Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.'' Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the '' Tevaram'', '' Thiruvasagam'' in Tamil and ''Anshumadbhed agama'' and ''Uttarakamika agama'' in Sanskrit and Grantha texts, the dance murti featured in all major Hindu temples of Shaivism, and is a well-known sculptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture, in particular as one of the finest illustrations of Hindu art. He is commonly referred as Koothan(), Sabesan() and Ambalavanan () in various Tamil texts. The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts, with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts. Tamil Devotional texts such as Tirumurai (The twelve books of Southern Shaivism) speaks that Nataraja is the form of Shiva in which he does Creation, destruction, Preserving, Maya and Blessing. Thus Nataraja is considered one of the highest forms of Shiva in Tamil Nadu, and thus sculpture or

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

idol of Nataraja is kept and worshiped in almost all Shiva temples across Tamil Nadu. It typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the ''

Natya Shastra The ''Nāṭya Śāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary ...

'' poses, holding various symbols which vary with historic period and region, trampling upon a demon shown as a dwarf ( Apasmara or Muyalaka) who symbolizes spiritual ignorance. The classical form of the depiction appears in a pillar of rock cut temple at Seeyamangalam – Avanibhajana Pallaveshwaram Temple constructed by a Pallava King Mahendravarman I in 6th century CE, which is known by Archeological Survey of India and Archeological Survey of Tamil Nadu as the oldest known Nataraja sculpture in India. The stone reliefs at the Ellora Caves and the Badami Caves, by around the 6th century, are also among the oldest Nataraja sculptures in India. Ancient Tamil songs during

Bhakti Movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6th centur ...

written by the four Shaivite saints of Thirugnanasambandhar, Appar, Manikkavasagar, and Sundharar, popularly known as "Naalvar" (The four great) speaks about Nataraja and describes Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram as the home of Nataraja as the main deity, dating Nataraja worship way before the 7th century CE. Around the 8th to 10th century, statues emerged in Tamil Nadu in its mature and best-known expression in Chola bronzes, of various heights typically less than four feet, some over. Nataraja reliefs are found in historic settings in many parts of South East Asia such as

Angkor Wat Angkor Wat (; km, អង្គរវត្ត, "City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia and is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring . Originally constructed as a Hinduism, Hindu temple dedicated ...

and in

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

, Cambodia, and central Asia.

Etymology

The word Nataraja is a Sanskrit term, from नट ''Nata'' meaning "act, drama, dance" and राज '' Raja'' meaning "king, lord"; it can be roughly translated as ''Lord of the dance'' or ''King of the dance''. According to Ananda Coomaraswamy, the name is related to Shiva's fame as the "Lord of Dancers" or "King of Actors". The form is known as ''Nataraja'' in Tamil Nadu and as ''Narteśvara'' (also written Nateshwar) or ''Nṛityeśvara'' in North India, with all three terms meaning "Lord of the dance". ''Narteśvara'' stems from ''Nṛtta'' same as ''Nata'' which means "act, drama, dance" and '' Ishvara'' meaning "lord". ''Natesa'' (IAST: ''Naṭeśa'') is another alternate equivalent term for Nataraja found in 1st-millennium sculptures and archeological sites across the Indian subcontinent. In Tamil, he is also known as “''Sabesan''” () which splits as “''Sabayil aadum eesan''” () which means “The Lord who dances on the dais”. This form is present in most Shiva temples, and is the prime deity in the Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram (Tillai).Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, ''The Dance of Siva: Fourteen Indian Essays'', (New York, The Sun wise Turn, 1918), p. 58. Internet Archive.
/ref> The dance of Shiva in Chidambaram forms the motif for all the depictions of Shiva as Nataraja. Koothan(), Sabesan(), Ambalavanan () are other common names of Nataraja in Tamil texts.

