Nataraj

Posted by Arjun Kachru (Pune, India) on 9 April 2007 in Lifestyle & Culture and Portfolio.

Nataraja (The King of Dance) is the dancing posture of the Hindu god Shiva, who performs his divine dance as a part of his divine duties of creation and destruction. Nataraja is most often depicted through a statue. The sculpture is usually made in bronze, with Shiva dancing in a circle of flames, lifting his left leg (and in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing over a demon or dwarf (Apasmara) who symbolizes ignorance. It is a well known scultptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture. The form is present in most Shiva temples in South India, and is the main deity in the famous temple at Chidambaram.

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