Lord Of Cosmic Dance-Nataraj
Cosmic dance of Shiva :
Nataraja is Lord Siva dancing his Cosmic dance, which shows that he creates, sustains and dissolves the world.Nataraja’s left foot is raised and his right foot rests on a demon.The demon is symbolic of our pride and ignorance. In his upper right hand he holds the damaru, from which came the first sounds of creation. He holds fire, symbolising destruction In his upper left hand. The lower right hand is in abhaya mudra — indicating that he offers us protection. All the three functions of creating, protecting and destroying are shown in the Nataraja icon. The lower left hand points to his raised left foot.The lord is surrounded on all sides by circular ring of fire.The ring represents the whole of creation.It is finite,cyclic & filled with energy of shakthi.As a creator he creates ,upholds& also destroys the world.We are bound by many desires and attachments in life, and we find it very difficult to break from these bonds. Pride and ignorance keep us attached to worldly objects that will perish one day. Greed, envy and indifference characterise our everyday lives. Our acts in every birth will be counted up as karma, and result in repeated births. And in every birth, we are responsible for more actions, which in turn will have their consequences.To overcome this we must have jnana that the only way to liberation is to seek refuge at the feet of God. Only this can save us.Nataraj is a depiction of hindu god shiva as the cosmic estatic dancer.His dance is called Tandavam or Nadanta,depending on the context of the dance.The pose and artwork is described in many Hindu texts such as the Anshumadbhed agama and Uttarakamika agama, the dance relief or idol featured in all major hindu temples of Shaivism. The classical form of the depiction appears in stone reliefs as at the Elora Caves and the Badami Caves by around the 6th-century. Around the 10th century, it emerged in Tamilnadu in its mature and best-known expression in Chola bronzes, of various heights typically less than four feet some over. The Nataraja reliefs have been identified in historic artwork from many parts of South Asia, in southeast Asia such as in Bali Cambodia and in central Asia. The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts, with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts. It typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the Natya Shastra poses as depicted above.The dynamism of the energetic dance is depicted with the whirling hair which spread out in thin strands as a fan behind his head.Nataraja is a well known sculptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture, in particular as one of the finest illustrations of Hindu art.Tandava Natyam is a divine dance performed by him.hiva's Tandava is described as a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. While the Rudra Tandava depicts his violent nature, first as the creator and later as the destroyer of the universe, even of death itself; the Ananda Tandava depicts him as enjoying. In Shaiva Siddhanta tradition, Shiva as Nataraja (lit. "Lord of dance") is considered the supreme lord of dance.The Tandavam takes its name from Tandu (taṇḍu), the attendant of Shiva, who instructed Bharata (author of the Natya Shastra) in the use of Angaharas and Karanas, modes of the Tandava at Shiva's order. Some scholars consider that Tandu himself must have been the author of an earlier work on the dramatic arts, which was incorporated into the Natya Shastra. Indeed, the classical arts of dance, music and song may derive from the mudras and rituals of Shaiva tradition. The 32 Angaharas and 108 Karanas are discussed by Bharata in the 4th chapter of the Natya Shastra,TandLakshanam.Karana is the combination of hand gestures with feet to form a dance posture. Angahara is composed of seven or more Karanas 108 karanas included in Tandava could be employed in the course of dance, fight, and personal combats and in other special movements like strolling. Tandava symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death.
Tandava, as performed in the sacred dance-drama of southern India,
has vigorous, brisk movements. Performed with joy, the dance is called Ananda Tandava. Performed in a violent mood, the dance is called Rudra Tandava.
In the Hindu texts, at least seven types of Tandava are found: Ananda
Tandava, Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samhara Tandava, Kali
(Kalika) Tandava, Uma Tandava and Gauri Tandava. However, some people believe that there are 16 types of Tandava.The dance performed by Shiva's wife Parvati in response to Shiva's Tandava is known as Lasya,
in which the movements are gentle, graceful and sometimes erotic. Some
scholars consider Lasya to be the feminine version of Tandava. Lasya has
2 kinds, Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya.The Hindu scriptures narrate various occasions when Shiva or other gods have performed the Tandava. When Sati (first wife of Shiva, who was reborn as Parvati) jumped into the Agni Kunda (sacrificial fire) in Daksha's Yajna and gave up her life, Shiva is said to have performed the Rudra Tandava to express his grief and anger. The Shivapradosha stotra says when Shiva performs the Sandhya Tandava, the other gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Indra play musical instruments and sing Shiva's praises Ganesha, the son of Shiva, is depicted as Ashtabhuja tandavsa nritya murtis (Eight armed form of Ganesha dancing the Tandava) in temple sculptures. Shiva Tandava Stotram is a stotra (Hindu hymn) that describes Shiva's power and beauty. The Bhagavata Purana talks of Krishna dancing his Tandava on the head of the serpent Kaliya. According to Jain traditions, Indra is said to have performed the Tandava in honour of Rishabha (Jain tirthankar) on the latter's birth.According to Natyashastra there are 108 Karanas(shiv aposes).The images are shown below.
