the popular sculpture shiva nataraja depicts shiva—or siva—as
dancing
title: Nataraja text: in its mature and best-known expression in Chola bronzes, of various heights typically less than four feet, some over. The Nataraja reliefs have been identified in historic artwork from many parts of South Asia, in southeast Asia such as in Bali, Cambodia, and in central Asia. 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 "Natya Shastra" poses, holding Agni (fire) in his left back hand, the front hand in "gajahasta" or "dandahasta" mudra, title: Nataraja text: Nataraja iconography incorporates contrasting elements, 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. Nataraja is a significant visual interpretation of Brahman and a dance posture of Lord Shiva. The details in the Nataraja artwork has attracted commentaries and secondary literature such as poems detailing its theological significance. It is one of the widely studied and supreme illustrations of Hindu art from the medieval era. One of earliest known Nataraja artworks has been found in the archaeological site at Chidambaram village in title: Nataraja text: of cosmic or metaphysical connotations is also argued on the basis of the testimony of the hymns of Tamil saints. The largest Nataraja statue is in Neyveli, in Tamil Nadu. In the contemporary Hindu culture of Bali 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". In 2004, a 2m statue of the dancing Shiva was unveiled at CERN, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva. The statue, title: Nataraja text: down to build again. 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) that in the Indian tradition means the interdependence and fusion of masculine and feminine principles. Nataraja is also shown with his wife Parvati as they dance together. As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja, Shiva performs the "Ananda Tandava" (dance of bliss, Tamil: ஆனந்த தாண்டவம்), the dance in which the universe is created, maintained, and dissolved. The symbolism in the art has been variously interpreted by scholars since the title: Nataraja text: artwork in South India was a Pallava innovation, tracing back to 7th to 9th-centuries, and its symbolism should be pushed back by a few centuries.. Notwithstanding such claims, it is clear that the Chola style statues are remarkably different and unique when compared to the other sculptures listed below in the gallery. An essential significance of Shiva's dance at Tillai, the traditional name of Chidambaram, can be explained as: 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