Nataraja Statue

Description

The dance the smiling Shiva is performing is the Tandava, the cosmic dance which both creates and destroys the universe. The energy and wildness of the dance is shown in his bent knees and the extravagant spreading of the god’s hair. Shiva’s locks also contain a skull, a datura blossom, and a crescent moon which represents the idea that Shiva is ever-present even if sometimes he is not always visible. Even more prominent is the figure of Ganga, the personification of the river Ganges, who, according to Hindu mythology, was brought gently from the heavens down to earth in the god’s hair. Sometimes the god’s hair is topped with a fan of konnai leaves Dimensions 29x23x10cm
wight 2.130 approx