Bronze Sculptures of Nataraja

Old stories tell of a time, when God Shiva attended a play, staged by the Sage Bharata and his hundred disciples (Some accounts say they were his hundred sons). The play was called Tripura Dahan and Bharata was staging it at the behest of God Brahma. Shiva, who was attending with his ganas, was impressed by the performance. He suggested to Brahma that it would get even better if the drama being acted out on the stage was embellished with dancing. Shiva accepted Brahma’s request graciously and instructed Tandu, one among his retinue of ganas, to teach Bharata the secrets of dance. Tandu was a masterful dancer. There were many dance forms that Tandu had learned during his time with Shiva. But teaching the divine dances of Shiva was a difficult task. Tandu realized that every time his god danced, it was a new form. For Natyashastra, which was for the consumption of common folk, Tandu could only choose one. He remembered a graceful dance routine he had once seen Shiva perform against a dusky Kailasha sky. Tandu taught the one to Bharata, who later added it to the Natyashastra. In honor of his teacher, Tandu, Bharata called this dance form, the Tandava.

Shiva is known the world over as a god of awe-inspiring and terrible power. For many Hindus, he is the god of destruction, rending the universe and bringing existence back to emptiness when the Yuga cycle comes to its completion. In this role, Shiva is an essential element of the godhead, clearing the way for the universe to renew itself. Much like the Death card of the Tarot, his role is a source of horror for those clinging to the way things are, but he is also a necessary harbinger of the new universe. Famously, Shiva accomplishes his destruction through his tandava — also called Tāṇḍava natyam — a dance he performs to bring the universe to darkness. But Shiva’s tandava has many other purposes as well. He dances through the entire cycle of the lifespan of the universe. From its creation to its preservation and, finally, to its end, the tandava accompanies and makes possible all three phases. The tandava is described in many texts, including most notably the Natya Shastra. In this tome on performing arts, elements of the dance are described.

Saivagama Tantras, the ritualistic sacred texts of Sadhana or devout single-pointed worship, devised an artistic form to which all human devotion can be directed — Nataraja, the supreme dancer. The form of Nataraja has been hailed as the highest concept of art. Ancient Saivites were known to practise a dance-drama at the famous Nataraja Temple of Chidambaram. In the holy month of Margazhi (December-January) in Tamil Nadu, on the day with the asterism Tiruvadirai, the Arudra festival is especially important to Lord Nataraja in all temples, particularly Chidambaram. Among the five elements, the subtlest space whose essence is sound, is represented by the Akasa Lingam in the temple dedicated to this concept, Chidambaram. Lord Nataraja personifies the descent from the subtlest as an act of creation and also the ascent from the grossest as an act of dissolution.