The Chidambaram temple is no stranger to controversy. History has recorded its dalliances with issues, and controversies have marked its hoary past.
Tamil literary works describe how Nandanar, a Dalit farm worker and staunch devotee belonging to the 8th century A.D. who wished to offer worship at the temple, was not permitted to enter the premises. The story goes that God appeared in his dream and asked him to go through an ordeal by fire. Nandanar passed through the fire and reached the holy feet of God.
And then, there is the story of the idol of Govindaraja Perumal being dumped into the sea during the rule of Kulothunga Chola-II, a staunch Saivite. When it was reinstalled later by a local ruler of the Vijayanagar empire, as many as 20 Dikshitars committed suicide as a mark of protest.
In the 10th century A.D, when king Rajaraja sought the Dikshitars’ help to recover the palm-leaf manuscripts of Tamil hymns kept in a chamber at the temple, they did not oblige him. They asked for the physical presence of the four legendary Tamil savants – Sambandar, Appar, Sundarar and Manickavachagar. When the king brought the golden icons of the savants, the Dikshitars were made to open the chamber and the manuscripts were retrieved.
The Dikshitars were averse to reciting prayers in Tamil. In recent years, the government had to intervene in the case of U. Arumugasamy, a devotee belonging to the most backward class to help him recite Tamil hymns from the Chitrambala medai. It was after a long struggle that he was allowed to recite Tamil hymns.