]

2G spectrum scam[link]

In September 2011, Subramanian Swamy moved to Supreme Court of India, after months of request to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to look into Chidambaram's role in the 2G spectrum scam.^[6][7][8] After having not had any favorable response from the Prime Minister he approached the Supreme Court and based on the fair credibility of preliminary evidence and documents, the court agreed to take up the petition.^[9] Andimuthu Raja, the prime accused in the 2G spectrum scam, also revealed on tapped phones that Chidambaram received a lot of money for 2G spectrum allocation.^[10]

In the same case an office memorandum from the office of the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was submitted to the Supreme Court which stated that Chidambaram collaborated in the under-pricing in the 2G spectrum scam during his tenure as Finance Minister. The memorandum said that if Chidambaram wanted, the 2G spectrum could have been auctioned.^[11][12] On 2 February 2012, Supreme court left it to the special CBI sessions court to decide on whether to make Chidambaram a co-accused in the case or order a CBI enquiry.^[13][6] On 4 February 2012, the special CBI court dismissed ^[14]The CBI court accepted Swamy's two allegations that Chidambaram and A Raja took decision jointly on fixing the price of the spectrum and offloading of shares. However, it dismissed the plea saying there were lack of evidences on Chidambaram’s criminal intention behind these two acts. Swamy appealed against this order directly in the Supreme court and as of 14 May 2012, the matter is pending there.^[15]

Aircel-Maxis deal controversy[link]

In a press statement on 26 April 2012, Swamy alleged that Advantage Strategic Consulting, a company owned by Chidambaram's son Kartik Chidambaram, received a 5% stake in mobile operator Aircel, as a condition for the 2006 FIPB approval of Malaysian company Maxis Communications's investment in Aircel.^[16] Chidambaram then had statutory authority over the FIPB in his role as the Finance Minister. Subsequently the issue was raised on multiple times in Parliament of India by the opposition which demanded his resignation.^[17] He and the government denied all the allegations.^[18]However, according to The Pioneer and India Today reports, documents show that approval to the FDI proposal was indeed delayed by about 7 months by P Chidambaram.^[19][20][21]

Black money[link]

Chidambaram has been accused of hoarding black money abroad^[22][23] and several petitioners have challenged Chidambaram in the open media and in several noted columns to file a defamation case against them if the allegations were untrue.^[24] Chidambaram has not responded to this.

Controversial companies representation[link]

He represented the bankrupt American energy giant Enron, as a senior lawyer in India, and is again set to revive its Dhabol power project.^[25][26]

Chidambaram also represented the controversial British mining conglomerate Vedanta Resources in the Mumbai High Court until 2003 when he became the Finance minister of India. He was also a member of the board of directors of that company.^[27]

Securities scam resignation[link]

He resigned on 10 July 1992 from the Minister position owning moral responsibility for investing in Fairgrowth, a company allegedly involved in securities scam.^[28]

Hindi language anti rhetoric controversy[link]

Chidambaram's speeches for assembly elections in Tamil Nadu have been laced with anti-Hindi rhetoric and had questioned the number of Hindi speaking ministers in the NDA government although he himself was the Finance Minister at that time and later on the Home Minister for the country.^[29]

Scheme for tax defaulters[link]

In 1997, he announced a controversial Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS) which granted income-tax defaulters indefinite immunity from prosecution under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973, the Income Tax Act, 1961, the Wealth Tax Act, 1957, and the Companies Act, 1956 in exchange for self-valuation and disclosure of income and assets.^[24][30] The Comptroller and Auditor General of India condemned the scheme in his report as abusive and a fraud on the genuine taxpayers of the country.^[31]

Office of Profit inquiry[link]

In August 2006, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam gave permission to enquire into the allegations that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had been holding office of profit at the time of elections. It has been alleged that they both had been the board members of Rajiv Gandhi Trust Foundation. The Election Commission has been authorised to enquire into the allegations.^[32]

On 7 April 2009, P. Chidambaram was shoed by Jarnail Singh, a Sikh journalist during a press conference in Delhi. Singh, who works at the Hindi daily Dainik Jagaran was dissatisfied with Chidamabaram's answer to a question on the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.^[33] Later, Jarnail Singh appeared on a few media channels and thanked Chidambaram for taking no action against him and said that he would apologize to Chidambaram if he got a chance to meet him personally.^[34] He also said that his method of protest was wrong, but the issue was right.^[35][36] He also declined to take money offered to him by the Shiromani Akali Dal, a Sikh political party.

