Temple timings
The temple is generally open from 6:00 am to 12:00 noon and from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. It closes during solar and lunar eclipses, and timings can change on festival days.
Daily pooja schedule
Six poojas (kaalams) are performed every day. Approximate times, as commonly listed:
| Time | Pooja |
|---|---|
| 6:30 am | Paal nivedhyam, padhukas brought to the sanctum |
| 7:00 am | Maha aarthi |
| 7:45–9:00 am | Kalasandhi (1st pooja) |
| 10:00–11:00 am | Irandaam kaalam (2nd pooja), spatika linga abhishekam |
| 11:30 am–12 noon | Uchikaalam (3rd pooja) |
| 5:15–6:00 pm | Saayarakshai (4th pooja) |
| 7:00–8:00 pm | Irandaam kaalam (5th pooja), Chidambara Rahasya pooja |
| 9:00–10:00 pm | Ardhajamam (6th pooja), padhukas return to the palliyarai |
Times are approximate and can shift slightly; ask at the temple on the day.
Dress code
Wear traditional, modest clothes: a vesti or dhoti for men, and a saree, half-saree or salwar kameez for women. Men are usually asked to remove their shirts before stepping up to the Kanaka Sabha for close darshan, so an angavastram is handy. Avoid shorts and sleeveless tops.
What to see inside
- Kanaka Sabha (Chit Sabha): the golden-roofed hall where Nataraja and Sivakami are worshipped.
- Chidambara Rahasyam: the ‘secret’ — an empty space behind a curtain, representing Shiva as formless space (akasha). The temple is the Akasha sthalam among the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams.
- Govindaraja Perumal shrine: Vishnu is also worshipped within the same complex.
- The gopurams: the eastern and western towers are carved with the 108 karanas of Bharatanatyam.
- Sivaganga tank: the large temple tank inside the complex.
Planning your visit
Plan about two hours. Early morning (6 to 8 am) is the calmest time; the evening Ardhajamam pooja is a beautiful way to end the day. Footwear stalls are outside the gopurams. Photography is not allowed in the sanctum.
Big festivals — Arudra Darshan (24 December 2026), Aani Thirumanjanam and Natyanjali (early March 2027) — draw very large crowds, so book your stay early for those dates.
Where to stay
Bharathi Homestay is about 8.5 km (around 15 minutes) from the temple, in Bhuvanagiri. Families get an entire air-conditioned 2BHK with free parking, kitchens in some flats, and a quiet night away from the temple crowds — plus the Sri Raghavendra Swamy birthplace shrine just 190 m away.
Dates and timings checked on 3 November 2026 from published panchangams and temple listings. Festival schedules are set by the temple and can change; please confirm locally.
