Shiva Nataraja

Here the Hindu creator god Shiva performs the ‘tandava ananda’ dance. Its function was to create, maintain and cyclically destroy the elemental forces of the universe. Ringed by a flaming aureole, Shiva dances on the prostrate figure of the demon-dwarf Apasmara, who personifies ignorance and materialism.

Shiva in this form displays four arms and a third eye is discernible on the forehead. In his upper hands Shiva holds the double-sided drum (‘damaru’) to mark time and the flame to signify destruction. His lower hands gesture reassurance and protection.

Shiva’s piled-up hair is surmounted by a fan-shaped headdress of kondrai leaves, sacred to him. The radiating locks of hair, which evoke the energy of the dance, are separately cast and riveted to the back of the head.