Mr. Chidambaram has been in public conflict with other members of the UPA government on policy issues.^[37] There have been several instances where his public positions have exposed confusion in the policy agenda of the UPA government.^[38] In the past he has regularly announced plans to end Naxalism in the impending future. The most recent announcement was on Jul 30 2010.^[39] Another previous such declaration was on November 10, 2009.^[40]

Polls result vote fraud[link]

In 2009, Parliamentary elections, it was alleged in 'The Hindu' that Chidambaram has pressurised the Returning Officer of Sivaganga and doctored the poll results in his favour. AIADMK candidate Kannappan who lost in the poll demanded recounting of votes, which was declined.^[41]

Migrants in New Delhi blame[link]

In December 2010, it was reported^[42] that he blamed migrants for the rising rate of crime in New Delhi. He is alleged to have said that Delhi attracts a lot of migrants who live in unauthorized colonies and indulge in behavior that is unacceptable in any modern city. His quote was apparently a reaction to the Sultanpuri gang-rape incident^[43] where an 18 year old girl was the victim. This quote attracted a lot of criticism from opposition parties, with UP chief minister Mayawati alleging that, being the Home Minister, Chidambaram was biased against North Indians.^[44]

Lathi charge and arrest of Anna Hazare[link]

Chidambaram was criticized widely for ordering a police lathi charge at midnight on non-violent protesters at the Ramlila Maidan, Delhi. The protesters led by Baba Ramdev were protesting against widespread corruption in governance and demanding bringing back of black money to India stashed abroad in foreign banks.^[45]

It is also alleged that Chidambaram planned Anna Hazare's arrest to lodge him in Tihar Jail during the recent Anti- Corruption Campaign in India, which sparked off mass protests all over India.^[46]

Naxalite-Maoist insurgency[link]

Chidambaram's effectiveness as the Minister of Home Affairs has been questioned on various occasions. Upon taking office, he promised to tackle left-wing Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. However, there has been no progress in preventing Maoist attacks in India. Chidambaram has been accused of callously sacrificing ill-equipped and unprepared CRPF jawans repeatedly. On 6 April 2010 76 CRPF jawans were massacred in Dantewada.^[47] Besides condemning the attack, Chidambaram's ministry has made no progress in prosecuting the killers.

In 2010, there were several major attacks by Maoists including a 28 May 2010 train derailment that killed over 150 civilians, a 29 June attack that killed 26 policemen and dozens of other attacks that killed scores of security forces and civilians. Maoist attacks have continued in 2011, including the dismemberment of 10 police officials in Chhatisgarh state.

The RTI Act by advocate and activist Vivek Garg said that Chidambaram had been tasked to “supervise and deal with all financial matters” by a Group of Ministers in the run-up to the games.Documents accessed from PMO reveal that Chidambaram, the then FM, had been tasked with supervising all money matters pertaining to CWG which leads to a loss of 2342 crores.^[48]

2011 Mumbai bombings intelligence failure[link]

Chidambaram was criticized for his ministry's failure to prevent the 13 July 2011 Mumbai bombings, in spite of massive investments in security following the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Three years after the 2008 attacks, security preparations were found to be inadequate with communications breakdown and failures in modernising, procuring and installing security equipment.^[49] Chidambaram defended the agencies under his ministry against the charge of intelligence failure with the response:

Having no intelligence in this case, however, does not mean that there was a failure on part of the intelligence agencies.^[50]
There has been no intelligence failure. There was no intelligence warning about 13/7.^[51]

Family and personal life[link]

His grand uncles and grand father were the Co-founders of Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank, United India Insurance and Annamalai University.^{[52][53][54][55][56]}

He is married to Nalini Chidambaram who is a Senior Advocate and a tax lawyer practicing in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court, primarily in litigation related to the Central Excise department of the Government of India. He has a son, Karti P. Chidambaram, who graduated with a BBA degree from the University of Texas, and a Bachelors in Law from Cambridge University. His son is also a politician in the Congress party.

