Place

Tirucciṟṟambalam

திருச்சிற்றம்பலம்

Also known as: tirucciṟṟambalam, tiruchitrambalam, திருச்சிற்றம்பலம், innermost hall, sanctum corridor

Meaning

A sacred Tamil name associated primarily with Tillai–Chidambaram and its *Ciṟṟambalam* or Cit Sabhā, the 'little sacred hall' of Naṭarāja. It is not the technical Sri Vaiṣṇava name for the inner ambulatory surrounding the Śrīraṅgam sanctum.

Detailed Explanation

Tirucciṟṟambalam — The Sacred Little Hall of Chidambaram

Tirucciṟṟambalam combines tiru (sacred), ciṟu (small), and ambalam (hall). In established Tamil religious usage it is especially associated with Tillai–Chidambaram and the Ciṟṟambalam or Cit Sabhā in which Naṭarāja is worshipped. The word is also used as a reverential invocation in Tamil Śaiva recitation.

It should not be defined as a general architectural term for the covered ambulatory around any temple’s garbhagṛha, and the innermost circuit of Śrīraṅgam should not be labelled Tirucciṟṟambalam without specific local evidence. Śrī Vaiṣṇava temples have their own established names for sanctum areas, prākāras, maṇḍapas, and services.

Because this dictionary is Sri Vaiṣṇava and Teṉkalai-grounded, the term may be retained only with this contextual clarification: it is principally a Chidambaram/Śaiva sacred designation, not a standard Śrī Vaiṣṇava paribhāṣā for intimate tiruvārādhana space.

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