Nataraja Temple, also referred to as the Chidambaram Nataraja temple or Thillai Nataraja temple , is a Hindu temple dedicated to Nataraja – Shiva as the lord of dance – in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.The temple has mythical roots and a Shiva shrine existed at the site when the town was known as Thillai.Chidambaram, the name of the city and the temple literally means "atmosphere of wisdom" or "clothed in thought", the temple architecture symbolizes the connection between the arts and spirituality, creative activity and the divine. The temple wall carvings display all the 108 karanas from the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni, and these postures form a foundation of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance.
The present temple was built in the 10th century when Chidambaram was the capital of the Chola dynasty, making it one of the oldest surviving active temple complexes in South India. After its 10th century consecration by the Cholas who considered Nataraja as their family deity, the temple has been damaged, repaired, renovated and expanded through the 2nd millennium. Most of the temple's surviving plan, architecture and structure is from the late 12th and early 13th centuries, with later additions in similar style.While Shiva as Nataraja is the primary deity of the temple, it reverentially presents major themes from Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and other traditions of Hinduism. The Chidambaram temple complex, for example, has the earliest known Amman or Devi temple in South India, a pre-13th century Surya shrine with chariot, shrines for Ganesha, Murugan and Vishnu, one of the earliest known Shiva Ganga sacred pool, large mandapas for the convenience of pilgrims (choultry, ambalam or sabhai) and other monuments. Shiva himself is presented as the Nataraja performing the Ananda Tandava ("Dance of Delight") in the golden hall of the shrine Pon Ambalam
The temple is one of the five elemental lingas in the Shaivism pilgrimage tradition, and considered the subtlest of all Shiva temples (Kovil) in Hinduism. It is also a site for performance arts, including the annual Natyanjali dance festival on Maha Shivaratri.
The main gopuram of Chidambaram Nataraj Temple is shown below :
The Nataraja temple in Chidambaram is located in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of the Kollidam River (Kaveri), 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west from the coast of Bay of Bengal, and 220 kilometres (140 mi) south of Chennai. The closest major airport is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north in Pondicherry .The National Highway 32 (old numbering: NH-45A) passes through Chidambaram. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and private companies operate services connecting it to major cities in the state. The site is linked to the Indian Railways with daily express trains to South Indian cities.
Chidambaram is a temple town, with the Nataraja complex spread over 40 acres (0.16 km2) within a nearly square courtyard in the center. Its side roads are aligned to the east-west, north-south axis. It has double walls around its periphery with gardens. It has had entrance gateways on all four sides.
The eastern gopura wall shows all 108 dance postures from the Natya Shastra. The other gopuras also have dance images.
The Chidambaram temple complex includes gopura, vimana and the sacred pool.
The artwork on gopuram showing Parvati-Shiva Kalyanasundara wedding legend. Near the newly weds are Saraswati, Lakshmi, Vishnu and other
Courtyard, Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
These are the beautiful views of chidambaram temple of Lord of Cosmic dance.
Baliga Shilpa Pai
Nataraja is Lord Siva dancing his Cosmic dance, which shows that he creates, sustains and dissolves the world.Nataraja’s left foot is raised and his right foot rests on a demon.The demon is symbolic of our pride and ignorance. In his upper right hand he holds the damaru, from which came the first sounds of creation. He holds fire, symbolising destruction In his upper left hand. The lower right hand is in abhaya mudra — indicating that he offers us protection. All the three functions of creating, protecting and destroying are shown in the Nataraja icon. The lower left hand points to his raised left foot.The lord is surrounded on all sides by circular ring of fire.The ring represents the whole of creation.It is finite,cyclic & filled with energy of shakthi.As a creator he creates ,upholds& also destroys the world.We are bound by many desires and attachments in life, and we find it very difficult to break from these bonds. Pride and ignorance keep us attached to worldly objects that will perish one day. Greed, envy and indifference characterise our everyday lives. Our acts in every birth will be counted up as karma, and result in repeated births. And in every birth, we are responsible for more actions, which in turn will have their consequences.To overcome this we must have jnana that the only way to liberation is to seek refuge at the feet of God. Only this can save us.Nataraj is a depiction of hindu god shiva as the cosmic estatic dancer.His dance is called Tandavam or Nadanta,depending on the context of the dance.The pose and artwork is described in many Hindu texts such as the Anshumadbhed agama and Uttarakamika agama, the dance relief or idol featured in all major hindu temples of Shaivism. The classical form of the depiction appears in stone reliefs as at the Elora Caves and the Badami Caves by around the 6th-century. Around the 10th century, it emerged in Tamilnadu in its mature and best-known expression in Chola bronzes, of various heights typically less than four feet some over. The Nataraja reliefs have been identified