Chidambaram is an atheist.^[57]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Palaniappan Chidambaram

• Personal Website of P.Chidambaram
• Profile at BBC News

Others[link]

• P Chidambaram in 2G scam
• Only dumping Chidambaram can save UPA
• Chidambaram favoured 'fraud' Vodafone-Hutchison deal

Chidambaram சிதம்பரம்
—  City  —
Chidambaram
Coordinates: 11°23′59″N 79°41′37″E / 11.399686°N 79.693622°E / 11.399686; 79.693622Coordinates: 11°23′59″N 79°41′37″E / 11.399686°N 79.693622°E / 11.399686; 79.693622
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Cuddalore
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	82,458
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	608001
Telephone code	04144
Vehicle registration	TN-31

Chidambaram (Tamil: சிதம்பரம்) is a fast growing industrial city in eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk (tehsil) headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail.^[1] It has an average elevation of 3 metres (9 ft). The city is home to Annamalai University, Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram Temple, port Parangipettai, and many industries. The city is a major pilgrimage site for Shaivites and Vaishnavites.

Demographics[link]

As of 2011 India census,^[2] Chidambaram had a population of 82,458. 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%. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Chidambaram Temple[link]

LORD NATARAJA

The ancient Chidambaram Temple (Tamil: சிதம்பரம் கோயில் ) is dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form of the cosmic Dancer (Nataraja நடராசர்).^[3] It is one of the five dancing halls (Sabha) of Nataraja and the most famous one. Chidambaram is the Kanaka Sabha (Golden Hall). It is also one of the Panchabhoota Sthalams - representing five basic elements. This is the Akasa Sthalam representing 'Space' among the Pancha Bootha Sthalams. For Saivites all over the world this is the most important Siva Temple. The stand alone word "Kovil" would automatically mean Chidambaram Temple to Saivites. The others are - Tiruvannamalai (Thejo sthalam - Fire) Kanchipuram (Prithvi sthalam - Earth) Srikalahasti (Vayu sthalam - Air) Tiruvanaikaval (Trichy) (Appu sthalam - Water).

The temples at Kalahasti, Kanchipuram and Chidambaram all stand on a straight line at 79' 45" east longitude - truly an engineering, astological and geographical wonder. The Chidambaram temple houses the Akasha Lingam of Shiva and is considered one of the greatest Shiva Temples of Tamil Nadu. The Govindaraja shrine adjacent to the Nataraja Shrine was constructed in 1639 C.E. by a Cholas.^[4] Nataraja in Chidambaram Temple has been sung by many Tamil saints including the Tevaram Trio - Sambanthar, Tirunavukkarasar, Sundaramurti Swamigal. Manikkavacakar attained Mukti in Chidambaram by becoming one with Nataraja. The other Saiva saint of importance who attained mukti here is Nandanar. Nandanar, born in a caste of untouchables became exalted by his bhakti, that even the most conservative Brahmins of Chidambaram worshipped him. Chidambaram hosts the most ancient set of the 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 dancing Siva.

The temple houses the Shiva and Vishnu in the same complex,where a devotee can have darshan of Lord Shiva and Lord Govindaraja(Lord Vishnu) from a single place. The Govindaraja temple is also among the 108 dhivya desams of Vaishnavites.

The famous Natyanjali festival is held in the Nataraja temple complex every year during Maha Shivaratri. Bharatanatyam dancers from different parts of the world offer their prayers to Lord Nataraja and perform in the temple complex

Culture[link]

Traditional crafts[link]

In Chidambaram, one can find a number of families who have 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 are hence rich in quality and artistry.

Saint[link]

Sri Raghavendra Swami was born as Sri Venkanna Bhatta, the second son of Sri Thimanna Bhatta and Smt. Gopikamba on Thursday, Sukla Saptami of Phalguna month in 1595, when the moon was in Mrigashirisha Nakshatra, at Bhuvanagiri, near present-day Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.

Arutprakasa Vallalar Chidambaram Ramalingam: Ramalinga Adigal was the youngest child of Ramiah Pillai and his sixth wife Chinnamaiar, who lived in Marudur in South Arcot district, a village 15 km north-west of Chidambaram.

Education[link]

Chidambaram is home to the Annamalai University. Annamalai University is a public university located in Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.

