Nataraja

Nataraja is God Shiva in the dance of the cosmos. He has four hands. In one he holds the Drum by the beat of which he determines the time and the pulse of manifestation, evolution, and renewal. In another hand are flames that consume all things in their eternal destiny. One hand is in Abhaya Mudra (fear-not gesture) while the other is pointing downwards to the earth, upon which the lord is firmly established, crushing the demon dwarf Muyalaka.

His face has a faint smile; his thoughts absorbed in himself from his universal perspective that there is no good or evil, pleasure or pain, life or death – only the unremitting rhythm of release. The symbols in his crown reiterate his cosmic identity – the Ganges flowing through his hair. He wears a man’s earring in one ear and a woman’s earring in the other. The king of snakes, the cobra adorns his arm.