Nataraja

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Nateshwar" redirects here. For Archaeological ruins in Bangladesh, see Nateshwar Deul.

Nataraja
Lord of the dance
A 10th-century Chola dynasty bronze sculpture of Shiva, the Lord of the Dance at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Other namesAdalvallan, Koothan, Sabesan, Ambalavanan[1]
AffiliationShiva
SymbolsAgni
TextsAmshumadagama
Uttarakamika agama
Part of a series on
Shaivism
Deities
Paramashiva

(Supreme being)
Shiva
Shakti
Scriptures and texts
Philosophy
Three Components
Three bondages
other aspects
Practices
Schools
Ati marga
Mantra marga

Saiddhantika

Non - Saiddhantika

Others
Scholars
Related
 Hinduism portal

Nataraja (

romanized: Naṭarāja Tamil: நடராஜர், romanized: Naṭarājar), also known as Adalvallan (Tamil: ஆடல்வல்லான், romanized: Ādalvallāṉ),[2] is a depiction of Shiva, one of the main deities in Hinduism, as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called the tandava.[3][4] The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the Tevaram and Thiruvasagam in Tamil and the Amshumadagama and Uttarakamika agama in Sanskrit and the Grantha texts. The dance murti featured in all major Hindu temples of Shaivism,[5] and is a well-known sculptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture,[6][7] as one of the finest illustrations of Hindu art.[8][9] This form is also referred to as Kuththan (Tamil: கூத்தன், romanized: Kūththaṉ), Sabesan (Tamil: சபேசன், romanized: Sabēsaṉ), and Ambalavanan (Tamil: அம்பலவாணன், romanized: Ambalavāṇaṉ) in various Tamil texts.[10][11][12]

The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts,[13] with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts. Tamil devotional texts such as the Tirumurai (The twelve books of Southern Shaivism) state that Nataraja is the form of Shiva in which he performs his functions of creation, destruction, preservation, and is also attributed with maya and the act of blessing his devotees. Thus, Nataraja is considered one of the highest forms of Shiva in Tamil Nadu, and the sculpture or the bronze idol of Nataraja is worshipped in almost all Shiva temples across Tamil Nadu.[14] It typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the Natya Shastra poses, holding various symbols[14] which vary with historic period and region,[3][15] trampling upon a demon shown as a dwarf (Apasmara or Muyalaka[4]) who symbolizes spiritual ignorance.[14][16]

The classical form of the depiction appears in a pillar of rock cut temple at Seeyamangalam –

South East Asia such as Angkor Wat and in Bali, Cambodia, and Central Asia.[13][20][21]

Etymology

Chola bronze, Tamil Nadu
, 10th or 11th century.

The word Nataraja is a Sanskrit term, from नट Nata meaning "act, drama, dance" and राज Raja meaning "king, lord"; it can be roughly translated as Lord of the dance or King of the dance.[22][23] According to Ananda Coomaraswamy, the name is related to Shiva's fame as the "Lord of Dancers" or "King of Actors".[24]

The form is known as Nataraja in Tamil Nadu and as Narteśvara (also written Nateshwar[25]) or Nṛityeśvara in North India, with all three terms meaning "Lord of the dance".[26] Narteśvara stems from Nṛtta same as Nata which means "act, drama, dance" and Ishvara meaning "lord".[27] Natesa (IAST: Naṭeśa) is another alternate equivalent term for Nataraja found in 1st-millennium sculptures and archeological sites across the Indian subcontinent.[28]

In Tamil, he is also known as “Sabesan” (Tamil: சபேசன்) which splits as “Sabayil adum eesan” (Tamil: சபையில் ஆடும் ஈசன்) which means “The Lord who dances on the dais”. This form is present in most Shiva temples, and is the prime deity in the Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram (Tillai).[29] The dance of Shiva in Chidambaram forms the motif for all the depictions of Shiva as Nataraja. Koothan(ta: கூத்தன், romanized: Kūththaṉ), Sabesan(ta: சபேசன், romanized: Sabēsaṉ), Ambalavanan (ta: அம்பலவாணன், romanized: Ambalavāṇaṉ) are other common names of Nataraja in Tamil texts.[30][31]

Depiction

(Shiva) Nataraja (Lord of the Dance)