in historic artwork from many parts of South Asia, in southeast Asia such as in Bali Cambodia and in central Asia. The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts, with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts. It typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the Natya Shastra poses as depicted above.The dynamism of the energetic dance is depicted with the whirling hair which spread out in thin strands as a fan behind his head.Nataraja is a well known sculptural symbol in India and popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture, in particular as one of the finest illustrations of Hindu art.Tandava Natyam is a divine dance performed by him.hiva's Tandava is described as a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. While the Rudra Tandava depicts his violent nature, first as the creator and later as the destroyer of the universe, even of death itself; the Ananda Tandava depicts him as enjoying. In Shaiva Siddhanta tradition, Shiva as Nataraja (lit. "Lord of dance") is considered the supreme lord of dance.The Tandavam takes its name from Tandu (taṇḍu), the attendant of Shiva, who instructed Bharata (author of the Natya Shastra) in the use of Angaharas and Karanas, modes of the Tandava at Shiva's order. Some scholars consider that Tandu himself must have been the author of an earlier work on the dramatic arts, which was incorporated into the Natya Shastra. Indeed, the classical arts of dance, music and song may derive from the mudras and rituals of Shaiva tradition. The 32 Angaharas and 108 Karanas are discussed by Bharata in the 4th chapter of the Natya Shastra,TandLakshanam.Karana is the combination of hand gestures with feet to form a dance posture. Angahara is composed of seven or more Karanas 108 karanas included in Tandava could be employed in the course of dance, fight, and personal combats and in other special movements like strolling. Tandava symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death.
Nataraja Temple, also referred to as the Chidambaram Nataraja temple or Thillai Nataraja temple , is a Hindu temple dedicated to Nataraja – Shiva as the lord of dance – in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.The temple has mythical roots and a Shiva shrine existed at the site when the town was known as Thillai.Chidambaram, the name of the city and the temple literally means "atmosphere of wisdom" or "clothed in thought", the temple architecture symbolizes the connection between the arts and spirituality, creative activity and the divine. The temple wall carvings display all the 108 karanas from the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni, and these postures form a foundation of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance.
The present temple was built in the 10th century when Chidambaram was the capital of the Chola dynasty, making it one of the oldest surviving active temple complexes in South India. After its 10th century consecration by the Cholas who considered Nataraja as their family deity, the temple has been damaged, repaired, renovated and expanded through the 2nd millennium. Most of the temple's surviving plan, architecture and structure is from the late 12th and early 13th centuries, with later additions in similar style.While Shiva as Nataraja is the primary deity of the temple, it reverentially presents major themes from Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and other traditions of Hinduism. The Chidambaram temple complex, for example, has the earliest known Amman or Devi temple in South India, a pre-13th century Surya shrine with chariot, shrines for Ganesha, Murugan and Vishnu, one of the earliest known Shiva Ganga sacred pool, large mandapas for the convenience of pilgrims (choultry, ambalam or sabhai) and other monuments. Shiva himself is presented as the Nataraja performing the Ananda Tandava ("Dance of Delight") in the golden hall of the shrine Pon Ambalam
The temple is one of the five elemental lingas in the Shaivism pilgrimage tradition, and considered the subtlest of all Shiva temples (Kovil) in Hinduism. It is also a site for performance arts, including the annual Natyanjali dance festival on Maha Shivaratri.
The main gopuram of Chidambaram Nataraj Temple is shown below :
The Nataraja temple in Chidambaram is located in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of the Kollidam River (Kaveri), 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west from the coast of Bay of Bengal, and 220 kilometres (140 mi) south of Chennai. The closest major airport is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north in Pondicherry .The National Highway 32 (old numbering: NH-45A) passes through Chidambaram. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and private companies operate services connecting it to major cities in the state. The site is linked to the Indian Railways with daily express trains to South Indian cities.
Chidambaram is a temple town, with the Nataraja complex spread over 40 acres (0.16 km2) within a nearly square courtyard in the center. Its side roads are aligned to the east-west, north-south axis. It has double walls around its periphery with gardens. It has had entrance gateways on all four sides.
The eastern gopura wall shows all 108 dance postures from the Natya Shastra. The other gopuras also have dance images.
The Chidambaram temple complex includes gopura, vimana and the sacred pool.
The artwork on gopuram showing Parvati-Shiva Kalyanasundara wedding legend. Near the newly weds are Saraswati, Lakshmi, Vishnu and other
Courtyard, Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
These are the beautiful views of chidambaram temple of Lord of Cosmic dance.
Baliga Shilpa Pai
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