Schools in Chidambaram:

• Athena Global School is the new age CBSE school coming up in Thunisiramedu village near Chidambaram, it plans to admit students from February 2012
• Home2 School (Play way)Located at Ponnambala Nagar
• Kamaraj Matric Hr Sec School
• Musthafa Matric Hr Sec School
• Sherwood English School
• Government Nandanar Boys and Girls Higher secondary school. It is one of oldest education school, built by Swami Sahajananda Avargal.
• Rani Seethai Achi Hr.Sec School in Annamalainagar
• Ramasamy Chettiar Town High School is a famous school opened in year 1913.
• Sri Ramakrishna Vidyasala Higher secondary School is a famous school opened in year 1950
• The Pachaiyappa Higher Secondary school is maintained by Pachaiyappa charities
• Arumuga Navalar Higher secondary school
• Venus Mat. Hr sec school
• Nirmala Mat. Hr.sec school
• Govt Girls Higher secondary school
• Thillai Matriculation School

Other colleges:

• Rajah Muthiah Medical College Chidambaram
• Rajah Muthiah Dental College - Chidambaram.
• Muthiah Polytechnic College - Chidambaram
• Government Arts College - Chidambaram.
• C.S. Jain College of Pharmacy - Chidambaram.
• perunthalaivar kamaraj institute of maritime and science engineering college(pkimsec)-keerapalayam

Hospitals[link]

Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital

Chidambaram has a government run public hospital and a tertiary referral hospital attached to Rajah Muthiah Medical college of Annamalai University. The college of nursing utilises the staff and the facilities available at Rajah Muthiah Medical College (recognised by the Medical Council of India for MBBS and post-graduate degree and diploma programmes in several specialities) and the Rajah Muthiah Medical college hospital. The Rajah Muthiah Medical college hospital is a 1,210 bedded modern hospital complex unit with advanced technical facilities. There are also many small private nursing homes and hospitals.

• Sivajothi Clinic (North Main Road)
• Gandhimathi Hospital (Bazaar Street)
• K.R. Nursing Home (Murugan Street)
• Municipal Maternity Home (Nellkudai Street)
• Arul Nursing Home (South Car Street)
• Raju Clinic (South Car Street)
• Thillai Hospital (East Car Street)
• Kannan Nursing Home (East Sannathi Street
• Sridhar Nursing Home (East Car Street)
• Jothi Nursing Home (East Car Street)
• Santhi Nursing Home (East Car Street)
• Kamal Nursing Home (Venugopal Street)
• R.K. Nursing Home (Mariamman Koil Street)
• Nataraja Children's Hospital (S.P. Koil Street)
• Venkateshwara Nursing Home (S.P. Koil Street)
• Lister Hospital (Kanagasabai Nagar)
• Govt. Kamaraj Hospital (S.P. Koil Street)
• Anjuga Clinic (Pudhu Street)
• Srinivasa Nursing Home (S.P. Koil Street)

Transport[link]

By air[link]

The airports at Tiruchirapalli (165 km) and Chennai (215 km) are the nearest airports from Chidambaram. From Tiruchirapalli, Indian Airlines flights can be taken to Chennai (Madras). Chennai is connected to all the major cities in India and abroad through regular flights.

By rail[link]

Chidambaram is located on the Madras-Tiruchirapalli main line of the Southern Railway. It is connected with Tiruchirapalli, Madras, Madurai (335 km), Rameswaram (575 km), Bangalore (340 km), and Tirupati (290 km).

By road[link]

There are frequent bus services available to various places in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Pondicherry states from Chidambaram. Non-stop bus services and express bus services are also available to major cities like Chennai.

The national highway NH-45A (the Villupuram-Pondicherry-Cuddalore-Chidambaram-Nagapattinam Highway) passes through Chidambaram.

Services[link]

• V.A.N.PRABU Tours and Travels 9790390138,04144242287
• Balaji Lorry Service (North Car Street)
• Subbu Travels (Bhuvanagiri) 9994076998

Tourism[link]

Chidambaram is one of the important tourist centres in Tamil Nadu and its tourism highlights the beautiful temples in the city. While Chidambaram is most famous for the Thillai Nataraja Temple, there are many other exquisite temples and attractions:

Temples in/around Chidambaram (Location):

