Bharata Natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times.Today Bharata Natyam is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by male and female dancers all over India and abroad. Natyanjali, the tradition of concentrated expression of devotion to the Lord of Natya, through dance on the occasion of ‘Maha Sivaratri’ particularly inside the temple complex, was revived in Chidambaram in the early 1980s. It has gradually spread to many centers where ancient and important Siva temples are located, many with a ‘swayambhu lingam’ as the main deity.http://www.heritagetown.org/index.html