Depiction

The two most common forms of Shiva's dance are the ''

Lasya The term Lāsya , in the context of Hindu mythology, describes the dance performed by the goddess Parvati as it expresses happiness and is filled with grace and beauty. She is believed to have danced the Lāsya in response to the male energy of the ...

'' (the gentle form of dance), associated with the creation of the world, and the ''Ananda Tandava'' (dance of bliss, the vigorous form of dance), associated with the destruction of weary worldviews—weary perspectives and lifestyles. In essence, the

and the Tandava are just two aspects of Shiva’s nature; for he destroys in order to create, tearing down to build again.Carmel Berkson, Wendy Doniger, George Michell, ''Elephanta: The Cave of Shiva'', (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1983). According to Alice Boner, the historic Nataraja artworks found in different parts of India are set in geometric patterns and along symmetric lines, particularly the ''satkona'' mandala (

hexagram , can be seen as a compound composed of an upwards (blue here) and downwards (pink) facing equilateral triangle, with their intersection as a regular hexagon (in green). A hexagram ( Greek language, Greek) or sexagram (Latin) is a six-pointed ...

) that in the Indian tradition means the interdependence and fusion of masculine and feminine principles. The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts, with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts. It typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the ''

'' poses, holding Agni (fire) in his left back hand, the front hand in ''gajahasta'' (elephant hand) or ''dandahasta'' (stick hand)

mudra A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As wel ...

, the front right hand with a wrapped snake that is in ''abhaya'' (fear not) mudra while pointing to a ''Sutra'' text, and the back hand holding a musical instrument, usually a '' Udukai'' ( ta, உடுக்கை). His body, fingers, ankles, neck, face, head, ear lobes and dress are shown decorated with symbolic items, which vary with historic period and region. He is surrounded by a ring of flames, standing on a lotus pedestal, lifting his left leg (or in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing / trampling upon a demon shown as a dwarf ( Apasmara or Muyalaka) who symbolizes spiritual ignorance. The dynamism of the energetic dance is depicted with the whirling hair which spread out in thin strands as a fan behind his head. Ananda Coomaraswamy (1922)
Saiva Sculptures: Recent Acquisitions
''

Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

'', Vol. 20, No. 118 (Apr., 1922), pages 18-19 The details in the Nataraja artwork have been variously interpreted by Indian scholars since the 12th century for its symbolic meaning and theological essence. Nataraja is a well known sculptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture, in particular as one of the finest illustrations of Hindu art.

Symbolism

The symbolism has been interpreted in classical Indian Shaiva Siddhanta texts such as ''Unmai Vilakkam'', ''Mummani Kovai'', ''Tirukuttu Darshana'' and ''Tiruvatavurar Puranam'', dating from the 12th century CE ( Chola empire) and later, and include:The Dance of Shiva
Ananda Coomaraswamy * He dances within a circular or cyclically closed arch of flames (''prabha mandala''), which symbolically represent the cosmic fire that in Hindu cosmology creates everything and consumes everything, in cyclic existence or cycle of life. The fire also represents the evils, dangers, heat, warmth, light and joys of daily life. The arch of fire emerges from two '' makara'' (mythical water beasts) on each end. * He looks calm, even through the continuous chain of creation and destruction that maintains the universe, that shows the supreme tranquility of the Atma. * His legs are bent, which suggests an energetic dance. His long, matted tresses, are shown to be loose and flying out in thin strands during the dance, spread into a fan behind his head, because of the wildness and ecstasy of the dance. * On his right side, meshed in with one of the flying strands of his hair near his forehead, is typically the river Ganges personified as a goddess, from the Hindu mythology where the danger of a mighty river is creatively tied to a calm river for the regeneration of life. * His headdress often features a human skull (symbol of mortality), a

crescent moon Crescent moon may refer to: Lunar phases *Fingernail moon, a lunar phase waxing until 7 days after or waning since 7 days before the new moon * Hilal (crescent moon), an Arabic term for the very slight crescent moon that is first visible after a n ...

and a flower identified as that of the entheogenic plant '' Datura metel''. *Four-armed figures are most typical, but ten-armed forms are also found from various places and periods, for example the Badami Caves and

Ankor Wat Angkor Wat (; km, អង្គរវត្ត, "City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia and is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring . Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the go ...