• Sirai meetta Vinayagar Temple (West Car Street)
• Kothandaramar Temple (West Car Street)
• Anandheeswaran Temple (Anandheeswaran Koil Street)
• Thagam Theertha Pillayar Temple (Thagam Theertha Pillayar Koil Street)
• Elamayakkinar Temple (Elamayakkinar Koil Street)
• Nataraja Temple (East Car Street)
• Anjaneyar Temple (East Car Street)
• Selliamman Temple (Sunnambukkara Street)
• Kamatchiamman Temple (Kamatchiamman Koil Street)
• Keezhatheru Mariamman Temple (Mariamman Koil Street)
• Mariamman Temple (Nethaji Street)
• Thillaikaliamman Temple (Thillaikaliamman Koil Street)
• Drowpathiamman Temple (Drowpathiamman Koil Street)

Other locations of interest:

• Parangipettai
• Annamalai University
• Pichavaram
• Kollidam River
• Puhar (Poompuhar)
• Melakadambur
  

  

  karakkoil-Melakadambur

Outside of Chidambaram:

• Srimushnam
• Thiruvenkadu

Vaitheeswaran Koil: This is a temple of Lord Siva and is situated down south of Chidambaram. Here, the presiding deity is called Vaitheeswara i, e, Lord of healing. There sacred tank inside the temple is free from frogs and is called Siddha Amritha Theertha. It is said to contain nectar which has curative powers. It is the place of one of the Navagrahas, Angarahan (Mars).

Tirapunkur: In this place, Lord Siva`s mount Nandi is said to have moved a little away to obstruct the darshan of Lord Siva to Nandanar, the harijan devotee.

Mayiladuthurai: This is a town, which can be reached by bus from Chidambaram. Here, the Dakshinamurthi shrine is very famous along with the God of wisdom, who sits in yoga pose on a Nandi. In the centre of the town, the Mayuranathaswamy temple can be seen. It is a Siva temple with an imposing nine-storeyed tower. The image of goddesses Durga here is very impressive. Here, the devotees severe their head as an offering to the deity.

Vazhuvur temple: Vazhuvur temple It is also a temple near Chidambaram. Here, the presiding deity is called Krithivasa, one who wears the elephant skin. This is said to be one of the eight places where Siva danced to destroy demons. The dance hall here is called `Gnana Sabai` or Hall of Wisdom. There is a Yantra known as Vazhuvur Rahasyam (mystery) behind the Gajasamharamurthi.

Perambur: It is a Subramania temple. The image of deity is of granite and beautifully carved with 6 faces in the pose of Samharamurthi. Numerous snakes abound this place, but no one has so far been bitten. The snakes just hiss at those who enter the Iluppai garden stealthily to steal.

Therazhundhur: This is the birth place of Kambar, who wrote the epic Ramayana in Tamil. There is a temple of sculptural value here.

Vriddhachalam: This place is well known for the Vriddha-giriswarar temple containing a big shrine. It has high enclosing walls and four tall gopurams. The mandapam of this temple is carved like a chariot with wheels and horses. There are also 24 delicately carved pillars with Yalis supporting the roof.

Thiruppanaiyur temple: This temple contains palmyra tree as the sacred tree. As per the legends, the great Chola king Karikala was standing under a palmyra tree. He was then picked up by the royal elephant and taken to the palace to be crowned as king. Hence, it has become the sacred tree and the place also got the name Thiruppanaiyur.

Engan temple: Engan temple In this temple, the most beautiful and captivating idol of Lord Muruga can be seen. Here, the idol of Shanmuganathar is carved with minute details like the ear holes are pierced to insert ear-rings. It is said the sculptor of this image cut off his right thumb to avoid carving another image superior to the Singaravelar.

But in his dream, Lord Muruga asked to make another image at Ettukkudi. Then he blinded his eyes as it excelled Singaravelar of Sikkil. But, he had a command to commission another image at Engan. This time he took help from a woman to assist him. During the work, his chisel cut the finger of the lady and the blood fell on his eyes. He immediately got back his eyesight and he exclaimed `Engan` (my eyes) and completed this superb idol. Hence, the place got its name `Engan`.

Thiruchenkattankudi temple: It is famous for Asthamurthi Mandapam. The idol of Ganapathi here is said to have been brought from Vatapi of the Chalukyan kingdom after a voyage by Chola and installed here. Tiripurantaka and Nataraja in this temple are fine specimens of Chola art.

Thiruvanjiam temple: The sandalwood tree of this temple is the Sthala Viruksha here. The examples of fine workmanship in this temple are the images of Durga, Bhairavar, Rahu and Kethu. During the Masi Dhasami festival in February–March, the deity Vanjinatha the deity is mounted on the Yama Vahana.