The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts,[13] with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts.[14] The two most common forms of Shiva's dance are the Lasya (the gentle form of dance), associated with the creation of the world, and the Ananda Tandava (dance of bliss, the vigorous form of dance), associated with the destruction of weary worldviews—weary perspectives and lifestyles. In essence, the Lasya and the Tandava are just two aspects of Shiva’s nature; for he destroys in order to create, tearing down to build again.[32]

According to Alice Boner, the historic Nataraja artworks found in different parts of India are set in geometric patterns and along symmetric lines, particularly the satkona mandala (hexagram) that in the Indian tradition means the interdependence and fusion of masculine and feminine principles.[33]

It typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the Natya Shastra poses, holding Agni (fire) in his left back hand, the front hand in gajahasta (elephant hand) or dandahasta (stick hand) mudra, the front right hand with a wrapped snake that is in abhaya (fear not) mudra while pointing to a Sutra text, and the back hand holding a musical instrument, usually a Udukai (Tamil: உடுக்கை).[14] His body, fingers, ankles, neck, face, head, ear lobes and dress are shown decorated with symbolic items, which vary with historic period and region.[3][15] He is surrounded by a ring of flames, standing on a lotus pedestal, lifting his left leg (or in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing / trampling upon a demon shown as a dwarf (Apasmara or Muyalaka[4]) who symbolizes spiritual ignorance.[14][16] The dynamism of the energetic dance is depicted with the whirling hair which spread out in thin strands as a fan behind his head.[34][35] The details in the Nataraja artwork have been variously interpreted by Indian scholars since the 12th century for its symbolic meaning and theological essence.[19][24] Nataraja is a well known sculptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture,[6][7] in particular as one of the finest illustrations of Hindu art.[8][9]

Symbolism

The dance of Nataraja is revealed in a story mentioned in the Koyil Puranam.

Chola empire) and later, and include:[14][24][36]
Detail of Chola bronze
  • His headdress often features a human skull (symbol of mortality), a crescent moon and a flower identified as that of the entheogenic plant Datura metel.
  • Four-armed figures are most typical, but ten-armed forms are also found from various places and periods, for example the
    Ankor Wat
    .
  • The upper right hand holds a small drum shaped like an hourglass that is called a
    ḍamaru in Sanskrit.[38][39] A specific hand gesture (mudra) called ḍamaru-hasta (Sanskrit for "ḍamaru-hand") is used to hold the drum.[40]
    It symbolizes rhythm of creation and time.
  • The upper left hand contains Agni or fire, which signifies destruction.
  • A cobra uncoils from his lower right forearm, while his hand is in the abhaya mudra gesture as a sign to not fear
  • The lower left hand is bent downwards at the wrist with the palm facing inward, we also note that this arm crosses Naṭarāja’s chest, concealing his heart from view. It represents tirodhāna, which means “occlusion, concealment.”
  • The face shows two eyes plus a slightly open third on the forehead, which symbolize the triune in Shaivism. The eyes represent the sun, the moon and the third has been interpreted as the inner eye, or symbol of knowledge (jnana), urging the viewer to seek the inner wisdom, self-realization. The three eyes alternatively symbolize an equilibrium of the three Guṇas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
  • The dwarf underneath his foot is the demon Apasmara purusha or Muyalaka, who symbolizes ignorance which Nataraja destroys.
  • The slightly smiling face of Shiva represents his calmness despite being immersed in the contrasting forces of universe and his energetic dance.[19]
6th/7th century Nataraja in Cave 1 of Badami cave temples

Padma Kaimal questions some of these interpretations by referring to a 10th-century text and Nataraja icons, suggesting that the Nataraja statue may have symbolized different things to different people or in different contexts, such as Shiva being the lord of cremation or as an emblem of Chola dynasty.