. * The upper right hand holds a small drum shaped like an hourglass that is called a ' in Sanskrit. A specific hand gesture (

) called ' (Sanskrit for "-hand") is used to hold the drum. It symbolizes rhythm and time. * The upper left hand contains '' Agni'' or fire, which signifies forces of creation and destruction. The opposing concepts show the counterpoise nature of life. * A cobra uncoils from his lower right forearm, while his palm shows the ''Abhaya'' mudra (meaning ''fearlessness'' in Sanskrit), suggesting not to fear nearby evil, as well as evil and ignorance surrounding the devotee as he or she follows the righteousness of ''

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

''. * The lower left hand is bent downwards at the wrist with the palm facing inward, we also note that this arm crosses Naṭarāja’s chest, concealing his heart from view. It represents tirodhāna, which means “occlusion, concealment.” * The face shows two eyes plus a slightly open third on the forehead, which symbolize the triune in Shaivism. The eyes represent the sun, the moon and the third has been interpreted as the inner eye, or symbol of knowledge (''jnana''), urging the viewer to seek the inner wisdom, self-realization. The three eyes alternatively symbolize an equilibrium of the three Guṇas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. * The dwarf upon whom Nataraja dances is the demon '' Apasmara purusha'' (

Muyalaka According to Hindu mythology, Apasmāra also known as "kaal" or "brahm" is a dwarf who represents spiritual ignorance and nonsensical speech.Tamil), and who symbolises the demonic evil and ignorance over which the sacred dance of Shiva gives victory. * The slightly smiling face of Shiva represents his calmness despite being immersed in the contrasting forces of universe and his energetic dance. Temple troglodytique dédié à Shiva (Badami, Inde) (14146091479)

Temple troglodytique dédié à Shiva (Badami, Inde) (14146091479)

Padma Kaimal questions some of these interpretations by referring to a 10th-century text and Nataraja icons, suggesting that the Nataraja statue may have symbolized different things to different people or in different contexts, such as Shiva being the lord of cremation or as an emblem of Chola dynasty. In contrast, Sharada Srinivasan questions the link to Chola, and has presented archaeological evidence suggesting that Nataraja bronzes and dancing Shiva artwork in South India was a

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

innovation, tracing back to 7th to 9th-centuries, and its symbolism should be pushed back by a few centuries.

Meaning

Nataraja The Lord of Dance from Thanjavur Palace

Shiva's dance can be explained as:Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, ''The Dance of Śiva: Fourteen Indian Essays'' New York, The Sun wise Turn (1918), p. 58. Internet Archive.
/ref> * First, it is seen as the image of his rhythmic or musical play which is the source of all movement within the universe. This is represented by the circular or elliptical frame surrounding Shiva. * Secondly, the purpose of his dance is to release the souls of all men from the snare of illusion. * Lastly, the place of the dance, Chidambaram, which is portrayed as the center of the universe, is actually within the heart. Nataraja, states James Lochtefeld, symbolizes "the connection between religion and the arts", and it represents Shiva as the lord of dance, encompassing all "creation, destruction and all things in between". The Nataraja iconography incorporates contrasting elements,Gomathi Narayanan (1986)
SHIVA NATARAJA AS A SYMBOL OF PARADOX
Journal of South Asian Literature, Vol. 21, No. 2, pages 208-216 a fearless celebration of the joys of dance while being surrounded by fire, untouched by forces of ignorance and evil, signifying a spirituality that transcends all

duality Duality may refer to: Mathematics * Duality (mathematics), a mathematical concept ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality ** Duality (optimization) ** Duality (order theory), a concept regarding binary relations ** Dual ...