Vidyapuram: Here, Rajaraja I built a beautiful Siva temple. The presiding deity of the temple is called Meenakshisundareswarar.

Gangai Konda Cholapuram: Gangai Konda Cholapuram It is situated about 50 km away from Chidambaram. This temple was built by the Chola emperor Rajendra I. It is dedicated to Siva with a grand gopuram that can be seen miles around. Numerous beautiful sculptures can be seen on the walls of the temple and its enclosures. There is a big Nandi in front of the temple, which is made of brick and mortar. One of the exciting features of this temple is the lion-faced well with yawning mouth through which a flight of steps lead to the water beneath.

Kalvarayan Hills: This hill is situated 150 km northwest of Chidambaram on the western side of Kallakurichi taluk. It is spread over an area of 600 km² and heights range from 315 to 1190 metres. It is an ideal place of retreat and peace. A nicely decorated botanical garden here attracts the eyes of the visitors. One can take a refreshing bath in the two waterfalls here. It is an ideal location for trekking too.

Economy[link]

Banks in Chidambaram[link]

Shopping[link]

Supermarkets:

• AAsian Super Market
• National Super Market
• Calorie corner Super Market.
• Hitech Car Accessories, North car street

Shopping complexes:

• I.U.D.P Shopping complex
• M.U.D.P Shopping complex
• Saba complex west car str
• Swathi complex S.P.Koil st
• Shajakhan complex, Lalkan street.
• Dheen Building complex, west car
• A M H west car st
• Star Complex South cars
• Venkateswara shopping complex south car st
• Saliyar Complex South car st
• Hindu Nadar complex south car st
• Mansoor Ali complex East Car St
• Ameen Buildings South car st
• Pari Complex East Sannadhi st

Markets: Daily Market West Car street, Chidambaram Gnanaprakasam market, Chidambaram Fish Market, Chidambaram Omakulam Fish market, Chidambaram

Parks[link]

• Gandhi Park Near Municipal Office
• Min Nagar Park Min Nagar
• Municipal Boating Place Park Sirkazhi Road
• Govindasamy st Park V.O.C st
• Vageesa Nagar Park Vageesa Nagar
• Thillaikaliamman Koil st Park Thillaikaliamman Koil st
• North Main road park North main road (cuddalore road)
• Busstand Natarajar park Venugopal Street
• hen park govinda

Politics[link]

Chidambaram assembly constituency is part of Chidambaram (Lok Sabha constituency).^[5]

Hotels and lodging[link]

Hotel GRAND PALACE-Star Hotel

• GRAND PALACE.
• Nataraja Residency
• SARADHA RAM-3 STAR HOTEL.
• Hotel Akshaya, East street.
• Hotel Ritz.
• Hotel Royal plaza.
• R K Residency Hotel
• Hotel Palace, Railway feeder road.
• Ramya lodge, South street
• Pari lodge, South sannathi
• Appollo lodge, Sabanayagar street
• Ameen lodge,South street
• Star lodge, South street
• Abi lodge, East street
• Kurinji lodge, East sannathi
• Mansoor lodge.
• Sabanayagam lodge
• Iqbal lodge
• O.S.Deen building
• Murugan lodge
• Hotel Rajarajan
• Sriram lodge
• Ganesh bavan complex
• Saba complex
• S.K.Lodge
• Sublakshmi complex
• M.A.T lodge
• Pari lodge
• Swathi complex
• Meera lodge
• Everst lodge,
• Jawahar lodge,
• Anantham lodge,
• A.A lodge,
• Aiswarya hotel, Venugopal st
• Kalyanam lodge, venugopal street
• R.K.Tower, V.O.C st
• Shameer lodge.
• Ramanathan mansion, Bazaar street
• Shajakhan complex, Lalkan street.

Bakeries and sweets[link]

CASINO Bakery & Sweets CASINO Bakery(waste bakery) & Sweets act as the best bakery shop in the city. It has six branches over the city.

