LORD
OF DANCE - ART AND CULTURE
News: The philosophy and science behind
the dancing image of Lord Shiva
What's
in the news?
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The art of making bronze idols is more
than a millennium old, but perfected during the reign of the Cholas.
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Nataraja is one of the most amazing
contributions of the Tamil heritage and culture.
Nataraja
(Lord of the Dance):
Lord
Nataraja:
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Nataraja (Lord of the Dance), the Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic
dancer, is represented in metal or stone in many Shaivite temples,
particularly in South India.
Features
of Nataraja Statue:
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Nataraja is shown with four hands representing the four cardinal
directions (North, South, East, West). These cardinal directions are
central to Hindu astrology (Vaastu Shastra).
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This cosmic dance of Shiva is called ‘ANANDA TANDAVA’ meaning the Dance of
Bliss which symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction as well as
the daily rhythm of birth and death.
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The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal
energy creation, destruction, preservation, salvation and illusion.
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The upper
right-hand holds the drum, which signifies the sound of creation. All
creations spring from the great sound of the damru.
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The upper
left-hand holds the eternal fire, which represents the destruction.
Destruction is the precursor and inevitable counterpart of creation.
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The lower
right hand is raised in the gesture of Abhay mudra signifying benediction
and reassuring the devotee to not be afraid.
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The lower
left-hand points towards the upraised foot and indicates the path of
salvation.
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Shiva is dancing on the figure of a small
dwarf. The dwarf symbolises ignorance and the ego of an individual.
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The matted and flowing locks of Shiva represent the flow of river Ganges.
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In ornamentation, one ear of Shiva has a
male earring while the other has a female. This represents the fusion of male and female and is often
referred to as Ardhanarishvara.
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A snake
is twisted around the arm of Shiva. The snake symbolises the kundalini power,
which resides in the human spine in the dormant stage. If aroused, one can
attain true consciousness.
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The Nataraja is surrounded by a nimbus of glowing lights which symbolises the
vast unending cycles of time.
Cholas
Nataraja’s Statues:
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All three temples in the Bharat Mandapam Nataraja statue was
inspired from were originally constructed by the Cholas, who at their peak
around the 9th-11th centuries AD, ruled over much of peninsular India.
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The Cholas were great patrons of art and
high culture.
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Chola art and architecture in South India
was a product of a prosperous, highly efficient empire during the period of its
greatest territorial expansion.
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Shiva was first portrayed in sculpture as
Nataraja in the fifth century AD, its present, world-famous form evolved under
the Cholas.
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While stone images of Nataraja are not
uncommon, it is the bronze sculpture that has had the greatest cultural
resonance through the years.