Shiva as Nataraja

SHIVA AS NATARAJA
Researched by Rochelle Almeida

1987.80.1
Artist Unknown
Bronze Sculpture
Provenance:  Tamil Nadu, India
Late 11th Century, Chola Period

Who is depicted in this sculpture?
This sculpture depicts Shiva, one of the Gods of the Hindu Trinity usually represented as Brahma (The Creator), Vishnu (The Preserver) and Shiva (The Destroyer).

Materials and Method:
In the 10th century, there was a revolution in India with regard to the creation and depiction of sacred images.  In Hinduism, there is a great need, on the part of the faithful, to actually “see” the God—to receive his “Darshan”. Thus, the deities were given royal stature. In the 10th century, the Cholas, a dynasty of powerful Southern kings in India, began to make large metal images. Between the 5th and the 10th centuries, the images of gods and deities were very small, almost tiny. But the Cholas changed that. They mounted these metal images of their gods on poles and carried them around the villages in processions or parades. The fact that this Shiva image has holes in the bottom testifies to this practice. The Cholas chose to make metal sculpture instead of coins, which were popular signs of power and greatness up to this time.
The Cholas used the Lost Wax (Cire Perdue) method for casting their sculpture. They created images with all the details in beeswax and resin.  The wax image was then covered with three layers of finely-ground clay and was placed in a primitive kiln which was basically a hole in the ground and was fired. When the wax melted and ran out of the holes, it would leave behind the clay mold into which the molten metal was then poured.  When the mold cooled down, the artisans broke it and were left with the metal sculpture. Thus, every Chola sculpture is unique.  No two pieces are alike since the mold could never be reused.  This method is very difficult to manipulate as each sculpture weighs at least 50 to 60 pounds.
When the image was ready, it was put through an eye-opening ceremony in which the real deity was said to take residence inside the image.  Thus, the deity’s spirit would enter the image and make it worthy of worship by the faithful.
Symbolism in the Sculpture:
Every aspect of this sculpture is loaded with symbolic meaning.  Various art historians have interpreted the features of the sculpture in differing ways. Indeed, there are as many theories with regard to this sculpture as there are deities in Hinduism.
In this sculpture, Shiva has been depicted as Nataraja, or Lord of the Dance.  He is presented in the gesture of a victorious cosmic dancer, dancing the dance of life, the dance of ecstasy or the dance of bliss (ananda tandava). Though he is victorious, Shiva’s face shows serenity and passivity that could only come with Godliness.  This symbolizes that he is able to take failure and triumph with the same serenity and balance.  The fact that he is dancing on one foot further corroborates this concept of balance and proportion.
The origin of the Shiva dances have been lost in antiquity, but they seem to be of Dravidian origin, i.e. hailing from South India. This dance is performed in one spot—the center of the universe.

Though Shiva is traditionally viewed as the Destroyer, in this sculpture he fulfils the roles of all three gods of the Trinity—he is the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer. He dances the universe into being, sustains it with his rhythm and then dances it out of existence.
The Legend behind the Symbolism of each object in the sculpture:
The legend goes that Lord Shiva came upon a group of sages who were practicing unorthodox Hinduism.  Shiva wishes to convert them to orthodox Hinduism but the sages were reluctant to be converted.  So, they began to throw all kinds of dangerous objects at the God, including fire, the demon of ignorance (Maya) over whom Shiva is seen dancing, snakes, tigers which symbolized egoism and is suggested by the tiger’s skin skirt that he traditionally wears. Shiva caught the fire in his hand which then became part of the aureole around him. He then began his Victory Dance, because he had proven worthy of the challenges that the sages threw at him and had triumphed.
Shiva’s Hands:
The figure has four arms.  The upper two arms are extended to the sides.  His right hand holds a small pebble drum shaped like an hour-glass (still used by street entertainers in India), the left hand holds a leaping, five-pronged flame called agni or fire. These two objects symbolize the fact that Creation emanates from the reverberations of the drum even as the destruction of the universe arises from the searing heat of the flames.
The lower right hand makes the gesture of Abhaya Mudra. Mudra means gesture or expression.  Abhaya means the Removal or Dispelling of Fear.  Thus, part of Shiva is depicted as protecting and preserving.  The other arm points to his raised foot—the refuge of the three worlds.
The Demon:
Shiva is seen dancing with one foot planted firmly upon the sprawling figure of a dwarf. This dwarf is variously represented as being Ignorance (or Maya). Some Hindu theologians refer to this figure as representing Maya or Illusion. This same malignant dwarf, sometimes called Muyalako, is said to lead mankind astray. His left leg is raised and pulled across his body so that it almost touches the encircling halo.
Shiva’s Hair and Head:
The five locks of hair on each side of his head are strung together by flowers and look like waves over his shoulder.  His hair is braided with the lower locks whirling as he dances in the stance of a yogi. The ever-expanding universe takes form in the great halo or circle of flame called a mandala, whose periphery is marked by flames resembling the one in Shiva’s hand.
Shiva’s Jewelry and Decoration :
Shiva combines in this depiction both the male and the female genders. He wears a man’s ear-ring in his right ear and a makara or large circle in the other ear—signifying that he is all mankind. Like a woman, he is adorned with jewelry—bracelets, necklaces, armlets and anklets. Yet, like a Hindu man, he wears the sacred thread around his torso.  The sacred thread is important in Hinduism as it signifies a step in initiation rites—symbolizing the passage from childhood into manhood when puberty begins. This practice probably came to India over 3,500 years ago through the Aryans, earliest settlers on the Indian sub-continent. Most of the decoration is executed in very low relief which sets off the smooth surfaces of the body.

Conclusion:
This primordial dance represents the very cosmic nature of the universe, its rhythm, its balance. It contains within it references to the rising of the setting of the sun and the moon, the ebb and flow of the sea and the tides, the swell of the ocean, the coming and going of the monsoon every year and the rhythmic moves of the cosmos. Shiva destroys the old so that the new might take its place. It is the quintessential delineation of the essence of Hinduism.
By witnessing this image and assimilating its meaning, the Hindu devotee receives reassurance and understanding and frees himself from the fetters of the earthy life.  Thus, he avoids Samsara (reincarnation) and attains moksha (salvation).

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Anonymous:  “Introduction to Indian Sculpture”. In The Image of Man. Hayward Gallery. London 1982, 225.

Chandra, Pramod:  The Sculpture of India 3000BC-1300 AD. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985, 192-194.

Coomaraswamy, Ananda K: The Dance of Shiva. Dover Publications, New York, 1985, 58.

Iyer, Bharatha Iyer:  Indian Art. Asia Publishing House, Bombay 1958, 243.

Lerner, Martin:  “Lord of the Dance”. MMA Bulletin, New 51, Spring 1994, 44.