• Calorie Corner(Worst corner).
• Velicham foods.
• Wedison Foods.
• Agarwal Sweets & Bakery
• National Sweets & Bakery
• J S Cakes And Bakery
• Naveen Bakery & Fast Food
• Sweet shop Bombay Sweet Stall

Marriage halls[link]

• Thirumagal Thirumana Mandabam Mannarkudi road street
• Vasantham Thirumana mandabam Kanagasabai nagar
• Thillai Thirumana mandabam V.O.C. street
• Kaveri Thirumana Mandabam Railway feeder road
• M.A.D. Thirumana Mandapam S.P.koil street
• M.Y.M Thirumana Mandabam North Main road
• Ponnusamy Nadar Mandabam South Vaniya street
• A.R.P Mahal North Main road
• Sri Ponnambalam Thirumana mandapam Mannargudi street
• Arundhathi Mahal Cinna street
• Ajitha Karpagam Mahal Periyar street
• Ohm Sakthi Mahal Vilangiyamman koil street
• Royal Mahal Omakulam street
• Dhanalakshmi Kalyana mandapam Anantheeswaran koil street
• Karthikeyan Thirumana Mandapam Elamaiyakkinar koil street
• Rajeswari Kalyana Mandapam Chinna street
• Aarthinattar Mandabam North street.
• Arunattar velalar Mandabam Kamaleeswaran koil street
• Thillai Govindaraju Mandabam Kamaliswaran koil street
• Anantham Mahal Kamaliswaran koil street
• Manickam Mahal V.O.C. street
• Jayalakshmi Mandabam Kariyaperumal koil street
• Ramadas Thirumana Mandabam North street
• Prins Mahal Jawahar street
• Sri Nataraj Kiruba Mahal, North street
• A.R. Mahal South st
• Me.Se.Thirumanamandabam East street
• Santhosh Mahal. East st.,
• Rasi Thirumanamandabam East street
• Kothandaraman Thirumanamandabam East street
• Saravana Thirumana Mandabam East street
• T.V.A. Mandabam Sabanayagar street
• Viruthunagar Nadar Uravumurai Sathiram South sannathi
• Alaganantham Sathiram Sabanayagar street
• Arubathu Moovar Thirumana Mandabam South sannathi
• V.S. Trust South street
• Sri Selliyamman Vinayagar mandapam Pudupettai north street
• Ba.Kala.vasambal sathiram Nattupillai street
• G.M.Thirumana Mandabam S.P.koil street

Real estate[link]

Like many areas in Tamil Nadu, real estate in the Chidambaram city is booming. Plots in the center of the city sell for 3,000-4,000 rupees per square foot. In the nearby Kollidam-Sirkazhi area, prime land can be gotten for 6-8 lacs an acre.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chidambaram

• Chidambaram
• 360 view for Chidambaram Temple Dinamalar
• CHIDAMBARAM ENCYCLOPEDIA சிதம்பரம் பற்றிய களஞ்சியம்
• For the chidambaram temple.
• Cited and adapted from "Chidambaram", Encyclopædia Britannica (1911).
• "Enchanting Tamil Nadu" see Places --> Chidambaram
• cited from "122. Koyil (Chidambaram), Abodes of Shiva," TempleNet
• Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India
• Chidambaram travel guide from Wikitravel

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

See also[link]

• Chidambaram (Lok Sabha constituency)
• Chidambaram

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Narendra Modi નરેન્દ્ર મોદી
Chief Minister of Gujarat
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 October 2001
Governor	Dr. Kamla Beniwal
Preceded by	Keshubhai Patel
Constituency	Maninagar
Personal details
Born	(1950-09-17) 17 September 1950 (age 61) Vadnagar, Gujarat, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Residence	Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
Alma mater	Gujarat University[1]
Religion	Hinduism
Website	Narendra Modi
As of 9 March, 2009 Source: Government of Gujarat

Narendra Damodardas Modi (Gujarati: નરેન્દ્ર મોદી; born 17 September 1950^[1]) is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat. Born in a middle class family in Vadnagar, he was the third of six children born to Damodardas Mulchand Modi and his wife Heeraben.^[2] He has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since childhood also having interest in politics since adolescence. He holds a master's degree in political science. In 1998, he was chosen by L. K. Advani, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to direct the election campaign in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh.

He became Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001, promoted to the office at a time when his predecessor Keshubhai Patel had resigned, following the defeat of BJP in the by-elections. His tenure as chief minister of Gujarat began on 7 October 2001, and he is the longest serving Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat.^[3] In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously.^[4] He was elected again for a third term^[5] on 23 December 2007 in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule".^[6][7]