Aani Thirumanjanam at the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple

What happens

1. In 2021 the festival ran ten days, from the flag hoisting on 6 July to the abhishekam on 15 July.
2. Bhikshadanar rides a golden car on the eighth day, and Nataraja's great chariot goes round the streets on the ninth.
3. Before dawn on the last day, Nataraja is anointed in the Raja Sabhai with milk, curd, ghee, fruit juices, coconut water, sandal paste and sacred ash.
4. The Aani darshan follows in the afternoon, at 2 pm in 2021, when devotees see Nataraja after the anointing.

Sources: chidambaramnataraja.org, en.wikipedia.org · checked 30 Oct 2026

Where families go

• 

  Chidambaram Nataraja Temple

  Chidambaram

  The district names Aani Thirumanjanam as one of the temple's two grandest festivals, with a chariot procession and a long anointing of Nataraja.

  Timings and guide
• 

  Thiruvenkadu Temple

  Thiruvenkadu

  Aani Thirumanjanam, the sacred bathing of Nataraja, is among this temple's most prominent festivals.

  Timings and guide

When to go

Aani Thirumanjanam falls on the Uthiram star in Aani (June to July). No 2027 date had been published on 30 Oct 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · checked 30 Oct 2026

Before you go

• Good to knowThe temple is run by its Dikshitars and publishes no official schedule we could find. Confirm the chariot and darshan days locally before you book travel.
• SafetySeveral hundred thousand people come to see the anointing. Keep elders and children close and agree a meeting point outside the temple.

• OfficialCuddalore district, Chidambaram temple page

Rituals, fees and timings are set by each temple. Where the temple sells a seva or ticket, book it only on its official channel.

Sources: chidambaramnataraja.org, en.wikipedia.org · checked 30 Oct 2026