Pallava innovation, tracing back to 7th to 9th-centuries, and its symbolism should be pushed back by a few centuries.[42]

Interpretation

Nataraja at Thanjavur Palace

Coomaraswamy summarizes the significance of Shiva's entire dance as an image of his rhythmic or musical play which is the source of all movement within the universe, represented by the arch surrounding Shiva. Secondly, the purpose of his dance is to release the souls of all men from illusion. And third, the place of the dance, Chidambaram, which is portrayed as the center of the universe, is actually within the heart.[29]

James Lochtefeld states that Nataraja symbolizes "the connection between religion and the arts", and it represents Shiva as the lord of dance, encompassing all "creation, destruction and all things in between".

duality.[44] Furthermore, Carole and Pasquale note that the deity showcases the eternal cycle of life (Jiva) from death to rebirth, and how a human being should conquer spiritual ignorance and attain self-realization.[37]

In the hymn of

five elements (Pancha Bhoota). Nataraja is a significant visual interpretation of Brahman and a dance posture of Shiva. The details in the Nataraja artwork have attracted commentaries and secondary literature such as poems detailing its theological significance.[19][24] It is one of the widely studied and supreme illustrations of Hindu art from the medieval era.[45][46]

Srinivasan notes that Nataraja is described as

Satcitananda or "Being, Consciousness and Bliss" in the Shaiva Siddhanta text Kunchitangrim Bhaje, resembling the Advaita doctrine, or "abstract monism," of Adi Shankara, "which holds the individual Self (Jīvātman) and supreme Self (Paramātmā) to be one," while "an earlier hymn to Nataraja by Manikkavachakar identifies him with the unitary supreme consciousness, by using Tamil word Or Unarve, rather than Sanskrit Chit." This may point to an "osmosis" of ideas in medieval India.[47]

According to Ian Crawford, professor of planetary science at University of London, the cosmic dance of Shiva as Nataraja represents particle physics, entropy and the dissolution of the universe.[48]

History

See also: Pancha Sabhai
Nataraja sculpture from Medieval Assam

Stone reliefs depicting the classical form of Nataraja are found in numerous cave temples of India, such as at the

Badami Caves (Karnataka), by around the 6th century.[17][18] One of the earliest known Nataraja artworks has been found in the archaeological site at Asanapat village in Odisha, which includes an inscription, and is dated to about the 6th century CE.[49]
The Asanapat inscription also mentions a Shiva temple in the Saivacaryas kingdom.

Literary evidences shows that the bronze representation of Shiva's ananda-tandava appeared first in the Pallava period between 7th century and mid-9th centuries CE.[50] Nataraja was worshipped at Chidambaram during the Pallava period with underlying philosophical concepts of cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, which is also found in Tamil saint Manikkavacakar's Thiruvasagam.[51]

Archaeological discoveries have yielded a red Nataraja sandstone statue, from 9th to 10th century from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, now held at the Gwalior Archaeological Museum.[52][53] Similarly, Nataraja artwork has been found in archaeological sites in the Himalayan region such as Kashmir, albeit in with somewhat different dance pose and iconography, such as just two arms or with eight arms.[54]

Around the 10th century, it emerged in

Ankor Wat, and in Bali, Cambodia, and central Asia.[13][20][21] The oldest free-standing stone sculptures of Nataraja were built by Chola queen Sembiyan Mahadevi.[50] Nataraja gained special significance and became a symbol of royalty in Tamil Nadu. The dancing Shiva became a part of Chola era processions and religious festivals, a practice that continued thereafter.[55]

The depiction was informed of cosmic or

Tamil saints.[56]

In medieval era artworks and texts on dancing Shiva found in

Nandi, the bull; further, he is regionally known as Narteshvara.[57] Nataraja artwork have also been discovered in Gujarat, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.[58]

In the contemporary Hindu culture of Bali in Indonesia, Siwa (Shiva) Nataraja is the god who created dance.[59] Siwa and his dance as Nataraja was also celebrated in the art of Java Indonesia when Hinduism thrived there, while in Cambodia he was referred to as Nrittesvara.[60]

Modern statue gifted by India at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland

In 2004, a 2 meter statue of the dancing Shiva was unveiled at CERN, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva. The statue, symbolizing Shiva's cosmic dance of creation and destruction, was given to CERN by the Indian government to celebrate the research center's long association with India.[61] A special plaque next to the Shiva statue explains the metaphor of Shiva's cosmic dance with quotations from physicist Fritjof Capra:

Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics.[62]

Though named "Nataraja bronzes" in Western literature, the Chola Nataraja artworks are mostly in copper, and a few are in brass, typically cast by the cire-perdue (lost-wax casting) process.[34]

