This eight-armed wooden image of Nataraja presents Shiva not in the familiar, flame-ringed cosmic dance, but in a rarer and more intimate expression of movement drawn from the Alataka karana, one of the 108 karanas of Tandava.
The stance shifts the energy of the composition, grounding the dance in rhythmic balance rather than dramatic suspension. The face remains calm and inward, yet subtly expressive, embodying the paradox at the heart of Nataraja: stillness held within motion.
The prabhavali departs strikingly from convention. Instead of a fiery aureole, the arch is alive with foliage and crowned by a gaping kirtimukha whose open mouth heightens the sense of awe and dynamism.
At Shiva’s feet, a peacock, the very emblem of dance and grace, appears to learn movement from the Lord himself, while Nandi gazes upward in blissful devotion. Their presence transforms the sculptural arena into a living, responsive world.
Shiva’s eight arms fan out with measured rhythm, bearing the damaru, trident, Veda, serpent, noose, fire, and the reassuring abhaya hasta, together articulating creation, knowledge, dissolution, restraint, and protection. The tiger skin, flowing ornaments, and finely articulated jatabhara move with a musical sway, demonstrating the sculptor’s mastery over wood as a living medium.
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