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.