Nataraja is celebrated in 108 poses of Bharatanatyam, with Sanskrit inscriptions from Natya Shastra, at the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.[3][5]

In dance and yoga

In modern yoga as exercise, Natarajasana is a posture resembling Nataraja and named for him in the 20th century.[63] A similar pose appears in the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam.[64]

Gallery

  • Asanpata Nataraja with Naga King Satrubhanja (261AD) Inscription at Keonjhar district of Odisha 3rd Century AD
    Asanpata Nataraja with Naga King Satrubhanja (261AD) Inscription at Keonjhar district of Odisha 3rd Century AD
  • A damaged 6th-century Nataraja, Elephanta Caves[65]
    A damaged 6th-century Nataraja, Elephanta Caves[65]
  • 6th-century Nataraja in Cave 21, Ellora Caves[17]
    6th-century Nataraja in Cave 21, Ellora Caves[17]
  • 8th-century Nataraja in Kailasa temple (Cave 16), Ellora Caves
    8th-century Nataraja in
    Kailasa temple
    (Cave 16), Ellora Caves
  • Ithyphallic 8th-century sandstone Nataraja from Madhya Pradesh
    Ithyphallic
    8th-century sandstone Nataraja from Madhya Pradesh
  • Sukanasa with Shiva Nataraja in Pattadakal, Karnataka
    Sukanasa with Shiva Nataraja in Pattadakal, Karnataka
  • The oldest known Tamil bronze Nataraja, 800 AD, British Museum[66]
    The oldest known Tamil bronze Nataraja, 800 AD, British Museum[66]
  • Khmer relief, 12th-century, Angkor Wat
    Khmer relief, 12th-century, Angkor Wat
  • Shiva-Nataraja in the Thousand-Pillar-Hall of Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu
    Shiva-Nataraja in the Thousand-Pillar-Hall of Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu
  • In the Shiva temple of Melakadambur is a rare Pala image that shows the ten-armed Nataraja dancing on his bull, Nandi
    In the Shiva temple of Melakadambur is a rare Pala image that shows the ten-armed Nataraja dancing on his bull, Nandi

