Shiva Nataraja

Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Ca. offers a whole level devoted to Asian Art, which is why I decided to go to this Museum. I chose the Bronze statue of Shiva as Nataraja or Lord of the Dance. We studied this in class, and I was taken with it then, and even more so in person. The statue is from India: Tamil Nadu, c. 1000. The statue is a form of Shiva, with four arms and a raised leg, standing over a dwarf, with different objects in his hands or forming meaningful hand gestures, and flowing hair. He is then surrounded by a slender circle of flames. Shiva is one of the principal gods of Hinduism. In this form as Lord of the Dance he displays both destructive and regenerative powers. The Statue has a third-eye (tri-locana) which symbolizes Shiva’s ability to see all and destroy ignorance with his gaze. Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges River is caught in Shiva’s hair before bringing the water of life to earth. Shiva is holding a double-sided drum signifying creation. Shiva is also holding flames. The fire of destruction and transformation represents Shiva’s role as the destroyer at the end of each world age. The cobra represents his mastery over death. Under Shiva’s standing leg is a dwarf. The dwarf is the demon of forgetfulness and Shiva is trampling him, indicating his ability to overcome ignorance. Shiva’s other foot is held up in the dancing motion to signify liberation. The four arms represent the God’s dominion over the four directions.
This classic bronze comes from the Chola period in the south of India. Icons such as this were carried in procession during religious ceremonies. “The most famous representation of Shiva, to western eyes, is his manifestation as Nataraja, The Lord of The Dance.” (Lee, Sherman E., A History of Far Eastern Art, Englewood Cliffs, N.J, Prentice-Hall Inc.1973). Much of Tamil saw a revival of Shaivism (worship of the god Shiva). The Tamil sculptors of the Chola dynasty (mid-ninth to early fourteenth centuries) realized Shiva the