. Furthermore, according to Carole and Pasquale, the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

not only tells of the eternal cycles of life ( Jiva) from destruction to rebirth, but also a human being should conquer the spiritual ignorance and thrill in self-realization. In the hymn of

Manikkavacakar Manikkavacakar, or Maanikkavaasagar ''(Tamil: மாணிக்கவாசகர், "One whose words are like gems")'', was a 9th-century Tamil saint and poet who wrote ''Tiruvasakam'', a book of Shaiva hymns. Speculated to have been a minis ...

's Thiruvasagam, he testifies that at Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram had, by the pre-

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

period, an abstract or 'cosmic' symbolism linked to five elements (Pancha Bhoota) including ether. Nataraja is a significant visual interpretation of Brahman and a dance posture of Shiva. The details in the Nataraja artwork have attracted commentaries and secondary literature such as poems detailing its theological significance. It is one of the widely studied and supreme illustrations of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

art from the medieval era. Srinivasan notes that Nataraja is described as Satcitananda or "Being, Consciousness and Bliss" in the Shaiva Siddhanta text ''Kunchitangrim Bhaje'', resembling the Advaita doctrine, or "abstract monism," of Adi Shankara, "which holds the individual Self ( Jīvātman) and supream Self (

Paramātmā ''Paramatman'' (Sanskrit: परमात्मन्, IAST: Paramātman) or ''Paramātmā'' is the Absolute ''Atman'', or supreme Self, in various philosophies such as the Vedanta and Yoga schools in Hindu theology, as well as other Indian re ...

) to be one," while "an earlier hymn to Nataraja by Manikkavachakar identifies him with the unitary supreme consciousness, by using Tamil word Or Unarve, rather than Sanskrit Chit." This may point to an "osmosis" of ideas in medieval India.

History

Nataraja from Ambari, Guwahati excavation

Stone reliefs depicting the classical form of Nataraja are found in numerous cave temples of India, such as at the Ellora Caves (Maharashtra), the Elephanta Caves, and the Badami Caves (Karnataka), by around the 6th century. One of the earliest known Nataraja artworks has been found in the archaeological site at Asanapat village in Odisha, which includes an inscription, and is dated to about the 6th century CE. The Asanapat inscription also mentions a Shiva temple in the Saivacaryas kingdom. Literary evidences shows that the bronze representation of Shiva's ananda- tandava appeared first in the

period between 7th century and mid-9th centuries CE. Nataraja was worshipped at Chidambaram during the Pallava period with underlying philosophical concepts of cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, which is also found in Tamil saint

's Thiruvasagam. Archaeological discoveries have yielded a red Nataraja sandstone statue, from 9th to 10th century from

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Prad ...

, Madhya Pradesh, now held at the Gwalior Archaeological Museum. Similarly, Nataraja artwork has been found in archaeological sites in the Himalayan region such as

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

, albeit in with somewhat different dance pose and iconography, such as just two arms or with eight arms. Around the 10th century, it emerged in Tamil Nadu in its mature and best-known expression in Chola bronzes, of various heights typically less than four feet, some over. Nataraja reliefs are found in historic settings in many parts of South East Asia such as

, and in

, Cambodia, and central Asia. The oldest free-standing stone sculptures of Nataraja were built by

queen Sembiyan Mahadevi. Nataraja gained special significance and became a symbol of royalty in Tamil Nadu. The dancing Shiva became a part of Chola era processions and religious festivals, a practice that continued thereafter. The depiction was informed of cosmic or metaphysical connotations is also argued on the basis of the testimony of the hymns of Tamil saints. In medieval era artworks and texts on dancing Shiva found in Nepal, Assam and Bengal, he is sometimes shown as dancing on his '' vahana'' (animal vehicle)

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

, the bull; further, he is regionally known as ''Narteshvara''. Nataraja artwork have also been discovered in Gujarat, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. In the contemporary Hindu culture of

in Indonesia, Siwa (Shiva) Nataraja is the god who created dance. Siwa and his dance as Nataraja was also celebrated in the art of Java Indonesia when Hinduism thrived there, while in Cambodia he was referred to as ''Nrittesvara''. Shiva's_statue_at_CERN_engaging_in_the_Nataraja_dance

Shiva's_statue_at_CERN_engaging_in_the_Nataraja_dance

In 2004, a 2-m statue of the dancing Shiva was unveiled at

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...

, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva. The statue, symbolizing Shiva's cosmic dance of creation and destruction, was given to CERN by the Indian government to celebrate the research center's long association with India. A special plaque next to the Shiva statue explains the metaphor of Shiva's cosmic dance with quotations from physicist Fritjof Capra:

Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics.

Though named "Nataraja bronzes" in Western literature, the Chola Nataraja artworks are mostly in copper, and a few are in brass, typically cast by the ''cire-perdue'' ( lost-wax casting) process. Nataraja is celebrated in 108 poses of Bharatanatyam, with Sanskrit inscriptions from ''

'', at the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. According to Ian Crawford, professor of

planetary science Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of their f ...

at University of London, the cosmic dance of Shiva as Nataraja represents particle physics, entropy and the dissolution of the universe.

Gallery

File:Asanpata Nataraj with Inscription.jpg, Asanpata Nataraj with Naga King Satrubhanja (261AD) Inscription at Keonjhar district of Odisha 3rd Century AD File:Elephanta Island.jpg, A damaged 6th-century Nataraja, Elephanta Caves 1 Dancing Shiva, Cave 21 at Ellora.jpg, 6th-century Nataraja in Cave 21, Ellora Caves Dancing Shiva at Kailasa temple, Cave 16 Ellora.jpg, 8th-century Nataraja in Kailasa temple (Cave 16), Ellora Caves WLA lacma Madhya Pradesh Shiva as the Lord of Dance ca 800 (cropped).jpg,

Ithyphallic A phallus is a penis (especially when Erection, erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimesis, mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically— ...

8th-century sandstone Nataraja from Madhya Pradesh File:Pattadakal si1479.jpg,

Sukanasa In Hindu temple architecture a sukanasa ( sa, शुकनास, IAST: śukanāsa) or sukanasi is an external ornamented feature over the entrance to the garbhagriha or inner shrine. It sits on the face of the sikhara tower (in South India, the ...

with Shiva Nataraja in Pattadakal, Karnataka Shiva Nataraja (BM).JPG, The oldest known Tamil bronze Nataraja, 800 AD, British Museum Prasat Sikhoraphum-pano-1.jpg, Khmer relief, 12th-century,

Madurai Meenakshi temple Nataraja.jpg, Shiva-Nataraja in the Thousand-Pillar-Hall of

Meenakshi Temple Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundaraswarar Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, ...

in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Dasabuja rishaba thandava moorthy.jpg, In the Shiva temple of Melakadambur is a rare Pala image that shows the ten-armed Nataraja dancing on his bull, Nandi

In dance and yoga

In modern yoga as exercise, Natarajasana is a posture resembling Nataraja and named for him in the 20th century. A similar pose appears in the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam. File:Indian-dancer-nataraja.png, Nataraja pose in Bharatanatyam classical Indian dance File:Natarajasana Yoga-Asana Nina-Mel.jpg, Natarajasana in modern yoga as exercise

References

Notes

External links

Śiva's Dance: Iconography and Dance Practice in South and Southeast Asia
Alessandra Iyer (2000), Music in Art
Shiva Nataraja Iconography
Freer Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian
Nataraja: India's Cycle of Fire
Stephen Pyne (1994)
Chidambareswarar Nataraja Temple

Nataraja Image Archive
{{Authority control Forms of Shiva Hindu dance traditions Tamil deities Indian art Indian sculpture Hindu iconography Articles containing video clips Shiva in art