References

  1. ^ "கூத்தன் சபேசன் அம்பலவாணன் நடராஜன்Sagarva Bharath Foundation". Sagarva Bharath Foundation. 20 July 2020.
  2. ^ Rajarajan, R. K. K. (January 2018). "If this is Citambaram-Nataraja, then where is Tillai-Kūttaṉ? An Introspective Reading of Tēvāram Hymns". In Pedarapu Chenna Reddy, ed. History, Culture and Archaeological Studies Recent Trends, Commemoration Volume to Prof. M.L.K. Murthy, Vol. II, Delhi: B.R. Publishing Corporation, Pp. 613-634, PLS. 54.1-6.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4438-2832-1
    .
  4. ^ a b c Encyclopædia Britannica (2015)
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-81-208-0877-5
    .
  6. ^ a b c Gomathi Narayanan (1986), SHIVA NATARAJA AS A SYMBOL OF PARADOX, Journal of South Asian Literature, Vol. 21, No. 2, pages 208-216
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-674-02691-9
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-0-521-52865-8
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-517667-4
    .
  10. ^ ValaiTamil. "அம்பலவாணன், Ambalavanan, Boy Baby Name (Tamil Name), complete collection of boy baby name, girl baby name, tamil name". ValaiTamil. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  11. ^ "General Compendium-5 - GKToday". www.gktoday.in. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  12. ^ "The Lord (or King) of Dance". www.speakingtree.in. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  13. ^
    ISBN 978-81-7099-016-1
    .
  14. ^
    ISBN 978-81-208-0877-5
    .
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-81-208-0877-5
    .
  16. ^
    The Art Institute of Chicago
    , United States
  17. ^
    ISBN 978-0-300-06217-5
    .
  18. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4094-3029-2
    .
  19. ^
    ISBN 978-0-300-06217-5
    .
  20. ^
    JSTOR 3249451
    .
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-81-208-0053-3
    .
  22. ISBN 978-8129120908
    .
  23. ^ Stromer, Richard. "Shiva Nataraja: A Study in Myth, Iconography, and the Meaning of a Sacred Symbol" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  24. ^ a b c d The Dance of Shiva, Ananda Coomaraswamy
  25. ^ "A journey to the past with dancing Shiva". The Daily Star. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020. in an Old Dhaka temple ... a stone statue of Nateshwar, a depiction of dancing Shiva on the back of his bull-carrier Nandi
  26. ISBN 978-0520064775
    .
  27. ISBN 978-2-85539-666-8
    .
  28. ISBN 0-87633-039-1
    .
  29. ^ a b c Coomaraswamy, Ananda Kentish (1918). The dance of Siva; fourteen Indian essays. Robarts - University of Toronto. New York Sunwise Turn. pp. 57–58, 65.
  30. ^ "கூத்தன் சபேசன் அம்பலவாணன் நடராஜன்SAGARVA BHARATH FOUNDATION". SAGARVA BHARATH FOUNDATION. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  31. ^ ":: TVU ::". www.tamilvu.org. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  32. ISBN 0691040095
  33. ISBN 978-81-208-0705-1
    .
  34. ^
    Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin
    , Vol. 20, No. 118 (Apr., 1922), pages 18-19
  35. ^ Gomathi Narayanan (1986), SHIVA NATARAJA AS A SYMBOL OF PARADOX, Journal of South Asian Literature, Vol. 21, No. 2, page 215
  36. ^ Shiva Nataraja, lord of the dance Encyclopedia of Ancient History (2013)
  37. ^ a b DeVito, Carole; DeVito, Pasquale (1994). India - Mahabharata. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1994 (India). United States Educational Foundation in India. p. 5.
  38. ^ Alice Boner; Sadāśiva Rath Śarmā (1966). Silpa Prakasa Medieval Orissan Sanskrit Text on Temple Architecture. Brill Archive. pp. xxxvi, 144.
  39. ^ For the damaru drum as one of the attributes of Shiva in his dancing representation see: Jansen, page 44.
  40. ^ Jansen, page 25.
  41. ^ Padma Kaimal (1999), Shiva Nataraja: Shifting Meanings of an Icon, The Art Bulletin Volume 81, Issue 3, pages 390-419
  42. ^ Srinivasan 2004, pp. 432–450.
  43. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8
    .
  44. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4
    .
  45. ISBN 978-0-521-52865-8
    .
  46. ISBN 978-0-275-22950-4
    .
  47. ^ Srinivasan 2004, pp. 447.
  48. doi:10.1093/astrogeo/atz195
    .
  49. ^ Rupendra Chattopadhya et al (2013), The Kingdom of the Saivacaryas, Berlin Indological Studies, volume 21, page 200; Archive
  50. ^
    ISBN 9788131711200
    .
  51. ^ Srinivasan 2004, pp. 444–445.
  52. doi:10.11168/jeb1947.1971.96_L74
    .
  53. ISBN 978-0-300-06217-5
    .
  54. ISBN 9780195613544
    .
  55. ISBN 978-0-19-537852-8
    .
  56. ^ Sharada Srinivasan, "Shiva as 'cosmic dancer': on Pallava origins for the Nataraja bronze", World Archaeology (2004) 36(3), pages 432–450.
  57. ISBN 9780195613544
    .
  58. ISBN 9780195613544
    .
  59. ISBN 978-967-65-3071-4
    .
  60. ISBN 978-974-8434-12-4
    .
  61. ^ "Faces and Places (page 3)". CERN Courier. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  62. ^ "Shiva's Cosmic Dance at CERN | Fritjof Capra". fritjofcapra.net. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  63. ISBN 978-1855381667
    .
  64. ^ Bhavanani, Ananda Balayogi; Bhavanani, Devasena (2001). "BHARATANATYAM AND YOGA". Archived from the original on 23 October 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2019. He also points out that these [Bharatanatyam dance] stances are very similar to Yoga Asanas, and in the Gopuram walls at Chidambaram, at least twenty different classical Yoga Asanas are depicted by the dancers, including Dhanurasana, Chakrasana, Vrikshasana, Natarajasana, Trivikramasana, Ananda Tandavasana, Padmasana, Siddhasana, Kaka Asana, Vrishchikasana and others.
  65. ISBN 978-0-300-06217-5
    .
  66. ^ British Museum Collection

Further reading

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nataraja&oldid=1218851197"