Description
In the Nataraja sculpture, Shiva is shown as the source of all movement within the cosmos and as the god whose doomsday dance, represented by the arch of flames, accompanies the dissolution of the universe at the end of an eon. His dance of creation is said to have been performed in Chidambaram an important Shaiva center in South India a place that is identified with both the center of the universe and the human heart. The gestures of the dance represent Shiva’s five activities (panchakritya): creation (symbolized by the drum), protection (by the “fear not” pose of the hand), destruction (by the fire), embodiment (by the foot planted on the ground), and release (by the foot held aloft).
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