Sitting on the banks of the Vellar River, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal, lies the main town and municipality of Chidambaram, which is part of the Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It serves as the Chidambaram Taluk’s administrative center. The town is thought to be very old. It was dominated by the Pallavas until the ninth century, then by the Vijayanagara Empire, the Thanjavur Nayakas, the Marathas, the Later Cholas, and the Later Pandyas. The town is well-known for its yearly chariot festival, which takes place in December and January, and for its temples, Thillai Nataraja and Thillai Kali.